Oh my gosh you guys – this was the milestone birthday party of my dreams! I’d been imagining it for about five years, and I was so looking forward to celebrating on my actual birthday in April 2021. But as we know, that year wasn’t a great one for lavish dinner parties. However, it did give me an extra year (plus a couple months) to plan the party – and the tablescape – I’ve always wanted.
This is going to be a long-ish post because there were so many things that made it a wonderful party! I’ll tell you about a few of them, and go into more detail in later posts. And as always, feel free to put any questions in the Comments. So, here we go!
Why, What, Who, When, Where, and Beautiful Invitations
I have a system I use to plan a party, and the first couple things – I call them the Ws – happen together. I already knew the Why (milestone birthday) and the What (dinner party.) Then the Who, When, and Where all depended on each other and the budget. I checked to see when most people were available, looked into venues and dates, and eventually settled on the winning combination.
Then I got to design my invitation! I’ve had this beautiful clip art for a while and was so excited to use it. In the end, I couldn’t decide what background color to have, so I asked my Mantel and Table subscribers. You all chose this peachy-pink, hands down!
And here are the invitations all addressed and ready to go with pretty pink stamps! Off they went about three weeks beforehand.
Arranging the Party Space
Since the Where of my milestone birthday party was my house, and I’d invited more guests than my dining room could hold, I had some rearranging to do! Below, are a couple in-process pictures for your decorating amusement.
In this first picture, you can see two 8′ dining tables lined up end to end in what is usually my living room!
The dining room table got moved into the little space behind the living room. You can kind of see it against the right hand wall back there. The bucket on the cabinet on the left was full of the flatware I rented along with the tables, tablecloths, and chairs.
All the living room furniture got moved into the now empty dining room. It was actually really cozy!
Once the table was moved, however, the ceiling lamp was available for taller people to hit their heads on. So I hung some ribbons from it to caution everyone. I replaced the short ivory ones with two shades of pretty pink for the actual party.
Here’s what the living room looked like during the party. You can see some of the guests spilled out of the cozy sitting area during the appetizers. The woman in black, pouring water into everyone’s glasses, is one of the servers who came with the personal chef we had. More of that wonderfulness later.
The Most Important Milestone Birthday Party Decor – Flowers!
If you’ve been around M&T for any length of time, you know I’m crazy about fresh flowers! And for my milestone birthday party, I pulled out all the stops.
I’m so lucky to have one of my blogging buddies right nearby. Since we were both having parties that weekend, Renae from Peacock Ridge Farm met me down at the Portland Flower Market the Thursday before. Frank Adams Wholesale Florist is our favorite place in the market, and they didn’t let us down!
Here’s a photo of Renae and me, and just a small part of my flower haul. Aren’t those colors gorgeous!?!
I also found these gold flower urns at the market. They were perfect for the centerpieces.
I know I already asked you, but aren’t those the most gorgeous flowers? Roses and peonies – two of my very favorites. And I love those colors!
Here’s another arrangement I did, using the snapdragons and some of the carnations I got at the market. The carnations didn’t open as much as I would have liked, but they were still pretty.
Also, I used the invitation design to have some cocktail napkins printed. (As well as the place cards, gift tags, and thank you cards!) You can see the napkins on the table in the picture below. So fun!
And my own garden roses were blooming like crazy, so I made a couple arrangements with them too, Definitely an overflowing of riches!
If you’re enjoying this post
I’d love to have you join us as a Mantel and Table subscriber! Just fill in your name and email address in the footer below, and you’re IN! You’ll be the first to know when a new post is published, as well as any good news or fun things we’re up to.
Lights, Ribbons, Candles, and Firelight
Outside of the flowers, the rest of my decorating was mostly lighting. You can see I hung some string lights over the dining table. (I used Command clips – my new favorite thing in the whole world – to hang them. If you don’t know about Command products, let me just say they’re FABULOUS, and you should check them out!)
Here you can see the longer, pinker ribbons I hung from the dining room lamp. One was a light pink satin, and one a deep rose mesh. They served their safety purpose, and looked lovely doing it. You can also see a bit of yet another flower arrangement on the coffee table.
