Pre-Prom Dinner Party Inspiration - Anders Ruff Custom Designs, LLC

How do you achieve pre-prom dinner perfection? Combine the DIY design and party planning prowess of AR Workshop and Anders Ruff Custom Designs owners, Maureen Anders and Adria Ruff, with incredible products from both national brands and local Charlotte, NC area businesses! In North Carolina and elsewhere, prom season is here, which means the time to plan for an incredible evening for teens is now! If your teen is trying to figure out prom night dinner plans, does he/she know that hosting a pre-prom dinner at home is still trending? We happen to love that trend and are here to help you to plan your own perfect pre-prom dinner party! Today we are sharing a peek of the incredible prom dinner party Maureen and Adria executed which is full of plenty of inspiration and our favorite product and vendor sources.

When planning any kind of dinner party, a great place to start is with a color scheme, theme, or both. This gorgeous backyard affair paired hues of blue with striking chinoiserie patterns throughout the decor and place settings, giving off a stylish Mediterranean vibe. A close look at all of the dinner party details reveals the effective use of repeated patterns on everything from table runners to ceramic pots to hand fan favors, graphic design elements like printed name cards and menus, and even sugar cookies.

If you saw last year’s pre-prom dinner party, you may remember that Adria and Maureen’s go-to-source for gorgeous event decor is Oriental Trading Company. Once again, Oriental Trading Company delivered in a big way! They had virtually everything needed to elevate the event space into something truly magical for this year’s prom-goers. Teens love to feel treated to an upscale, sophisticated celebration. This year, Maureen and Adria were fortunate to use Charlotte Party Rentals, who provided the tables, chairs, and linens for the dinner (as well as the party tent), allowing the dynamic duo to focus on what they do best–create and style. Creating the fancy feel for this year’s tablescape was accomplished by layering crisp white linens with a patterned table runner and beautiful place settings featuring Oriental Trading products. Natural woven placemats added that perfect touch of texture and acted as chargers for premium dinner plates that looked so elegant, you would never guess they were disposable! The same goes for the gold modern cutlery and dusty blue wine glasses–disposable, plastic, and so pretty! (Bonus: easy cleanup!)

Little details have a way of really kicking things up a notch. Some of our favorite place setting details include the embellished microstripe napkins, chinoiserie-printed hand fans and gold striped paper drinking straws. Custom menus and personalized name cards were designed (Anders Ruff Custom Designs) for that extra special touch, tying all of the details seamlessly together. And can you spot the paper butterfly accents? They are so dainty, but serve as an impactful, whimsical touch.

Creating a focal point for the tables adds style and pizzazz. These featured centerpieces were a gorgeous combination of glass and ceramic vases, white wood boxes, pillar candles and floral arrangements featuring hydrangeas and greenery. Varying the heights to create dimension is key.

When it comes to dinner, our biggest pro tip is still to cater the meal if budget allows. We mentioned last year, but it bears repeating, most prom-going teens or their parents were planning to contribute funds for a nice meal out on the town anyway. So unless you love to cook for a small army, save yourself the stress and hassle by ordering a delicious and widely enjoyed meal from a favorite restaurant. For this event, an Italian meal was chosen and catered from Buca di Beppo.

A trip to the treat table is always a sweet ending to any celebration. This year’s dessert table featured a custom signature wood framed “It’s Party Time” sign (available to make at an AR Workshop near you) and a scrumptious collection of desserts, including a deluxe all-white candy buffet from Oriental Trading Co. The shining stars of the treat table were the ombré ruffle cake from Suarez Bakery and lovely frosted sugar cookies by Cookie Amour by Bejal. Both of these amazing companies are in North Carolina. If you look closely, you can also see another AR Workshop signature project acting as table decor–gorgeous centerpiece boxes displaying bud vases with small floral arrangements. You can sign up for a class to create your own!

Maureen and Adria first came together as business partners with their company Anders Ruff Custom Designs. Using custom printable labels with ribbon accents to dress up candy jars is an easy way to elevate, customize, and personalize an event. They designed these for this event and offer printable designs in many patterns, colorways, and themes in their online shop.

When it comes to desserts, our philosophy is “Go big or go home.” Enter Dunkin’ Donuts and their incredible donut wall. Is there such a thing as too much dessert? We think not. Donuts and dancing definitely go together. But then again, donuts are always a good decision, especially from Dunkin’.

Dunkin’ Donuts was a fabulously fun addition to the evening. Not only did they bring donuts, but they wow’d guests with their Dunkin’ Cruiser, which served up delicious drinks.

Prom always means loads of photos. Having a photo op for pictures is always a win! Confetti Castle added the wow factor to this photo op with a custom balloon arch.

Speaking of photos, if you haven’t experienced the 360 Photo Booth from Zim Zoom, it’s a party must-have! Guests, young and old, had a blast creating fun and lasting memories. The proof is in the pictures (and videos)! Check some out below.