Southern Style Table Decor Ideas for a Potluck Dinner Party

Looking for some pretty outdoor dining table decor ideas? Wait until you see this summer tablescape inspiration for an al fresco Southern style potluck dinner party.

If you looking to add a touch of Southern charm to your next potluck dinner party, you don’t have to be from the south to do it!

Whether you’re a born-and-raised Southerner or simply want to infuse some warm hospitality into your gathering, Southern-style table decor is the perfect way to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.

For this month’s supper club, we are shooting a Southern-style potluck dinner party, so today, we are chatting about what that entails for getting the look regardless of your location.

We’ll also chat about ways to set a rustic elegant table with fresh-cut flowers, and dive into the world of potluck dinner parties with a Southern twist.

Wait until you see how gorgeous my table looks in the potager garden!

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About My Supper Club

We’ve been having a great time with our supper club and this month we are celebrating the end of summer with an al fresco potluck dinner party infused with Southern style.

Whether you are hosting family or friends, we are sharing lots of beautiful outdoor dining table centerpieces and decorating ideas.

In case you are new here, I’m Stacy, a self-taught master gardener who lives and gardens in northern New Jersey, zone 6a.

We recently moved to a beautiful 1850 Farmhouse with 10 acres of gardens, sculptures and statues.

I’ve been gardening for over 20 years and enjoy helping beginner gardeners find their inner green thumb, as well as discover a love for all things plants and flowers. I love to bring the outdoors inside my home too.

I hope you enjoy visiting my home today and hope you come back so we can grow stuff and create beautiful spaces together.

Embracing Southern Style

In general, Southern style is characterized by its graciousness, comfort, and attention to detail. It’s about creating an atmosphere that makes guests feel like family, even if they’re meeting for the first time.

Think of classic elements like mason jar glasses, gingham patterns, wooden accents, lots of texture, and an abundance of hospitality.

From the decor to the cuisine, Southern style exudes warmth and a sense of welcome.

Bringing Southern Charm Anywhere

Even if you’re miles away from the heart of Dixie, you can still channel Southern style effortlessly.

Start by incorporating iconic elements such as checkered tablecloths, vintage-inspired dishware, and charming mason jar centerpieces.

Mixing and matching patterns, textures, and colors will add depth to your decor. I love the rustic elegant look, so that’s what we are going for with this month’s supper club theme.

Rustic Elegance with Fresh Cut Flowers

One of the quintessential ways to enhance your Southern-style potluck dinner party is by using fresh-cut flowers. And if you have blooms to cut from your own cut flower garden, even better!

There are lots of great flowers you can use to create a beautiful table that evokes a Southern style.

Here are a few ideas depending on what’s blooming in your locality or what you can get from the florist:

• Sunflowers
• Magnolias
• Zinnias
• Dahlias
• Hydrangeas
• Celosia
• Strawflowers
• Calendula
• Amaranth
• and so many more!

To create a rustic yet elegant table, consider leaving your table bare or using a burlap table runner or buffalo check tablecloth as the backdrop for your feast.

Arrange the mason jar vases in a row down the center of the table or in a beautiful centerpiece, interspersed with small tea lights or vintage taper candleholders for a touch of soft lighting as the sun sets.

This blend of rustic charm and delicate elegance will transport your guests to a Southern oasis.

The Joy of a Potluck Dinner Party

But now we get to the easy part of hosting a dinner party – going with a potluck! A potluck dinner party is a fantastic way to bring people together over a shared love of food and community.

It’s a gathering where each guest brings a dish to share, lightening the load on the host and ensuring a diverse spread of delectable treats.

Potluck dinners encourage collaboration, conversation, and the joy of discovering new flavors. And if you are going with a theme like Southern style, tropical party, or a soup party potluck, it gives guests a direction so you can enjoy a cohesive dinner menu.

Southern-Style Potluck Fare

When hosting a Southern-style potluck dinner party, consider dishes that pay homage to the region’s culinary heritage.