We had candles everywhere, which were even prettier as it got darker. The thin rose gold candle holders on the table were new for the occasion. I was afraid they’d be tippy, but the bases are really heavy and solid. And they were beautiful on the table.
The evening was a little cool, so the fire was particularly nice and cozy.
The Table
And oh my friends – the table! I’ve been literally dreaming of a long candlelit tablescape for years. Up to now, I’d just never had a place or an occasion to create one, but the milestone birthday party was the perfect reason. I got to do everything I wanted and nothing I didn’t!
The rose-pink and white invitation colors were my table inspiration, then I added some gold for richness. I didn’t have enough of any one kind of flatware to go around, and not even enough to mix and match. So as I mentioned, I rented this lovely pale gold flatware. It blended beautifully with the rose gold of the chargers, candles, and place card holders.
Milestone Birthday Party Plates & Glassware
The plates are from a huge lovely set I got from a friend of my SIL, and I had almost enough to go around. (You can see in the Menu section coming up, that I mixed in some other white plates to make up the difference. The extra texture looked really pretty.)
The pattern is Ranson by Haviland, and it’s old enough to be sized a little smaller than modern plates. That was perfect, since we were having several small courses and didn’t need big plates.
I also didn’t have enough of the same red wine glasses to go around, so we mixed and matched there as well. I usually put my glasses all in a line, angling down to the right. But there wasn’t enough room, so I put them in a triangle with the red wine glass at the back.
A perfect example of how to roll with the situation, and how a deviation from the standard isn’t going to hurt anybody. (As long as we could still reach our glasses, that is!)
A Funny Story About the Place Cards
And to keep with our rolling-with-the-situation theme, I did something a little unusual with the place cards. I was having trouble deciding where to put the place cards on the table because I wanted to sit by everybody, and obviously that wasn’t going to work. I kept hoping something would come to me as I was setting up on Friday, but it didn’t. It didn’t come to me on Saturday as I was getting ready, either.
So when everybody was about to sit down, I just asked them to get their place cards from where I’d laid them out on the side table, and put them in the holder wherever they decided to sit! To make things more interesting, I only had one holder for each facing pair of place settings. So my guests had to work with the person across from them to put both their cards in the one holder, facing opposite directions.
With lots of laughter, it turned into a little party game, and it was fun to see where everybody ended up. Obviously, I couldn’t have done it better myself!
The Milestone Birthday Party Menu
Oh boy – the menu was amazing! And as I alluded to above, we had a personal chef. Chef Rebecca Clarke prepared these amazing dishes for us, and if you’re looking for a magical, fabulous dining experience in the Portland area, I can tell you you can not do better than Rebecca! She and her team were wonderful to work with from start to finish, and my guests are still talking about how beautiful and delicious every course was!
It was one of the highlights of my life! To have Chef Rebecca cook my favorites – have servers serve them – and clean up too, was absolutely perfect for my milestone birthday party.
I can’t believe I didn’t get a photo of her and our wonderful servers. But I’m sure our photographer did, so I’ll update when I get the pictures. (More on our photographer below.)
But now, on to the menu.
Bruschetta with Fresh Strawberries & Whipped Ricotta
I know you’re going to get tired of me saying this, but Oh My! The strawberry bruschetta was out of this world. Chef Rebecca took strawberries and turned them into magic!
We had my favorite sparkling wine with it, which was just right. Chef also made some fried olives, something I’d never heard of, but they were wonderfully different and of course, delicious!
Chilled Pea Soup with Spring Herbs & Crème Fraîche
Conversation stopped with the first sip of this soup! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it was, but it was rich and fresh, creamy and light, all at the same time. It was deliciously complex, and the taste just kept evolving. Once we started talking again, it was only in ooohs and ahhhs.
We topped up our sparkling wine, and brought it to the table to have with this course. A perfect marriage, I must say!
Beet and Strawberry Salad, Fennel-Scented Lentils, Pistachio and Briar Rose Fromage Blanc
I love how Chef Rebecca served such a cohesive menu with things that are in season. We had a strawberry thread throughout the meal, and the strawberries in the salad were delicious. The lentils were perfect, with just the right amount of greenery to lead our palates on to the heavier courses. Really, really wonderful.
We had a lovely French chardonnay with the salad, Maison Latour Ardeche.
