Derby Style: A Run for the Roses Inspired Party for the Kentucky Derby

Get out your best derby hat because the 140th Kentucky Derby is just about to start!

I can't think of a better excuse to get dressed up and invite all your friends over to drink Mint Juleps all while watching "The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports".  

This past week I've been posting different elements to host your own "Run for the Roses" party and this is the final post to tie them all together and get you inspired to host your own Kentucky Derby party!

Image from: Kentucky Derby Free Printable Invitation

My inspiration for the decor for this party came from the free printable invitations I designed.  They have a vintage feel and tie in perfectly with the "Run for the Roses" theme.  You can print the invite and mail to friends or save it to your computer and use it as an e-invite. 
The link to my blog post with my free custom designed invite is here.

Image from: Kentucky Derby
Party Floral Arrangements

Since this is the "Run for the Roses", I felt fresh flowers would be the perfect way to decorate for this gathering.  I used red roses mixed in with two different varieties of red carnations to create my floral arrangements.  If I had only used roses, the price to create the arrangements would have been very high and not budget friendly.  Also, using a variety of flower types creates visual interest.  The vases are all different shapes and sizes, but all work well together since they are the same color of green glass.  You can read more about where to purchase flowers and how to create your own floral arrangements in my blog post here.

Image from: Mint Juleps and Derby Style Coming Soon

The most important element for a Derby Style party is the Mint Julep.  In my blog post here, I shared an easy recipe from Martha Stewart to make the classic cocktail.

Besides plenty of flowers for your Kentucky Derby Party, I feel that bringing in some equine elements is key.  If you don't have any horse figurines or statues laying around, an easy way to bring in this element is simply by printing off some images from Google and framing them to display in your tablescapes.  They look great placed on silver trays with a small vase of flowers or cocktails.

Candles are also a great way to set the mood.  I used tea lights placed in mercury glass votive holders to add to the ambiance.  For this vintage bowl printed with a hunt scene, I just added some water and floating candles.

I hope my collection of inspirational images and ideas will help you with hosting your own Kentucky Derby party this weekend!  Thank you for following and enjoy! 

-Amanda