Over the weekend, we hosted our second annual Oktoberfest dinner party, and it was such a fun and festive evening with some of our friends! Inspired by my sister and her family, and in an ongoing effort to inject a little more celebration into our everyday, we tapped into that German heritage by celebrating Oktoberfest, complete with our take on a German-inspired meal. Luckily, the weather was absolutely glorious for hosting dinner outside on our deck, and we enjoyed the most gorgeous evening alfresco with wonderful friends and excellent food. And, of course, I had so much fun setting a very autumnal tablescape as a backdrop to our dinner party (featuring this linen tablecloth)! I used fall hues of neutrals and pumpkin with pops of slate blue, brought in natural and woven textures, had plenty of candles on hand & market lights overhead, and turned on my favorite fall playlist to create a really special and beautiful ambiance.

Our Oktoberfest menu consisted of:

• hot pretzels with beer cheese dip & mustards
• beer-braised smoked German sausages, kielbasa, and chicken apple sausage (with beer cheese dip & mustards)
• hot German potato salad with bacon & green onions
• homemade cinnamon applesauce
• harvest salad with arugula, apples, dried cranberries, candied pecans, feta cheese, and homemade maple dijon vinaigrette
• apple cider autumn sangria
• Oktoberfest beer, German beer, and cinnamon donut hard cider
• apple spice cake with maple cinnamon cream cheese icing

We checked that off our fall bucket list! Nights like these include so many things that make me heart happy: annual traditions, evenings filled with great conversation & laughter, menu planning & cooking & baking, designing a festive table, seasonal recipes and themed events, alfresco dinner parties, and time with friends who feel like family. I hope this may inspire you to inject a new tradition or a little novelty into your autumn, too. Prost!