Pan-Roasted Halibut, Spring Pea-Mint Relish, Beurre Blanc, Baby Beets, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Ok. I have to say it again – OH MY!!! The fish course was out of this universe!! The beurre blanc (white butter sauce) was to die for. Chef Rebecca rules for this alone!
The wine with this course was Mohua, a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It set off our fabulous fish perfectly! (Ok, I know I’ve said “perfectly” about 100 times already. I’ll try to come up with some other words.)
Ancho Chile-Dusted Filet Mignon, Goat Cheese, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus, Smoky Red Wine Sauce
By this time, you’d think we were getting pretty full, but no! The courses were all really small, and paced really well. When we got our main course, the filet mignon was just right. The ancho was a subtle hint of pepper. And the sauce! The whole dish was fabulous, and the flower petals made it extra pretty.
We had two wines with this one, as we had several wine people at the table and I wanted to compare and contrast. Both the Selvapiana Chianti Rufina and the Marques de Caceres Rioja Reserva were great with the beef.
Cheese Platter – local & imported cheeses, honeycomb, local preserves, crackers
To finish off our red wines, we had a cheese course. All the cheeses were delicious, but can you say HONEYCOMB?! Wow! As well as wine people, we’re kind of honey people in my household, and I’ve never tasted anything like this tiny bit of honeycomb. Amazing!
Another strawberry to carry our thread through the meal, and the cherries were yet another deep, rich, complex taste.
Honoring My Friends with Milestone Birthday Party Favors
At this point, we paused in our gastronomic revelry so I could honor my friends!
All of the guests at my table that night have been my friends for years. They’ve shared the good, the bad, and everything in between with me, and I wanted to give them something special and personal.
And I found the perfect gift!
RetroViewers! Honestly these are the coolest things! They’re like the toys of old, only you can make your own reels. I found pictures of things we’d done together, and sent them in to make a special reel for each guest. (You can read more about the RetroViewers in this post!)
The first picture in each reel was a little graphic I made with our names and the year we became friends.
Everybody loved them, and they’ll be a fun reminder of all the good times we’ve had together, and our milestone birthday party evening.
Having the presents after the cheese course was also a fun way to take a little break before dessert.
And Then, Dessert!
I have several things to tell you about the dessert round of my milestone birthday party! The first is about the cake itself. I can’t remember if I’ve gone off about my new favorite cake or not, but I discovered it last summer and have been loving it ever since.
It’s toasted-sugar champagne cake! You use actual champagne (or sparkling wine – I used Cava) in the cake batter and it does amazing things. The toasted sugar gives the most wonderful caramel-ly taste. And the frosting is a rich buttercream that has a champagne reduction in it. The whole thing has a beautiful champagne flavor, and when you add the fruit, it’s just fabulous!
Dessert Do It Yourself Project
The next thing about these desserts is the little crystal stands they’re on. I saw something like this on Pinterest and really liked how the cakes looked – on display, as it were. So I searched and searched for some similar stands, but there was nothing quite right.
So I made them! Yes, these tiny crystal cake stands were a DIY project the week before my milestone birthday party. They looked great on the sideboard, and made it through the dinner, but we had to be really careful. Because if you pulled or pushed too hard, the top popped right off! I actually broke two of them putting the cakes on!
Fortunately, we didn’t have any accidents at the party, but I’ll have to find a better adhesive before I give you the whole tutorial. Suffice it to say, that you can almost always get what you want, even if you make it yourself.
And finally, we had a fabulous Madeira to make our dessert complete! These darling little dessert/liquor glasses were new too. I love them, and since we drink sherry, port, and madeira quite often, I know they’ll get lots of use.
A Pro Photographer to Document My Milestone Birthday Party
Even though I wanted pictures, I really didn’t want to be spending my whole party behind the camera. And I’m lucky enough to have a good friend who’s a professional photographer! Kathryn graciously captured all the fun and magic so I could just relax and enjoy the evening. She was great at being both an excellent photographer and a treasured guest.
I’ve worked with her professionally in the past, and I love her talent and artistic vision. You can see her work at her website, Kathryn Elsesser Photography. And if you’re in the PNW and need a photographer, now you know who to call!
