This weekend I put together a surprise birthday party in honor of my mom’s 60th birthday. My goal was to gather all her brothers and sisters and get some professional photos taken, as her sister is in poor health and they’ve never had a professional photo taken all together. I knew I wanted the party to be intimate and simple, but at the same time elegant and feminine. With natural rock formations, lush vegetation and a bubbling brook, the garden of the Historic Eureka Inn provided the perfect setting for an evening celebration, and the innkeepers Kat and Blake went above and beyond to pull the event off. As luck would have it, we caught the tail end of the nastiness from Hurricane Harvey and were served a chilly 55 degree day, complete with nonstop rain and high winds, however the weather proved to be no match for the natural beauty of the gardens and thankfully we were tented from the elements.
My partner in crime, Robbie, put his talents to work and designed a stunningly romantic tablescape using a variety of flowers including roses, astros, carnations and lots of baby’s breath. Candles and mason jars wrapped in twine, and hand wrapped corsages at each place setting completed the scene.
I catered the event myself to try and cut costs. The menu consisted of barbecue pulled pork served on kaiser rolls, marinated chicken skewers, macaroni and cheese bites, mini loaded baked potatoes and assorted fruits and veggies. My mother-in-law contributed her delicious slaw and Robbie’s mother made the deviled eggs. The signature cocktail was a strawberry lemon sangria and I ordered the cake from my favorite bakery, Petite Sweets. Rachel, the owner, has now created cakes for my past 2 birthdays and my wedding and she absolutely did not disappoint this go-round. Strawberry cake covered in a delicate cream cheese icing and topped with a glittery gold topper and fresh flowers was the center of attention at the buffet.
Finally, my photographer April, was able to capture so many beautiful moments exactly how I wanted. As you will see, she really managed to encapsulate everyone in their natural element.
By the time the party started I had spent the majority of the day in the rain or sweating over the stove so I did not look my best. But all the hard work and stress was worth it to see the tears of joy and surprise from Mom when she walked out the back door and saw all her closest friends and family. It truly was an unforgettable night that couldn’t have happened without all these helping hands. I am extremely proud of the event Robbie and I were able to put together. Maybe we should do this for a living!!
The designing women 😆
Appalachian Barbie 