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Our Annual Alfresco in the Fall


Simopoulos Designs, Sacramento Interior Designer, Fall Dinner Party, Fall Fete, Alfresco in the Fall, Fall Tablescape, Fall Dinner Ideas

If you are wanting to gather some friends, whether indoor or out, take some cues from our event to put on an

evening everyone will be talking about.


It has become a tradition every fall to gather my childhood friends along with family as a sort of kick off to the season of entertaining. I am not quite sure how it started, except that I tend to love an excuse to create a beautiful atmosphere and be able to sit with the people who know me best- both to catch up and reminisce. As the wise Ferris Bueller once said-'Life moves pretty fast, If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you'll miss it. " The ironic thing is that I usually get so caught up in the planning of this, that -I'm not going to lie- it usually consumes most of my down time during the month of September leading up to it and consequently I don't do much to 'stop and look around'. But it is SO worth the few precious hours of time I get with these people all together at once. Could I dial it back and still have the treasured time together? I am sure the answer is yes, but clearly I don't know how to. My friends embrace (or at least humor) my craziness in not being able to stop planning the thousand little details in hopes of creating a magical night. Every year I get a little better and strategic at knowing what rabbit holes are worth going down and what aren't. And regardless of my friends consistently questioning my sanity, none of them thus far have asked me to stop 😏 In fact my sister in law, Tammy was encouraging me to think about doing one in spring next year. Well- there's no way I would do that; why would she even say such a thing?


Just doing 1 per year is exhausting .....

I mean, I don't think I could do that........

Come to think of it, spring is my second favorite season......

I guess twice a year isn't all THAT much.......

It is such a time of renewal and rebirth.....

Ok, maybe I will consider it. 🙄

Welcome to my mind. (and thanks a lot, Tammy!)



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This year was one of my favorites- as far as the table and food and generally how everything came together. Not to mention we were coming off one of the hottest summers on record; I was thanking my lucky stars that this was the first weekend in Sac that was less than high 90s. It was a perfect temp in the low 80s then gently went down throughout the evening. The vision for this night all started in August with a sweet table runner I fell in love with from Anthropologie in a collaboration with Nathalie Lété. I built everything else off of that for the decor. It gave me a color palette to work with and a whimsical style to play off of. I adored the purply- wine color that dominates the background of the runner. From there I gathered items from around the house and also spent hours over the next month in the evenings while my husband & I watched tv sourcing other items for the table and pinning recipes to make a menu. From candles to chargers and all the rest, I gathered an ever-growing list of what I wanted to use to make the table and all the rest just right.





This year we started off with a drink tasting- more details coming on that in another blog post. We had 5 different drinks to select from; there was a pumpkin one that was more like a dessert so we determined to save that for after dinner. Everyone's favorite was poured in their glass at the table to enjoy during the meal. It was a ton of fun getting to hear people's thoughts on the different drinks and see which drinks people preferred.





After our 'tasting' we moved to a table on the lawn for dinner just as the sun was going down which is, of course, the most magical time of the day. The menu leaned heavily into fall with pumpkin apple soup, pear, arugula & brie bites, butternut squash & barley salad, and delicious beef sliders on homemade rolls with caramelized onions and a delicious, not-to-be-missed whiskey sauce.


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We concluded with dessert and coffee or tea on an upstairs balcony as the stars came out over the Sacramento valley. We indulged in a red wine poached pear and cardamom cake dessert while talking about what's happening in our lives. The long histories between us lend an understanding of the intricacies of the people in our lives that don't need to be expanded upon; just updated. And as all women tend to do, we troubleshot any current difficult situations with our combined experience and wisdom peppered in with moments of laughter and levity. I'm so thankful for these enduring friendships and people who care enough to carve out time from their busy lives to spend the evening slowing down with me. It helps me remember who I am, where I've been, and what is important.


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So anyone on the fence planning a get together this is your sign! Just jump right off and just do it- I promise you won't regret it. Feel free to message me for the recipes, I'd be happy to share! 😉

heart graphic

Lisa


"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."

Khalil Gibran

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