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Host a Dogwood-Themed Tea Party
This flowering favorite makes for a pretty and celebratory spread.
Hosting Easter? Plotting Mother’s Day? Let dogwood branches in bloom set the tone for a versatile spring soirée featuring punch, petals, and petite party bites.
Set a Petal-Perfect Table
Look to the dogwood itself for inspiration for your tablesetting. Keep it simple and elegant with a white (or pale pink) runner, then intertwine clippings of dogwood branches all along the center of the table. (You can also uses silk dogwood branches.) For added color, stagger small bud vases holding individual blooms.
At each place setting, layer sage green placemats with white plates and petal pink napkins (in dogwood napkin rings, of course!). Wood-handled flatware references the branches and pretty footed glassware makes it all sparkle.
Make DIY Napkins
Make your own custom napkins by rolling a floral stamp with a thin layer of fabric paint (here, red) and applying it to light pink linens. (Pair with brass and enamel napkin rings.)
Make the Look:
Pink Napkins: 20-Inch Napkins from Wayfair
Stamp: Dogwood Stamp from Deep Red Stamps
Toast with a Fruity Punch
What could be more perfect for a dogwood-themed party than Dogwood Punch. This fruity drink is a refreshing afternoon crowd pleaser.
Get the recipe for Dogwood Punch.
Add Flourish with Colorful Straws
Every drink feels more festive when it’s served with a colorful straw—and they’re even more special with a DIY dogwood decoration.
To make: Cut dogwood-shaped flowers from watercolor paper (at craft stores) and decorate edges with watercolor pens. Punch a hole in the center of the flower, and slip the straw through the hole. We used glass straws, but all types of straws should work.
Upgrade Your Tea Sandwiches
Clever hack alert: A clover cookie cutter (a St. Paddy’s Day staple) creates the perfect dogwood-shaped tea sandwich—just cut off the “stem”! Serve them on a two-tiered platter, which helps save table space.
Serve a Stunning Tiered Cake
All eyes will be on this impressive White Velvet Cake that looks *almost* too good to eat. It may look difficult, but a pallet knife or offset spatula and sugar pearls are all you need to cover its White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting with delicate flowers.
Pick Your Own Tea Cup
Gather a collection of vintage tea pots and tea cups and let guests pick their favorite pattern. Then provide hot water and a display of a variety of tea choices for a self-serve tea buffet.
Send Them Off With a Sweet Farewell
Everyone will appreciate a little tasty take-away to remember the day.
To make: Top a small box with dogwood flowers cut from watercolor paper and decorated with watercolor pens. Hot-glue tiny pieces of green pipe cleaner to the centers. Cut leaves from green paper and hot-glue to the bottoms of flowers. Fill boxes with macarons or other small cookies, wrap with twine, and tape flowers on top.
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Spring Table Setting Ideas