Simple classics like

• fried chicken
• cornbread
• collard greens
• macaroni and cheese
• potato salad
• peach cobbler
• pecan pie
• and sweet tea or fresh lemonade.

Encourage guests to bring their favorite Southern-inspired dishes, whether they’re traditional recipes or modern interpretations. It makes it easier for them to make something with less fuss and stress.

My Southern Style Table Decor Ideas

For our supper club, I set the table in the potager garden where I’m growing both a cut flower garden and vegetables.

The potager is a great backdrop for al fresco dinner parties and since it’s getting a bit cooler out, the atmosphere is perfect for a potluck party.

The Centerpiece

To set the table, I opted to go with one big centerpiece of fresh flowers. And I have to say, I really tried to restrain myself with how many flowers I was using, but I just kept cutting away and came up with this gorgeous arrangement of dahlias, zinnias, snapdragons, strawflowers, and amaranth.

Originally, I was just going to use a vintage copper can I found thrifting. But wanted a little more texture to the table so I grabbed my oversized basket tray.

So I added the copper can, tucked in some mason jars and bud vases around it, filled them with water and started cutting from my garden.

Adding Southern Style Table Decor Ideas

Instead of using a table runner or tablecloth, I opted to use these pretty paned dish towels for each place setting.

Aren’t they so pretty? You don’t have to use traditional table decor to decorate a table, so think outside the box!

I added some elegant melamine plates with these pretty tartan plaid napkins. And then I topped each table setting off with a wood disk, vintage gold flatware tied with twine, and fresh-cut sage.

Since the garden is starting to transition to fall, my moscow mule mugs add a hint of an autumn color palette to the table and really pick up the colors from the garden flowers.

And that’s it!

More About Southern Style Table Decor Ideas

Do you have any table decor ideas for a Southern style potluck dinner party you’d like to share? I would love to know more in the comments below.

And don’t miss joining my Gardening DIY and Decorating Community on Facebook for more chatter. And follow along there and on Instagram as well. There are behind-the-scenes daily things that I share on Instagram that don’t make it to the blog. Would love to see you there too!

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Wait Until You See These Southern-Style Summer Tablescape Ideas

If you are looking for some rustic elegant ideas for an outdoor dining table, here are some pretty decorating ideas to try.

Click on the blog name to view the post.

Looking for More Supper Club Ideas?

Our supper club has been so much fun and we’ve covered so much over the last year.

Whether you are in a supper club or just want some dinner party theme inspiration, check out the themes we’ve hosted before that shares lots of beautiful centerpiece and table decor ideas.

And click here if you want to learn how to organize and host your own supper club. They are so fun to do and provide a great reason to gather regularly with family and friends.

• Galentine’s Day Brunch
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Spring Brunch
• Cinco De Mayo
• 4th of July
• Picnic Date
• Tailgating Party
• Thanksgiving Dinner Party
• Christmas Dinner Party
• New Year’s Eve
• Cozy Winter Dinner
• Afternoon Tea Party

Garden Supplies I Use

I’m often asked about the garden supplies and tools that I use most. From pruners to deer repellents, here are some of my favorites in no particular order.

• I like to use a good-quality garden soil, compost, and perlite when planting.
• I have used this deer repellent with great success. But now, I’m all about this deer repellent that is systemic instead of topical. This means the plant takes it in as opposed to it just smelling bad.
• Hands down this is my favorite hand-weeding tool. You can use to get underneath roots, loosen soil, and it cuts down on the weeding time because you work much faster.
• But I also love this long, stand-up weeding tool to really get around roses from afar.
• I like to use THIS ORGANIC FERTILIZER for roses because the blooms are more prolific and it’s organic.
• You’ll need a sharp set of pruners when working with plants and flowers. I buy a few so I can stash them around.
• Where pest and disease problems are concerned, I generally use this insecticidal soap or neem oil to help control infestations depending on the issue.
• This is my favorite set-and-forget slow-release fertilizer for houseplants, annuals, and container gardens.
• Whenever I stake my peonies or other plants, I generally use these grow through garden supports because they work really well and keep the blooms upright.

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Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

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