The Simple Celebration

In a world of celebrity celebrations and endless Pinterest possibilities it is becoming harder and harder to live up to the perfect party expectations. Whatever happened to baby showers in your grandma’s dining room, birthday parties in your backyard and weddings in a banquet hall? As an event planner I have seen and planned a lot of elaborate celebrations over the years, and I have loved them but part of me is ready to slow things down a bit and refer back to a simpler time, I call it, the simple celebration, the same amount of love, just in a more simple way.

Cakes: They taste just as good flat as they do stacked

I love a good cake. Over the years though as elaborate cakes have become more popular, I find myself longing for that thick sugary icing or the cakes where you printed your picture on it. My 10th birthday was American Girl themed. My cake was a white sheet cake with a picture of me and my doll Kirsten on it. I still remember that cake and it is likely one of my favorites. Whether they are homemade with love, baked by a professional, or picked up from the grocery store, sheet cakes are making their way back to center table.

The balloon bouquet

I remember almost every birthday I went to as a kid had three or four balloons tied to the mailbox so you knew where the party was. Balloons have gotten over the top these days just like a lot of things. With arches, walls, and huge inflatable letters, I still love the idea of simple balloons tied to the back of chairs, to the mailbox, or even scattered along the ceiling floating around aimlessly. One of my newer favorite looks is extra large balloons with greenery or ribbon down the tail anchoring it to the ground.

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Streamers: Low budget item with a big impact

Streamers are taking a backseat to s greenery walls or large photo drop backgrounds. Streamers are simple cost effective way to incorporate color, texture and movement to your decor. I love draping them like bistro lights from a light fixture or from a high ceiling. You can also hang them in a variety of ways against the flat wall, and create your own simple backdrop.

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Location, location location

It is becoming more common for celebrations like baby showers, bridal showers, graduations and birthdays to be hosted in venues. As much as I love a beautiful venue, what I love more is gathering in someone’s dining room, or being able to see photos of their family hung on the wall. The personal touch of being in someone’s home makes me feel like I really know the person we are celebrating. Some of my best birthdays were spent outside, running around the backyard as an adult I imagine that translates to something like a garden party or a barbecue in someone’s backyard.

Details I am loving

Recently I went to a bridal shower that I was so impressed by. It was hosted in the maid of honor’s family home for about 25 people. There were fresh flowers, small nothing bunt cakes and black and white cookies. They had small cut outs of the bride on sticks that were in each cake and many of the flower arrangements. They had photos of the couples scattered throughout the house as well. They had a gorgeous drink station set up with mimosas, sangria and flavored water.

We played games that divided the room into teams to design the brides wedding dress out of toilet paper then design the brides lingerie out of two pairs of granny panties and craft supplies. The results were hilarious. The groom joined the fun for the last two games, mad libs vows that they recited to each other and then, a classic, the shoe game. The prizes for the games were drawn from a “prize basket” where each member of the winning team selected a small prize for them self like an eye mask or small succulent. They did not open gifts in front of everyone. All gifts arrived unwrapped with a card attached. What caught my eye about this event was the subtle details. Nothing was loud and in your face yet everything was beautiful and celebratory. For your next event I would say focus on the follwing things:

• Details – Flowers in the ice, fruit in the water, what pitchers and platters are holding the food are grear examples of little details that go a long way
• Make it personal – adding photos of the one you are celebrating, bring in special touches like a photo album, custom cake toppers or sentimental pieces to make everyone feel like they know more about the person they are celebrating.
• Break away from the expected – If you feel like opening gifts in front of everyone is awkward, you don’t have to do it. If you want to have men at your baby shower because you want everyone to be together, do it. Look for ways to surprise your guests and also make the event more unique.

However you celebrate, I hope your event is filled with love and happiness. If you need help bringing you party, shower or wedding to life, fill out the form below to find out more about how we can work together!

-MB