The first thought was the food. We certainly weren't going to be cooking for 40 people, so we settled on making some drinks and apps ourselves and then ordered Blue Ribbon barbecue.
And what's a party without a theme? Since the party was for my hubby, I thought the "Dan" theme to be fitting. We collected some baby pics and had "Dan Fan's" made for fun props. They were such a fun surprise for both him and our guests and made for an interesting afternoon.
I also wanted to stick with his favorite color blue and a backyard barbecue feel. I picked up some tins at Target's Dollar Section for the silverware and a larger tin at Salvation Army for $1.99 that I used for the plates and napkins. I used one of our wedding table frames for his adorable baby picture.
I used the baskets and serving pieces we already had for a "Dan's favorite" section. I put out his favorite candies (Sour Patch Kids and Rolos), his favorite snacks (Cape Cod chips), and his favorite beer (Sam Adam's). It was definitely an ode to Dan. I used dollar store frames for the signs explaining why each item was out.
We lucked out this year in that his actual birthday was on a Saturday. Since it rained on our wedding day, we knew the weather gods probably wouldn't cooperate, so we went ahead and ordered a tent. When we woke up that morning (after a near perfect week of weather) it was raining. Of course it was. Thankfully it cleared up later, and the day turned out perfect. The tent wasn't needed, but I'm still glad we got it.
For centerpieces, we got lanterns at the Christmas Tree Shop and then used the dollar store frames for some fun facts about Dan. They were a huge hit.
I had to embarrass him just a little bit, so we used one of his baby pics for the cake. So sweet.
All in all, the hubby had a great day filled with friends, family, food, and fun. And I was so happy to give him exactly what he wanted. Happy Birthday ace!
Be well,
