As some of you may know, a passion of mine is hosting or decorating for elaborate events. I say elaborate because I don’t just like to decorate or design an event space- I attempt to create another world for others to experience through my events. This doesn’t always mean doing something elaborate in terms of design; sometimes it’s just a matter of envisioning a world you’d like to experience, and doing what you can to make it reality.
As summer drew to a close, I had a longing for a bohemian dinner party celebrating the end of the free-spirited nature of long, warm days at what is one of my favorite places in the world: a little beach in Little Compton, RI. While I enjoy large events, time spent around a table filled with good food and surrounded by an intimate group of people is where my heart is truly happiest. With this vision in mind, I began a simple preparation of a few of items from my vintage collection to adorn the centerpiece in my head: a large table on the beach. I wanted to have a space large enough for at least 12 people to gather, as well as enough space to create a beautiful scene amidst the food. I decided that a makeshift dining table would be best, since I plan to host other pop-up dinners in all sorts of dreamy places, and bought a massive piece of plywood to rest on apple crates. The transportation of the 8×4 foot piece of wood was an adventure in and of itself, and made me grateful for my little trooper of an SUV!
Because I have a slight vintage collecting problem, this kind of event was very easy to pull off- the only actual work involved was cooking to feed all of my friends. However, growing up in a Ukrainian household where cooking for large groups of people is an almost daily way of life- this was also fairly simple. I decided to keep it simple and prepare as much ahead of time, with only some skewers to grill at the beach. My friends contributed drinks and the ever essential cheese assortment, and we were set for an amazing evening. The sky contributed with an incredible show of a sunset, followed by a clearing of clouds for perfect star-gazing.
Dear friends (and pup-nephew) gathered, lovely food was eaten, and laughter-filled conversation ensued. The night was all that I could have hoped for- and even included a delightful end of night swimming in a warm ocean with the milky way overhead.
I’m already gleefully planning my next installment of the traveling dinner party.
Oh Hiraeth 