A Casual Tiki Birthday Dinner

Hey there princess!

Recently, I hosted a tiki-themed birthday dinner for my sister at my home. We had such a nice time cooking kabobs on the grill, and eating lots of fresh fruit! The weather cooperated beautifully, and we were able to eat in the backyard with all of the beautiful roses. 

I love having any opportunity to celebrate others, and if you remember my tiki party from 2020, you will see a lot of the same decoration used here! We added the monstera leaf tablecloth, some tiki straws, and toothpicks into the mix just to freshen things up. 

At the start of the party, every guest got a lai and a Pina colada mocktail with a little umbrella in it. The perfect thing for a hot day! I love immersing guests in the theme of the event, and giving them something fun to enjoy throughout the party. 

For the dinner setup, I used my absolute favorite dishes from Anthropologie along with some placemats from Hobby Lobby and the cutest tiki salt and pepper shakers, also from Hobby Lobby.

I just loved eating outside with my roses all in bloom! The evening air was just cooling things off, and even though you can't smell through the internet, trust me when I say that the grill was giving off the most mouth-watering aroma. I loved having my husband and brother manning the cooking duties - they did a great job!

Here is my little half-drunk virgin Pina colada. I absolutely love these glasses that I got from Amazon several years ago. They stay in my cabinet and I use them all the time! I always think it is smart to invest in things that bring you joy! 

Entertaining for family is always a highlight for me and I am so grateful to have opportunities to celebrate life with the people that I love. 

As far as party theming - what are y'all planning this summer? I would love any party ideas you may have!

Sparkle on!

 

Enchanted Tiki Party

Hey there princess!

During these unusual times, my family and I have looked for lots of different ways to make life more fun and festive. Recently, my younger sister, Shailee, had her 24th birthday party and I got to be her party planner. We decided on the theme of Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, and thankfully the weather was absolutely perfect! The first step, for me, was creating a fun and festive invitation. I did this using watercolors and a hot pink envelope from Paper Source. 

For this event, I had six guests (this is the very first party that I have thrown since my husband and I purchased our first home). Since my kitchen table only sits four, and it was such a beautiful day, I decided to seat my father, brother, and husband outside so that they could enjoy the outdoors and tend to the grill. 

To decorate my tables, I used my favorite Anthropologie dishes (they're called Creatures of the Deep, but they are no longer sold). I also picked up some fun tiki glasses and rattan placemats from Hobby Lobby. To top it off, I included a bouquet of fresh, colorful roses from HEB.

Inside, at the girls' table, I used more of the same decor, but added a fun framed copy of the Tiki Room comic book (click here). I also used a tablecloth from Target and a vintage china parrot from my grandmother. The banana leaf napkins (click here) and coordinating wooden napkin rings from my mother were the perfect finishing touch to tie everything together.

When my guests arrived at the door, I made sure that each of them were greeted with a virgin pina colada and a lei (click here for the ones I used, they were super cute and budget-friendly). My husband is a pro at making these, and I love having them as a summer treat! Here is his recipe (serves 2):

3 cups of ice

1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks

1 cup of pineapple juice

1/2 cup of coconut cream

Blend all of these together until smooth and serve in a festive tiki glass (click here for the ones I have) and top with a tiny umbrella and a straw. 

Click here to watch a little video of how it all turned out! 

One of my favorite finds while planning for this party were some really beautiful pillow covers from Jeff Granito Art (click here to be directed to his Etsy store). Please note that they don't come with pillow inserts, but I was able to purchase some that fit perfectly off of Amazon (click here). We also popped Gilligan's Island up on the tv (click here for season 1), which added such a fun vintage vibe. 

For music, we listened to the Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar playlist. Click here for tropical times of your own! 

For the main course, my husband grilled kabobs on our new grill (thank you Lowe's and thank you to my parents for transporting it home for us). We did steak (from Chappell Hill click here for site), chicken, and shrimp with green pepper and onion. We marinated the steak and chicken in Bud's marination from Royer's and used their seasoning sprinkled on everything (click here for their online store). It is literally divine! 

It was so nice to spend some time with my family and celebrate a special occasion. 

I can't wait to plan my next party, and have about a million different themes in mind to try out. What have you been doing to keep the party going during social distancing? 

Sparkle on!