Go big or go home, right? Well, y’all know me, and you know I could never host a “simple” tailgate. Thankfully there are countless sources for stylish game-day decor, apparel and accessories. I had the best time searching for black and gold options (Vanderbilt University’s colors), but everything I found also comes in color options for so many other schools. I ended up using a combination of rental items and disposable goods so that set-up and clean-up were as easy as possible. The result was a very chic and fun tailgate with tons of school-spirit.
Due to the heat (the first few weeks of college football are still hotter than Hades), I kept the food simple but filling and picked items that wouldn’t melt in the heat.
Of course I delegated as much of the food as possible. The beyond fabulous iced cookies are from Summer’s Sweet Shop, the mini soft pretzels are from The Nashville Soft Pretzel Company, and the mini cupcakes, brownies and popcorn are from Publix. The packaging and display is very important of course, and Party City had almost everything I needed. The paper football containers (for the pretzels), the paper green field cups (for the popcorn) and the “Game Day” display stand (for the desserts) are all from Party City. I rented linens for the 6ft table (that comes with our tailgate tent), from Graceful Tables based in Nashville. This linen happens to be called the “Vanderbilt Plaid Overlay,” so it was clearly the perfect choice. It also allowed me to store all the extra food underneath the table to replenish things as needed.
For the Bar, I used a 4ft rental bar from Please Be Seated Rentals, the local party rental company (that I also happen to own- ha!). We stored our giant cooler full of beer, water and ice behind it as well as other party supplies we wanted to hide. This could also be done with another table with a linen on it, just like the food table. I like separating the bar from the food so that it breaks up the crowd and allows for more space to display things well. I found an acrylic beverage dispenser and stand from Pottery Barn (no glass is essential) that we used for self-service margaritas. I found a darling hand towel that says “Saturday’s in the South” to catch any drips, and some “Anchor Down” styrofoam cups all from Hot Pink in Nashville. And of course, the best way to get bottles of wine or champagne to the game is with my monogrammed Wine Tote from Barrington Gifts. I’m obsessed with ALL their products, but there isn’t a more stylish way to transport goodies than with their fully customizable leather goods. If you aren’t shopping from them for gifts or for personal goodies, then you’re missing out friends!
Okay, now let’s talk about game-day attire now shall we? I’m completely in love with my black and white gingham dress from Hello Dobson. There are several color options available, and it’s super light-weight and breathable, which is perfect for the hotter games. Now that we have to carry clear bags into football stadiums, the options are limited for cute bags. Thankfully, I recently discovered Kelly Wynne, and I’m totally obsessed with her leather goods. She offers so many fabulous styles and color options for clear bags. This one here is the Clear Mingle Mingle Mini in Moon, but again, she offers so many options including python prints, which are also amazing. I’ll be carrying mine to concerts and sporting events as well, as you have to use clear bags at many of these events now too. My last game-day accessory is my pair of black and gold tassel earrings from Vivian Drew. I love ALL her earrings, but her game-day collection is great, and so is her price point. Clearly, I’ll be wearing these all the time and not just for Vandy games.
So there you have it. I’ve listed even more sources for football decor and game-day attire on my previous blog post here and here. Hope this helps you host your own boujee tailgate for whoever you’re rooting for this football season!