I can’t wait to get the photos back. Of course, I’ll share them with you.
The Music
No party is complete – especially a milestone birthday party – without some music! I had two different types – the first was for the arrival and mingling-with-our-appetizers portion. So I chose some upbeat, light and friendly classical.
You can never go wrong with Mozart, I always say! (And yes, those are CDs. We still haven’t gotten around to hooking up Pandora to our good speakers.)
After the party got off the ground and we moved to the table, we switched to Blue Note jazz for some fun and – well, jazzy – background music for our fun and jazzy conversations.
The Really Beautiful Milestone Birthday Party
There. That’s the recap of my beautiful milestone birthday party. It was really the most wonderful evening – I got to celebrate my birthday and my friends all at the same time!
I’d love to hear about some of your parties! Drop a note, or questions, or actual comments in the Comments, and let’s keep this party going!
Thanks so much for being here and sharing Mantel and Table with me! You make it all more wonderful!
Save the Milestone Birthday Party Post for Later
This Post Shared With
- Tablescape Thursday 06.16.22 – Hosted by Between Naps on the Porch
- Thursday Favorite Things 06.16.22 – Hosted by Katherine’s Corner
- Fabulous Friday 06.17.22 – Hosted by Peacock Ridge Farm
- Tuesday Turn About 06.21.22 – Hosted by My Wee Abode
- BFF Open House 07.01.22 – Hosted by The Answer is Chocolate
- Tablescape Thursday 04.11.24 – Hosted by Between Naps on the Porch
- Thursday Favorite Things 04.11.24 – Hosted by Katherine’s Corner
Barbara, I remember drooling over the photos of this PERFECT birthday party last year. You really outdid yourself! Happy Birthday 2024! And thanks for sharing this again.
It was really so much fun! I think for this year’s celebration, I should tidy up those pictures a bit. Hope you had a lovely birthday too. Go Aries!
Oh my goodness! This is absolutely stunning! You created a magnificent event. I’m in awe. I’ll be featuring this post tomorrow at Thursday Favorite Things. 🙂
Oh thank you so much Pam! I actually popped over there before I saw this, so I thanked you there too! 😊 It’s so great of you to host that wonderful party – my Thursday wouldn’t be complete without it! Thanks again, and Happy Spring!
Happy Birthday Barbara!!! Your Milestone Party – absolutely beautiful and everything was so thought out. What a great idea for the RetroViewers and so thoughtful of you. Thank you for sharing this and hoping you have a fabulous day!!!
Hi Janice! Planning the party is half the fun, right? 😊 And RetroViewers are so cool! Best gift ever! Happy Weekend to you!
What a wonderful way to celebrate your Birthday. It was perfect from start to finish. The table was beautiful and those flowers…Wow! Your menu was so special and having friends surrounding you on the special day was wonderful. It is definitely a celebration to remember. Congratulations and Happy Birthday!
Lynne
Thanks so much Lynne – it sure was fun! So glad you stopped over and left a comment – I love to hear from you! Hope you have a great weekend!
Happy Birthday. I enjoyed your party recap & the beautiful pictures. Love how your rich and delicate color scheme was represented in every detail, from tablescape through to the menu. I’m sure that a good time was had by all. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much – that’s sweet of you to visit and leave a comment! Hope you’re having a lovely day, and feel free to stop back by anytime – it’s so fun to share with another tablescape lover! 😊
This tablescape is stunning, Barbara! What a beautiful and special way to celebrate such a milestone occasion surrounded by gorgeous flowers, amazing food, and all your favorite people. I love the little cakes too. They’re almost too pretty to eat! Hope this year is your best year yet. Happy Birthday!
Thank you so much CoCo! It was wonderful to have so many friends to help celebrate. 💗 And yes, I’ve made my list of all the fun things I want to do this year! 🙂 Hope you have a lovely long weekend – thanks so much for stopping by!
How very wonderful to have planned such a gorgeous setting for a very special day! (Who cares about the year!) You’ve coordinated everything beautifully and the flowers are stunning. I love the candlesticks — elegance, defined. To have a chef plan and execute a delicious menu, then serve and clean up is beyond delightful. Changing the house around for the day is part of the fun. I did something similar for my daughter’s college graduation in 2019 (and posted it as well).
