Hubby's party was a smashing success. So much so that I hardly took any pictures and didn't even grab one of me with my sweetie. We were simply having too much fun celebrating with our family and dearest friends.
When it came to planning the party, I kept the "theme" to a minimal. I selected a navy & white color scheme and used personal touches like Hubby's monogram & the number 35.
Personalized cocktail napkins & guest towels in navy & white for the evening.
All the party printables I designed in picmonkey. I am in love with that site and all the wonderful resources they offer for FREE! I bit the bullet and upgraded to the primer membership for $36.00 and now have all of their fonts & graphics (along with stellar photo editing) at my disposal.
We had a self serve bar stocked with all the fixings needed for guests to start the night off right. Party goers sipped on margaritas, mojitos, vodka & gin tonics, and my favorite feature of the night the French-75. If you've never had one, you simply must indulge at your next soiree. They are delish!
Bartenders for the evening…Theo N & Thea L.
When it came to the 20+ kids, they enjoyed their own bar featuring pictures of Hubby as a child.
For hors d'oeuvres we served all of Hubby's favorites: YiaYia Terry's famous tiropita (cheese pies wrapped in filo), shrimp cocktail, an overflowing antipasti tray, cheese plate, homemade guacamole (thanks Theo N & Thea L), and crab stuffed mushrooms. I have a serious problem with judging food…I always fear that we will run out and pretty much prep 2x what is needed. As a result, we could have moved directly to cake after appetizers.
For dinner we offered our guests the chance to concoct their own gourmet burger. Guested chose from 9 different sauces, three types of buns, 4 different cheeses, and topping including sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, bacon, jalapenos, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, lettuce & tomatoes.
YiaYia made a pine nut & goat cheese pasta salad and a broccoli salad which we served alongside the burgers. The burger bar was a home run! My mouth is still watering for another brie, garlic aioli, sauteed mushroom & caramelized onion burger on a pretzel roll!
Thankfully we had a beautiful day so the kids burned off their energy while the adults dined al fresco & enjoyed selections from the cigar bar.
Eventually we made way to the dessert buffet & sang "Happy Birthday" to Hubby. Our favorite bakery was closed for vacation so Hubby's resigned to blowing the candles out on a Costco cake…still quite yummy. The littlest guests were tickled pink to enjoy a full stocked ice-cream sundae & float station.
My sweet besties H & B helped me clean up the kitchen before we parked ourselves in the living room. Eventually each of our Hubbies, along with Hubby's cousin & his doll of a girlfriend, joined us and we
spent the rest of the night talking & laughing.
While the adults chatted the night away, the kiddies enjoyed having a "late over" in the basement. We finally called it quits at 1:20 am.
I would say it was a wonderful way to usher in Hubby's 35th year!