SURPRISE!!!!

Have you ever tried to pull of a surprise party?!  O-M-G, it is NOT EASY, especially when it is for the core person of your family, the planner of all planners, the one who questions and motivates and schedules EVERYTHING for all of us!  This December will be a monumental birthday for my mother Margery Kathleen Monroe (aka Kathy) and we (my dad, my sis and I) were able to pull off a 60+ person event this Saturday without a hitch!  Woohooo!!!!

First, Dad called and reserved the space, a banquet room above this amazing restaurant, Vin Santo, in downtown Willow Glen, CA.  Second, my sis, Melodie, started an email/text string with the event coordinator stating something like, “Hi Paula! (that’s the event coordinator) I know how my dad is trying and thinking he can plan this event…but…um…can you please keep us in the loop as to details…because…well…our dad though amazing in his own right, is not very good with planning.”  Heck, how can you be when you are married to the planner of all planners??!!!  He’s really good about asking, “Where do you want me?” and “What do I need to wear?”

Then came the décor.  Oh geez.  How am I going to do this from 650+ miles away?  I had seen the space only once about a year ago planning my sister’s wedding but we never saw it all set up for an event.  We just had to have faith that with the right table set up and beautiful centerpieces, it would all come together and look absolutely magical.

Inspiration.  I needed inspiration!  So I turned to my centerpiece file on Pinterest and found that first image above, a beautiful tablescape, from Lonny Magazine.  I loved the light and airy feel of the black and white with a touch of hot pink and gold.  It’s current, fresh and has a touch of femininity.

Flowers.  From there, my sister turned me on to the flower guys that did her wedding bouquets, Apis Floral in San Jose.  Oh my word.  What extraordinary and unique arrangements they put together!!!!  I haven’t even met them but I already LOOOVE THEM!!!!  Such gorgeous artistry.  (The second image was our inspiration from their body of work on instagram).

OK!  We’re making progress.  Inspiration, check.  Flowers, check.

Tablecloth: eeks!  No tablecloths but I was able to find fabric very similar to the inspiration on Fabric.com Yes.  I can hem the edge and call it good!

That should be it.  Oh! but wait.  Are their any other details I could add?  That inspiration picture was so lovely with the gold accents.  How can we add gold accents without breaking the bank?  CHARGERS–you know, the larger plate that goes under the dinner plate to add layer and spill proof extra surface!  Gold chargers.  We can rent…or…guess what?!  Michael’s is having a sale on their gold chargers for only $1.39 each!!! Michaels

And for the final detail…the ‘gift’ to our guests.  How were we going to get a little something gold at each place setting???  I wanted something that would be gold but wouldn’t break the bank.  And I don’t know how I finally came up with the idea but I looked on sees.com and thought what about something chocolate?  Mom loves the nuts and chews?  And then I discovered the lollipops!  She loves the butterscotch lollipops and guess what?!  They COME WRAPPED IN GOLD with black writing!!!!  I think I saw the clouds part and the heard the heavens start to sing!!!!  It was perfect!

Favors: check!

So, I set up a little sample of a place setting on my dining room table for the event coordinator so she had something to go off of while setting up the room (the final two images above), added 9 of my own gold candlesticks for the head table and BAM!  We had a look and feel to our event! It was going to beautiful, magical and an evening none of us would ever forget!

We love you Mom, Mimi, Kathy, Margery Kathleen Monroe!  To the moon and back!

xo, Melissa