Not sure how I missed this, so happy belated birthday!
It really was so fun! I’ll have to track down your daughter’s graduation post – it’s always great to see how other party planners do things! 🙂 SO happy you stopped by again Sandra. Have fun out there!
Oh, m’gosh! You are truly a woman after my own heart! I planned and executed MY 60th, too! I’m older, but still…same wavelength AND my birthday is June 11! I was of the mind that no one could plan my 60th like I would/could!😁 AND we both went with PINK!!!!!!!!!!!
Every detail in your planning was so carefully tendered, starting with the invitations! And the menu! What the what?!??! Fabulous!!! I’ve never eaten Strawberry Bruschetta, but it sounds like something I need to try. Serving small portions in several courses is something I enjoy, too, but you did it even more grand than a state dinner!!! How fortunate you were to have Chef Rebecca to help make your dream birthday celebration come true!
Hallelujah that your cake stands survived the event. I’m sure you can steady them with a little Pinterest tutorial of some sort. But as long as they made it through this first big event…cool! They are a wonderful way to serve individual desserts. The cake flavor sounds amazing!!!!! Toasted sugar and champagne? Can’t go wrong!
You were also quite blessed to have a professional photographer on hand to get quality photos of this momentous event. Capturing every little detail is so wonderful for that walk down Memory Lane that you will no doubt take again and again over the years. Happy belated birthday to you, and I wish you many more fabulous celebrations!
Ha – yes, I thought we were tablesetting sisters the first time I saw your beautiful blog! Did you post your 60th? I’ll have to see if I can find it – I bet it was fabulous, and you can never go wrong with pink, right?! 🙂 I did get some good advice on the cake stands, and will try it out and post it soon. Yes, Chef Rebecca and Kathryn Elsesser were both heaven sent. It’s wonderful to have such talented people involved. Thanks so much for being here, and hope you’re having a great weekend!
Barbarea, this is such a beautiful post. So many thoughtful details. I love how you carried out the pink in every detail.
The strawberry appetizer and those mini cakes just took my breath away!
Thanks so much Wendy, and thanks for subscribing! I’m honored, and it’s wonderful to have you along! I hope you’re having a great long weekend – I’m so happy you stopped by!
Happy Birthday!! WOW! What a party!! Amazing!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs
Deb
Thanks Debbie – that’s so sweet of you! Isn’t it fun to see what we’re all up to? 🙂 Take care out there and hope you’re having a lovely summer so far!
Barbara, this is outstanding!!! Every single detail is beyond beautiful. The peachy-pink invites alone had me swooning. The mix of flowers, the plates, glasses, those cakes and the cake stands. I’m so excited to see the other pictures and the tutorial. I also enjoyed seeing more of your home and each room 🙂
Congrats on a well planned birthday party!
hugs,
rachelle
Oh Rachelle – thank you so much – that means a lot to me! I’m so happy you like it all, and I’m so glad you stopped by – take care and see you out there soon!
Wow oh wow Barbara! What a fantabulous event! It was a joy to read through and view all the pix — twice! Pinned an pinned again. Happy belated birthday!
Hi Debbee! I’m so glad you liked it! And I’m honored to get a pin from the queen of wonderful parties! 😉 Thank you so much for stopping by, and hope you’re having a great summer so far!
Barbara, Thanks for sharing your special and beautiful day with us at the Thursdays Favorite Things party! I’m featuring you this week. Congrats! Hugs, my friend!
~Theresa
Oh Theresa – thank you my friend – you are so sweet! You know how much I love the Thursday Favorite Things party! 🙂 See you over there in a minute! ♥
What a “perfect” party Barbara and how special for your 60th birthday. You are so spot-on for every tiny detail on your fabulous table. The flowers for the centerpieces are beautiful along with the place settings, flatware, and stemware. The chef was superb! Thanks for sharing your 60th birthday with us.
Hi Judy! Thanks so much – it really was a wonderful time. I’m so glad you popped over, and thanks for subscribing. I’ve been enjoying your blog too – especially the little birds at your bird houses. SO fun! Take care and hope your summer is starting out great!
