Shannon Qualls of Parties and Potty Training thoughtfully planned this Black, White, & Gold Dinner Party for recent graduations of a training program at her church. I absolutely love the color palette — the pops of orange and green are a perfect {gender neutral} compliment to the bold black and white stripes. This is such great inspiration for any co-ed, grown-up celebration! As an added bonus, the party’s bartender, Greg Mays, is generously giving away the recipe to the most popular cocktail of the night (and it sounds seriously delicious). Cheers to the grads!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Beautiful gold flatware + gold-glittered champagne cork place card holders
• Dramatic black & white striped tablecloth & chair covers
• Fresh pops of color from chic centerpieces featuring kale, ruffled roses, and mokara orchids
• Sparkly gold pom sticks and fresh fruit to garnish the signature cocktails

PARTY DETAILS as told by Shannon…

I love hosting dinner parties, so when my husband suggested throwing a dinner party for some recent graduates of a training program at our church, I jumped at the chance. There is nothing like throwing a sit down dinner on a summer evening being surrounded by friends and eating good food.

My friend Latisha, of Latisha Lyn Photography, had mentioned to me awhile back about wanting to do a styled shoot using black, white and gold. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to incorporate her original thought and bring it to life in a real party.

We had some friends with a backyard space that was perfect for the dinner party. Thankfully they agreed to allow us to invade their backyard and we were on track for a night of fun and laughter!

I knew that most of the graduates were male, and I wanted a decidedly masculine feel to the party. So we brought in black tablecloths and bold striped runners. My current obsession is gold so I knew I wanted gold flatware as well as gold chargers for the place settings. I love how it popped against the black and white linens.

The amazing Amy Balsters of Amy Nicole Floral Studio did the flowers. She created the tight and tailored look we were trying to achieve with the pops of color I wanted to keep the space fresh and bright.

Our friend Greg Mays of Simple Cocktails created four signature cocktails for the event. His drinks hit all the right notes and added to the wonderful ambiance of the evening. All of the recipes for the party can be found here.

The most popular cocktail of the night was the Blackberry Bruskas. Recipe included below.

Latisha photographed the evening in a unique way that was appreciated by all who attended. She was able to capture moments- little snippets in time- that reveal the fun time had by all.

Blackberry Bruskas By Greg Mays

(Submitted with his permission) 

This was a pre-mixed punch in a pitcher, ready to pour.

• In a pitcher full of ice, add:
• 1/2 jar (about 13 oz) of Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine
• 3/4 carton of Newman’s Own Organic Virgin Lemonade
• Fill cups with ice and 3 fresh blackberries before pouring