There's nothing like a milestone birthday to make those who love you the most want to surprise you with a night of friends, family, and fun! Caroline asked me to help her plan a surprise party for her husband Kelly, and she asked for a SIMPLE, no-fuss, and healthy party! With an emphasis on simple and healthy, I think Caroline made it a perfect night for her husband (who came straight from work as a physician's assistant for the football team at University of Georgia)! He and Caroline had just run a marathon in Chicago and had flown home 2 days before- a great start to his decade of 40s!
I love the brown chevron pattern on the invitations and table tents by Swanky Press. Candles surrounded the room and made everything glow...an antique french wine jug anchored the large center table as did tall grasses. In keeping with healthy and organic, greenery consisted of herbs and grass.
Caroline chose a fabulous menu by Chef Peter Dale at The National- Peter is a dynamic culinary genius!
We kept the feel light-hearted and let the guests put their own custom labels on their choice of beverage. Due to the fact that there were many different beer and wine choices, it wasn't feasible to remove all of the original labels- the guests actually loved adding the party labels!
Lollipops with the number 40 were part of the table arrangements- a subtle nod to Kelly's new number without rubbing it in too much! We also added many photographs of Kelly from birth through present day. Having them all around the room made it fun to see Kelly's first 40 years!
We even projected images onto a large wall in movie-like fashion...
The reaction to the surprise is always fun to see!
Caroline wanted to make sure their lovely children were a part of the celebration- they were happy to get to stay up late for the special occasion!
Kelly is sure not to miss his morning coffee at Starbucks- and so Caroline put together bags of chocolate covered coffee beans as a thank you to each guest for celebrating with them!
I love surprises! I was thrilled to be a part of Kelly's 40th!