I am so glad you were able to celebrate with the birthday party of your dreams!
Aw thanks Chloe – it sure was fun! Thanks so much for stopping over. I’m heading over to see what you’re up to next! 🙂 Take care and Happy Weekend! ♥
Happy Belated Birthday Barbara! You really threw tone of the most beautiful birthday parties I have ever heard of. Everything looks so inviting and beautiful . I an assuming that you created new memories with your friends that will last a lifetime. Congratulations on your success.
Edmee! How lovely to see you. Thank you so much – I’m glad you liked it too. Yes, my plan was to create some more memories, and there’s nothing like a party for that, right? 🙂 Hope you’re doing well, and thanks so much for your sweet comment. Take care till next time!
Oh, what a fabulous party! Loved all of the details, menu, flowers and those gifts! Those are now on my gift giving list!
Hi Leslie – aren’t those RetroViewers the best?! I loved them so much I even asked to be an affiliate! I’m going to do another post soon about how easy it is to actually create the reels – be sure to pop back for that. 🙂 Hope you’re doing well over there. Can’t wait to read about your trip to Dollywood – on my way over now. Thanks so much for stopping over, my friend!
Wow Barbara, where were the magazine people, this deserves to be in a magazine or party book! You thought of absolutely everything down to the smallest detail! Your color scheme is beautiful and those peonies and roses so swoonworthy! Love the long table, I’ve always wanted to do that for a dinner party…The brilliant and thoughtful gifts for your guests were so beautifully wrapped, and those cakes, incredible!! I know your friends will be talking about this for years, what a wonderful celebration of life, friendship and love of entertaining! Happy Birthday to you!
OH Jenna! You hit the nail right on the head. That’s exactly what I was going for. These last years have been so solitary and sad – it was wonderful to be with everyone and have fun! Hmmm why didn’t I think to invite the magazine people?! 🤣 Thanks so much for stopping over. I’m off to see what delicious recipes and art you’re serving up on your blog! ♥ Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
This looks absolutely beautiful and clearly a treasured memory you will be talking about for years. Can’t wait to see the photos via the photographer. Happy Birthday!
Hi Jennifer! I can’t wait to see the pix too. Kathryn is such a wonderful photographer! And yes JFC is probably already tired of hearing me reminisce – again – about every detail. 🤣 Hope you’re all doing well over there. ♥
Beautiful Barbara!!! You are the queen of planning and organization and it shows in every exquisite detail – from the gorgeous flowers to the place settings to your lovely DIY crystal cake stands! The menu and wine pairings are beyond scrumptious! I’m so happy for you that your milestone birthday party was everything you hoped for and that you enjoyed it to its fullest! I wish you many more wonderful birthdays!
Oh thank you Kim! I really did have a fabulous time. Extra thanks to the chef and servers for that – it’s so fun being a guest at your own party! It’s always so sweet of you to stop by – I know you appreciate the planning that goes into a tablescape! 🙂 Many thanks, my friend! Take care up there and see you on one of our blogs soon! ♥
What a gorgeous table! Your party sounded spectacular. You certainly have lucky friends to have been treated to such a lovely celebration. The food looked delicious. I loved your little DIY cake stands. I hope you enjoyed every moment of your beautiful party.
Thanks so much Lauren! I do have the most wonderful friends. It was great to be able to do something nice for them, especially since it was all the things I love too! 🙂 I so apprecaite you popping over, and hope you have a lovely weekend!
Oh my goodness Barbara, it couldn’t have been more beautiful! Wow wow wow! I was blown away when I saw your invitations. Firstly by how gorgeous they are and secondly, I was convinced it was your 50th birthday celebration!
Ps: Happy belated birthday 🥳
Haha – Marieza you’re an angel! Every decade just gets better! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked the party, and I did have so much fun with the invitations. There’s some beautiful clip art out there. Thanks so much for stopping by – it’s always great to see you!
The wait was definitely worth it after last weeks tease ! Oh Barbara what a beautiful event to celebrate your
Milestone birthday plus one .Everything just magnificent and sharing your step by step process is so inspiring
Just the encouragement to try something like this even in some small way .
I Covet Thy flower market … I would be tempted to live there if I was in the area .
