A few weeks ago, my best friend in the world turned 30. We’re both single and in the absence of any spouse to put together a birthday bash for her, I stepped in to plan the party. The problem is, as a guy who knows more about football than organizing festivities, I wasn’t sure where to start. I’d be happy with a group of friends gathering around to drink beer and munch on sub sandwiches and chips. My sister informed me that my friend would probably appreciate an event that was a bit more thought-out than that – one where we would have cool decor and serve the right food for the occasion.
I enlisted her help, as well as that of our larger group of friends, to work on the surprise party. Far from my vision of a casual gathering where everyone would nosh on sandwiches and swig suds, the event turned into something that was sophisticated and really snazzy.
First of all, we threw the event in a friend’s huge backyard. They’ve got a nice deck and a beautiful swimming pool, which made the perfect setting for a birthday bash. My best friend adores the beach – we always plan a group vacation to a tropical destination at least once a year – so we made the party beach-themed. I’m proud to say that I came up with some cool ideas for the decorations: we blew up a bunch of beach balls and threw them in the pool. We also went to a craft store and got some glass vases, sand, tiny shells, and tea light candles and made tiny lamps out of them. Who says I can’t go all Pinterest when I need to?
The hardest part of any event is figuring out how to serve the right food. This means more than choosing which food to serve. It also involves getting the food to the party, setting it up, ensuring that the hot food stays hot and the cold food is kept cool. All this, in addition to ensuring that the food platters are kept full during the party means a lot of work.
There’s so much involved with the food aspect of throwing a great party that we hired a caterer to take care of it all for us. They brought a huge selection of tiny tastes and bites for everyone to enjoy. The best part about it was that everyone was able to enjoy the party, since no one was tied down attending to the food service. They even brought a beautiful and delicious birthday cake, complete with candles.
My best friend was completely surprised and absolutely loved the party. While I thought it was amazing, I’m not sure if all that’s necessary for my 30th. Hint, hint: skip the decor and simply provide a big-screen TV with football. Although the food was so amazing, I’m not sure I’d pass up the caterer. Tell them to bring tasty little sandwiches!
