Another year has gone by and still fabulous!
Every year I like to do something fun for my birthday, it’s usually a little get together for tea and sandwiches. But this year, I thought it would be fun to switch things up and instead of a brunch party I wanted to do more of a dinner and enjoy the setting sun. I really wanted this party to have a glamorous 20’s garden style dinner party just like in Downton Abbey, and doing so I tried to make it as cozy by bringing the inside out!
I also love rustic French style parties, so when I found these beautiful French country style chairs at Winners for our dining table, I knew they would also be perfect for my party. One of my favourite décor elements was adding the sheers in the back between the two trees with hanging lights in front it. For greenery I cut weeping willow branches and added them to the backdrop and table. I love the leaves on weeping willow trees and how they drape so elegantly, I always say weeping willows are the waterfalls of trees the way the branches flow just remind me of waterfalls. One summer tradition Kevin and I enjoy going to is diner en blanc. it’s a dinner party where people dress up fancy and have a glamour picnic. So because we where not able to go this year I was also inspired to have my own but more diner en blush. Over all I love how everything turned out. An evening we were able to enjoy the party and the golden hour of the sun and the feel to this party was perfect to lounge around and enjoy the music!
Table & Chairs
I recently picked up these chairs from Winners for our dining table, and instantly loved that French country feel they have. The table was a diy my dad and I worked on this summer, I found the legs at a local wood shop for $10 each and had them for almost a year. I was going to make a small play table for Emilia but then decided to create a large table for crafting and parties. The top was made from 6″ x 6′ pine boards I purchased from Home Depot. I then used white chalk paint watered down to create a white wash look… I love this style! The white wash on pine really makes it look rustic and chic, plus gives it such a light almost pink look.
Table Settings
The table settings has to be one of my favourite parts when decorating for parties. This is a good time to use china you might not use every day. I love antique or decorative china and anytime I can use my Royal Albert set is a must for me. my parents received this set as a wedding gift and then gave it to us as a wedding gift, so it is nice to have it and be able to pass it down. Plus I know my mom gets so exited every time I have a party and I bring out the Royal Albert. The pink glasses are our every day glasses I picked up from Ikea, they are the perfect shade of pink and bring a little extra sparkle to the table.
The flowers are a combination of fresh roses I picked up at the grocery store and weeping willow branches I cut from trees. I love how simple yet so elegant they look, using flowers and greenery for a table runner is so fun and there are so many ways you can style it. I then added some of my candle holders and draped the flowers and branches around the bottom of them.
Menu
Like any good party, it’s only as good as the food you serve! So what to serve at a backyard dinner party (and because this is almost a picnic style) I thought why not have salads. Potato salad is one of my favourite summer meals so it had to be on the list next with broccoli salad. Then for the meat options we had chicken covered in barbeque sauce, or the option of wings, honey garlic, my favourite of course. For snacks we served chips and dip, guacamole and a tray with cheese and crackers, I mean anything with cheese, yes please! Everything was so good and I could have eaten it all week!
Cake
Now on to the Best part, the CAKE! If you have read any of my other party posts, then you would know I buy all of my cakes from the bakery at my local Foodland! So cute, and the price was an amazing $34.99. I found the sprinkles at Michael’s and picked out all the different shades of pink and white to create the perfect colour combination! Lets call it the Erika because it is so me and I absolutely love it, almost too pretty to eat. Plus, I still have some left over so I’m probably going to use them at Christmas. When you order your cakes custom, you have more options on what you want. We went with a vanilla cake with buttercream icing, and had buttercream and a fruit filling in the middle, it was so delicious!
Party Details:
Blankets: Already Owned Similar
Pillows: Already Owned
Chairs: Winners Similar
Table: DIY
Flowers: Amazon
Weeping Willow Branches: Amazon
Candelabra: Amazon
Candles: Amazon
Dishes: Royal Albert Haworth Similar Style
Pillows: Already Owned
Chairs: Winners Similar
Table: DIY
Flowers: Amazon
Weeping Willow Branches: Amazon
Candelabra: Amazon
Candles: Amazon
Dishes: Royal Albert Haworth Similar Style
Cake: Foodland
Sprinkles: Michaels