An outdoor garden party and dinner is a beautiful way to celebrate a special occasion! Cheri Leavy, co-founder of The Southern C, took this candlelight garden party to the next level with all of the details and delicious food! I was honored to be a part of it!

This dinner party was in honor of Sallie Holder, who is a dynamic lady that I have been fortunate to get to know through The Southern C. Sallie is a special person with a way of connecting the dots between your innate skills and your goals. As Cheri says, she helps you take flight like a butterfly.

Images of butterflies were used throughout the party details and added a perfect and thoughtful touch. Thankfully, Danielle Hulsey was there to photograph the party to share all of the fun of the night. She captured the night beautifully…

Cheri was thoughtful to include fellow TSC members in every aspect of setting the table- from the plates by R. Wood to the napkins by Lisa Ellis. Flowers were sourced locally from Three Porch Farms.

Butterflies were placed in discreet places around the party table- from the occasional butterfly on a chair to each glass having an edible butterfly perched on the rim.

And, the place settings were topped off with butterfly place cards handwritten with each guest’s name~ you can see them below on top of the napkins…

Butterflies in all colors were scattered down the center of the table to continue the vibe. What a gorgeous way to incorporate a thread of a detail- it feels both subtle and straightforward at the same time.

Cheri even decorated her bike with flowers and butterflies. It adds a sense of whimsy and light-hearted fun and makes for a great conversation piece and photo opportunity!

The guests arrived before sunset and we were able to enjoy the lovely weather and gorgeous view of the table that had been so perfectly prepared.

Cheri has wonderful helpers that were there to help keep the party running smoothly. Maggie Jordan and Becca Gemes were so attentive and helpful. Don’t you love their matching lavender aprons? Another TSC member, Libbie Summers, designed these classic and stylish aprons. The aprons offer a polished and cohesive look which I love!

Below is the hostess and the guest of honor! Cheri and Sallie had a second to take it all in before everyone was seated around the fabulous table.

While Becca and Maggie (and Cheri’s husband, Vance) were taking care of all of the finishing touches, we were all invited inside for cocktails and appetizers.

It was such a nice way to have a chance to chat with everyone and to catch up with those that we don’t get to see often enough.

As the sun set and the candles were lit, Cheri and Vance were ready to serve a fabulous dinner catered by Peter Dale of The National.

I can honestly tell you, it doesn’t get much better than being served dinner prepared by Peter Dale! 🙂 The meal was served family style and added to the warmth and family-feel of the group gathered around the table.

There was lots of chatter and lots of laughter around the table. Cheri is an impeccable hostess who knows how to create a community of sharing and interacting.

Cheri so kindly honored Sallie Holder for her talents and time (Sallie spent the day offering classes on business building) and then took the time to have each of us connect around the table.

It was such a beautiful party filled with meaning and motivation- so reflective of the host and the guest of honor!

The delicious meal was capped off with a stunning cake created by a local Athenian, Emilee Hain of Keelime Culinary. Cheri entrusted me with this part of the night, and I was honored to be in charge of dessert! 🙂

Emilee is an incredible chef and baker and has made many cakes for me. I ordered caramel cake with a lavender buttercream frosting, and I am pretty sure we all would have happily had seconds and thirds!

It was delicious! Emilee covered the cake in food-safe flowers, and I added butterflies flitting around it.

The photo below sums up the feel of the entire night. Cheers to a beautiful gathering full of thoughtfulness, creativity, delight, and warmth. It was a perfect way to celebrate a special moment!

I am grateful to be a part of The Southern C and a friend of Sallie Holder. I highly recommend both and I am always happy to chat further if you have questions for me about either!

Cheers xo,

Lydia