Date:  February 29, 2024  |   Story: Tiffany Adams  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |  

Get guests in the mix with an experience-based approach to entertaining

When Jessie Gillham of Little Rock’s Festive Haus started dreaming about a spring gathering, she wanted it to be more than just a meet-and-eat party. “I think experience-based gatherings are becoming a huge trend—and a good one,” the event planner says. “There’s less pressure on you as a host and on guests to create conversation. Plus, it can be more fun and intimate.”

For this evening, Jessie planned a twofold experience. Wanting to incorporate fresh color for the season, she called on Brittany Tubbs, owner of Emmylou’s Flower Bar, to create a build-your-own-bouquet station using her traveling floral market. This was followed by a cocktail hour where guests had the opportunity to create individual charcuterie boards, a skill Jessie is known for and often teaches at Heights Corner Market and private events. “I love to do classes in clients’ homes where I bring everything, set it up, and show them exactly how to create a grazing board,” she says. Here, she encouraged guests with placement techniques as well as an ingredient card to take home as a reminder.

Eager to get outside during warmer days, a friend’s front porch was the ideal setting for the gathering for six. “You can make your experience bigger when you keep the guest list small,” Jessie notes. Inspired by Netflix’s Emily in Paris, hints of French influence float throughout the setting from the bistro chairs and whimsical flowers to the cocktail and charcuterie boards themselves. “It’s interesting to give guests something unexpected and for them to walk away with a skill,” she says. “Whether it’s a dinner party, supper club, or milestone birthday, it adds to the fun.”

“As we come out of February and into March, I wanted there to be lots of color to signal the start of spring.”
—Jessie Gillham, Festive Haus

Guests were given individual boards to fill as they chose from the centerpiece. Jessie notes that if you don’t have a large board, you can use butcher paper or rows of trays to recreate the look.

Parisian Sippers
Jessie created a twist on the classic French 75 cocktail that ties back to the gathering’s Emily in Paris inspiration and also incorporates fresh grapefruit. Flowers and food combine in both the arrangement and the beverage with edible flowers topping the drink and citrus appearing in the arrangement.

Good Grazes
“I wanted the setup to feel organic and to let the centerpiece be the star of the show,” Jessie says of the four-foot, wooden serving board that was custom made by her father. No matter the size of the charcuterie board, her advice for filling it starts with a no-fail mix of cheeses. “You want hard and soft cheeses, so a good rule of thumb is using a cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk selection. When you look at it that way you are incorporating different flavors and textures without having to think too much into it,” she says.

Main Squeeze
“I absolutely love intertwining fruits and vegetables into the flower world,” Brittany says, noting she’s used everything from artichokes to large, whole oranges in her arrangements. This bouquet features snapdragons, statice, stock, ranunculus, roses, miniature carnations, button flowers, and pittosporum greenery with clementines. “We have darling spring tones with this look, and the Cutie oranges just pair too perfectly,” she adds.

On a Roll
Brittany’s dad and brother transformed a dark (and stinky, according to Brittany!) horse trailer into a cute-as-can-be, on-the-go flower market. You’ll often find her popping up in the SoMa neighborhood of downtown Little Rock but she is frequently booked for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and small private events, like this one, as well.

RECIPE

GRAPEFRUIT FRENCH 75

SHOP
2 ounces gin
3 ounces fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
1/2 to 1 ounce simple syrup
champagne
grapefruit slice, for garnish
edible flowers, for garnish

PREPARE
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in gin, grapefruit juice, and simple syrup. Shake well and pour into two champagne coupes or flutes. Top with champagne and garnish with a grapefruit slice and edible flowers, if desired.

Follow Festive Haus (@thefestivehaus) and Emmylou’s Flower Bar (@emmylousflowerbar_) on Instagram to stay up-to-date on their latest happenings.

Design Resources
Event design Jessie Gillham, Festive Haus Florals Brittany Tubbs, Emmylou’s Flower Bar Accessories Cobblestone & Vine and Fresh I.D.