A Celebration of Life...Tablescape

A Celebration of Life;

 An Honor Paid to A Wonderful Man...

I was recently given the honor of decorating for a "Celebration of Life" at our local Country Club.

The decor and tablescapes came together quickly and turned out lovely. The family was pleased with the decor choices and the guests were quite impressed. I was honored to receive the request and I am privileged to know and love the family of this wonderful man we honored.  

 The Receiving Table:

A place for the cards & a photo

The theme for this Celebration of Life was that of Olive Branches and Books. The meaning of the Olive Branch stands Peace & Victory. This Man Lived with a peaceful heart and was victorious in his living of life.

 In addition to that, the Books were chosen to represent a Man who was an educator and a scholar of worldly things.  

At the "Receiving Table" journals were used in place of the traditional guest books. The journals gave guests the opportunity to write notes and memories to the family. The family choose hand crafted bookmarks to represent the Man in Honor. These were for the families guests to keep & use as a lasting memory of "their" Loving Husband, Father & Grandfather. 

A decorated table at the entrance of the room supplied a fitting place for tissue boxes if needed. 

The Guests were very receptive to this concept and grateful the extra tissue's had been provided.   

 The centerpiece on this table was chosen by His wife. She had seen "one" similar to the one above in a store. She loved the simplicity of the Olive branch.

She wanted several for the tables and wanted to later give them to her son's and their families as a remembrance.

This was OUR rendition of the one she had seen...

She LOVED how they turned out.

 I have a large collection of old books. I focused mainly on stacks of three and tied them with twine and/or torn muslin. Burlap squares were cut randomly by hand and placed on ivory tablecloths with forest green cloth napkins. 

 Each table had greenery or topiary, old books and burlap.

This book is an old "world encyclopedia" (vol. 1 of 2) tied with torn tea stained muslin. The "Reservation" table signs were found at Michael's (in the wedding department) and used for the immediate family and close family/friends tables.

 The family wanted mostly tables and some chairs. This arrangement accommodated 8-10 people per table. A host of chairs were also grouped throughout the room. 
A casual arrangement with a formal feel yet, full of style and class. 
This reflected the Man we honored that day.

The Celebration of Life was set for 10 in the morning. The family wanted a simple offering of coffee, tea, water and orange juice. Served with assorted cookies, cheesecake and petit fours.

*(My photo was taken before all of the food was placed on the table)

 We also had use of the patio area facing the putting greens.

We had a beautiful view of the grounds.

 This was the "Family Table". We used an oblong table in the center of the room to accommodate the immediate family. The Lavender topiary had special meaning to the family. This was the only table with this decor.

This set of books graced the "family table".  There are five books tied in this stack. Three of these books belonged to the Man of Honor during his lifetime. The poem (a copy of the original, which he wrote to his sons...) was paper torn around the edges, rolled and tied on top with twine. 

I love how this family table was decorated differently from all of the other's yet blended so well with the whole theme. The difference's and subtle memories placed on this table were only known by the family and close friends.

These symbol's of memories would lend comfort to the family on this loving yet difficult day.  

This tablescape had an Olive Tree and a stack of Vintage Bibles tied together. 

 The family table (from the front side) with the patio deck and putting green in the background. 

 A wider view of the room.
The decor was well receive by everyone in attendance. The family was pleased that their Husband, Father & Grandfather was truly honored in such a fitting way.
I have been completely blessed by being included in this "Celebration of Life"; such a special honor. It was a true labor of love and a pleasure to be included in such an intimate time of their lives. I too loved this man and will miss him deeply.
With Loving Honor & Style....

Psalms 13:6 I will sing unto the Lord, for He has been good to me.