My Guide to Decorating a Midsummer Party Table
Midsummer is the longest day of the year—and it’s quickly approaching. What a perfect excuse for a party!
Here’s my guide to decorating for a summer event to remember, with some fun tips that you can consider when creating your own bright and lively décor. This year, Midsummer falls on June 21, so let’s get started!
Step 1: It’s a party! So let’s start with this oilcloth table cover—it's especially helpful if you have younger guests. I love the lively summer foliage pattern of this design; it makes the perfect base for all the colorful flowers to come.
Step 2: Find some fresh summer blooms. Locally grown and in-season is the key! You can pick them from your own garden or source them from a local farmer’s market. I got mine from several nearby flower farms in the Hudson Valley. They include some beautiful lavender campanula, purple stock, garden roses, peonies, white allium, dark red dianthus, and delicate forget-me-nots. I even found some purple basil flowers that smelled so wonderful in a vegetable stand at the Hudson Farmer’s Market. Yes, herbs can work perfect in your designs!
Step 3: Now, let’s start to arrange the flowers! It doesn't need to be overly complicated. I like to use clear vases of various shapes and heights, and arrange them across the length of the table. You can use the same floral combinations in your vases, explore different arrangements, or even just fill a few with tall stems of the same bloom—or, mix them up as I’ve done here.
My Tip: Try to have a common color theme to connect all the arrangements for a long tablescape design. In mine, I used purple blooms throughout, with red and pink flowers scattered along the way.
Step 4: Have some fun with it! Here I’ve added summer fruits to the design. Synonymous with the season, fresh strawberries add a vibrant red color to your table, not to mention how delicious they are!
Step 5: Consider your other elements like napkins, and even plates, glasses and silverware. With all the bright florals, I like to keep most of these elements simple and classic. These colorful napkins add an extra pop of color and really fit the theme of my design. It’s starting to look like a beautiful summer garden. And yes, candles, candles, candles.
Step 6: Now, it's time for food and drink, and fun with family and friends!
Fun fact: In Sweden, Midsummer is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. For an unmarried girl, legend has it that if she picks seven kinds of flowers and puts them under her pillow on Midsummer's Eve, she’ll dream of her future husband. And if she doesn't see him, she picked the wrong flowers!
