Fall, Glorious Fall--Planning Your Party in the Fall

Fall, glorious fall. For those of us living in Southern California, fall means continued warm weather, Santa Ana winds and the hope that cooler weather might surface NEXT month.

Therefore planning a party around the seasons is challenging. But for the rest of America, fall means an explosion of color, crisp weather and a big change from summer. Well, even though we’re in So Cal, we’re going to pretend that we actually have a fall because it’s so much fun to decorate around the season.

As with everything Party Planning Perfected does, we’re going to tiptoe into to the season. Let’s start with some simple decorating.

Anyone who has grown up or visited an area where the colors actually change knows that it’s as though nature decided to have one last hurrah before the harshness of winter. This is your big chance to mix and match any color from yellows to bronze, from golds to reds and burgundies. Throw in some browns and oranges and you are ready to change it up.

Let’s start with setting the table. Since we’re celebrating that summer is over, get rid of your pastels and bring out some deeper colors. How about an orange or brown tablecloth? Or bring out your red place mats. Go to your nearest forest or backyard tree and gather up some fallen leaves. Scatter them on your table and you’ve got a free and timely centerpiece.

Look around and find a clear bowl. Fill it with cranberries, oranges, apples, persimmons or anything colorful. Once again you’re just bringing nature’s bounty into your dining room.

Pumpkins and squash are the stereotypical signs of fall but that doesn’t mean they can’t be just as fun. Try lining pumpkins up in various sizes on your table. Or how about decorating a pumpkin with markers or flowers? Cut some holes in your pumpkin and poke in mums for eyes, carrots or green beans for a nose and some marshmallow teeth? Or let you imagination run wild. There is no end to what you can create.