Night Before: The Place

An outdoor party in August in NC is a risk...

But that's what the groom requested...

Sparkling lemonade, soft drinks, & bottled water kept everyone hydrated...

"Keep it really casual," he said, "and make some of those recipes I like."

A flag at the driveway let the guests know they were at the right place...

Well, I guess it was pretty obvious...

The welcome "mat" was out (the bags were lime green with a white palm tree on them.  I found them 2 months before on sale at Wally-world for $1 for 20 of them.  I truly thought they were luminary bags... & didn't realize until I was cleaning them up the next day that they were party gift bags...  Oh well, they served the purpose!)

So the colorful theme began with a new badly needed umbrella!

Enhanced by some decorative wire balls with tea light candles (provided by the groom who loves candlelight...)

and a new rug...

or two...

It was fun picking up bargains along the way, & I "waited out" the season, hoping they wouldn't be gone, to pick up 2 cushions that matched the umbrella.

As the evening wore on & darkness began to fall, everything took on a different look...

She must have been reading my mind when my decorator daughter laid out the candles on the diving board.  I had planned to do this, but ran short on time when she came along & asked what she could do.  "Just put out some candles & light them for me, please," I asked.

A full moon added to the ambiance...

And the "luminaries" really did illuminate the walkway.

Up next-
 Night Before: The People