The Table: Floral Arrangement

As I'm sure Martha Stewart can attest, almost as important as the food itself, is the table and presentation of your table.  Whether it be indoors or out, flowers always add a nice degree of calm and beauty to a dinner table.  My friend Miriam and I were preparing flowers arrangements for a large dinner party and were brainstorming a budget-friendly way to make beautiful displays.

We decided on Mason jars with twine wrapped half-way around and beautiful flowers stuffed into the jars.  A very clean, rustic looking arrangement.  All you need are sheers, gloves (to protect your hands from the thorns-modeled on Miriam), mason jars (which you can order online at Amazon for very little $$), super glue and flowers!

The key, we found, after a cucumber vodka with seltzer, is not to worry about the flowers or the mason jars looking perfect - because they will not.  It's just to have a pretty centerpiece that brings together the colors or feelings of the meal.

The total cost was far less than a florist would charge and the arrangements received compliments from the guest and birthday boy!  Score. We paired large and medium mason jars on every table with jumbo jars with more elaborate arrangements at the head table and tiny jars with simple arrangements in the bathrooms and powder rooms.  A little thinking outside the box gets you some creative outcomes.