The Morning After...

So, it is the Sunday morning after Jennifer's bachelorette party and I am hopeful my headache is a sign that everyone had good time! As I stated in my previous blog, I really wanted this "house" party to be more than just a gathering in my den. While there were still signs of a typical "house" party....girls dancing in the kitchen to Whitney Houston at 12:30 a.m., cabs pulling up to stumbling ladies in the front yard and new mom's looking through my four year old daughter's smocked dresses..., I am pretty sure I accomplished my "not yo average house party" goal.

Lets begin with the Chinese lantern that hung from the massive tree in my front yard. While Tom may be a brilliant lawyer and spell checker, he is NOT a handy man! Thank the lord for my soo, soo handy brother-in-law, Andrew, and father who risked their lives climbing a 25-foot ladder and some how running electricity through the wall of my house, across my yard and up into the tree for my little project. Tom has been wondering why our downstairs computer isn't working. Little does he know, but I stole the power strip and it is now up in the tree...oops.







Hint: every party planner needs to have a handy man on speed dial!







Everyone is strapped for cash these days and parties can get really expensive if you are not careful. While every party needs flowers, this little detail can blow a budget. Take a look at your yard before heading down to the flower store! Hint: Flowers are kind of like bra and panties. They have to match! Start by trying to find flowers that are all in the same color family. You want your flowers to be consistent throughout your venue. If your yard looks like mine, you may not have enough flowers that match. Don't force it....either clip a few and buy the rest, or find a yard you can steal from!

Everyone, meet Maw. She is my green-thumbed grandmother who has an amazing yard! The plan was for me to go to her house on Saturday morning and begin clipping. Due to the rain storm that was threatening the life of my lanterns......I drug my feet getting over to her house. I pulled up only to find my 84 year-old grandmother soaking wet with buckets and buckets of fresh cut flowers. She demanded I needed more, so Tom and I followed behind her with our umbrellas as she clipped away. This party was a true "family affair."

After clipping your free flowers, you may need to fill in the gaps of your arrangement with a few store bought blooms. Hint: You need to be familiar with a wholesale florist in your city. Davis Wholesale in Birmingham is literally my favorite place....my flower heaven! Saturday was a quick trip picking up a few pieces of oasis and the most exotic blooms I could find (didn't want my yard clippings to look to matronly).

Not bad for a $14 flower bill!

Last, but definitely not least....The Bar! I had a feeling this would be a champagne drinking crowd, but I wanted the bar to look enticing and fun. You want your guest to walk up and think...wow, what should I have. Think of it this way, an ice cream sundae bar with just vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce is hardly any fun. Why not pull out the nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries, etc... You get my drift!

Five bottles of champagne, two bottles of Pinot Noir and a shot of Sambuca later....the bar did not look like this for long. If you haven't tried Sambuca before, don't let the overwhelming smell of black licorice scare you off. This stuff is awesome, but very well may be the reason why my head hurts.

Well, the bachelorette party is over and my mission was accomplished....A special night for our beautiful bride, Jennifer, and many surprises for her lucky groom, Ethan!

Happy Planning!

-NB