A dear friend of mine was about to turn into a “woman of a certain age” so I wanted to do something special for her to mark the occasion. I wanted something a little different; a little out of the ordinary, but unique. Then it occurred to me; what about a Garden Themed Birthday Party?
Why a Garden Themed Birthday Party
There are several reasons why a Garden Themed Birthday Party crossed my mind. One, who doesn’t like to dress up a bit and be elegant. Another great reason is that you don’t actually have to have a garden to host one, or even to have it in an outdoor setting. It’s all about the theme. Plus, of course, it includes lots of lovely flowers.
So, I thought I would create birthday invitations with a flower theme as a start. I went to the craft store and bought the supplies that I needed such as blank cards, envelopes; and flower accents to decorate them with. I sent them out two weeks ahead of time so that I had lots of time to get everything ready, and then I got down to setting up my Garden Themed Party.
What next?
Why not hats, I thought. So, I found some floppy straw hats online for about $3.00 a piece, plus shipping. These were the floppy straw hats which women used to wear in the garden. I planned to decorate them, when it was time, with fresh flowers and ribbons. The fresh flowers I thought about using were assorted mini carnations, daisies, some Peruvian lilies with a touch of Baby’s Breath. I considered making a small bouquet and tying it to each hat additionally. Each lady friend could choose a hat to wear and take it home to enjoy.
The next thing on my mind was the table setting. Nothing sets off a Garden Party like linen and china. Although I didn’t have a matching set of china, I did have enough for mixing and matching. The linen table cloth I would use was a soft green. It would offset the mixed and matched china plates and tea cups perfectly. Clear water glasses, wine glasses and mismatched silverware with napkins would give it a cottage charm feel too.
In addition, I would need a centerpiece vase of bright mixed flowers in the center of the dining table. Also, I decided I would add some interesting bottles used as vases at each setting, decorating each with a few stems of matching flowers. These would complement everything well.
The food
For the food, it occurred to me that something fun like having finger sandwiches (crusts removed) with chicken salad, crab salad or cucumber as choices would be fantastic in this kind of setting. Maybe a cold tomato bisque too, scones and some fresh fruit cups. To top it off; of course, would be the birthday cake. The cake would be chocolate, naturally, and it would be decorated on the top with flowers made from icing.
Additionally, I thought a beverage station on a small table decorated with a vase of flowers would be ideal. It would be set up to serve iced tea, lemonade, coffee, tea, wine and water. Everyone could help themselves. Photos would be taken also so that each party goer would have a beautiful memento of the day. A Garden Party Birthday wasn’t at all difficult to do, and it was a refreshingly fun idea.
Linda Lee Ruzicka had worked as a floral designer for 10 years before becoming a freelance writer. She had worked closely with brides, wedding florals, floral decorations for the ceremony and reception.
Planning a Garden Themed Birthday Party posted first by http://blog.fiftyflowers.com
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