Having experienced a private chef myself it is something that will be long remembered I’m sure , the ultimate
way to be a guest at your own party .
Can’t wait for the next installment of this gala !!
Haha – I’m glad it was worth the wait, though I didn’t mean to tease you! 🙂 Too bad you couldn’t have been here. The beef was wonderful enough to impress even an expert rancher! And yes the flower market is pretty amazing – you’d love it. Just think of all the trouble we could get into if you came out someday. More coming up, so we can relive this party for a long time! Take care out there and as always, so happy to have you here! ♥
Barbara, I am reading and re-reading this absolutely gorgeous post! And Happy Birthday, my sweet friend! Every detail is just perfect and so well-thought out. How fun to get together with Renae…I truly want to visit you both sometime soon. From the gold pedestal flower containers to those handmade dessert dishes, I am in awe. You are truly so amazing. Now I want to host something this fabulous…maybe in our orchard. Bravo!
Mary you are so sweet! I’m glad you liked it all. ♥ You should definitely come up. Renae and I would show you all the insider secrets in Portland, and we could all set a table and have a wonderful dinner of our own. Your orchard would be a perfect place to have something fabulous. In fact one of the first posts I read of yours was your tea party in the orchard! Hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend! Thanks so much for being here!
Barbara, what a spectacular party you threw for your milestone birthday…AMAZING! The table is stunning in detail and elegance. I know your guests were honored to sit down after playing that little game. You thought of everything and carried your dream out perfectly. The menu, food presentations, wine pairings were all magnificently executed by your chef. The thoughtful gifts and music added more magic to your party. I will be looking forward to the photographer’s photos.
I used to host a favorite things party for my friends. Serving lunch alfresco and presenting each friend with gifts of my favorite things. I should revive that party. Barbara, you made your dream into a gorgeous reality. Wishing you a year of blessings and beauty…Happy Birthday!
Hi Pam! You totally should revive the favorite things party! That would be so fun, and your guests would love getting presents that are special to you. You always set such a lovely outdoor table, and I’m sure your parties would be just as wonderful. I can’t wait for the pro photos too – I’ll definitely share! Thanks so much for stopping over, and hope you and RM have a great weekend!
Happy Birthday Barbara! Your table looks inviting and softly elegant. I loved every detailed of your party. The menu was fit for the Queen of England. Beautifully done!
Hi Veronica – thanks so much for popping over, and I’m so glad you liked the table. I bet Her Majesty would have loved that menu too, it was amazing! ♥ Hope you’re having a great week.
Happy Birthday! 🥳🎂 What a beautiful event you created. Everything looked so beautiful, luscious & delicious! What a wonderful time, celebrating YOU! I hope your 60th year brings you nothing but love, joy, & delightful moments.
P.S. I am so glad I met you in Goodwill that day! I am really enjoying your blog! You are very talented & creative. Thank you for sharing!
Linda! How great to hear from you! Yes it was so fun meeting you that day. I’m still planning to post the video I took, and I’m pretty sure your name is mentioned. 🙂 I’m so glad you’re liking M&T. it’s wonderful to share with other people who love this stuff! Thanks so much for stopping over. Have a lovely weekend, and see you next time!
HAPPY MILESTONE BIRTHDAY
It truly looks gorgeous and fun and yummy. Only thing I saw missing was my favorite The Travelling Tea Cup.
May you enjoy many more milestones and have many more great memories!
Pam
HA – yes, Tessa Rose would have loved it! I should have thought to have her stop by – too bad I didn’t talk to you before the party.
🙂 Thanks so much for being here Pam! I hope you have a lovely weekend. ♥
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY YEAR!YOUR PLANNING PAID OFF IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!
LOVED THE DESERT ON THOSE SMALL CAKE RISERS?
FOR MY 60th I dressed up and sat in my garden and made my own chocolate cake with flowers from the garden!
It was PANDEMIC MODE!
I will be 62 in July………..where oh where did the time GO!?
XXX
Yes, we’re only a year apart – it’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it?! Your 60th sounds lovely – I can just picture you sitting out in your gorgeous garden making your flowery cake, wearing something wonderful! Just like a beautiful glossy fashion spread! 🙂 You never fail to inspire me! Thank you so much for stopping by!