This early September was a big birthday for my dad, so my siblings and I really wanted it to be special. My dad doesn't particularly enjoy large parties, so throwing a huge bash was out of the question. Still, we wanted some of his closest friends to be there. The three of us organized an intimate surprise birthday dinner party for him at my parents' house in Houston. Planning a party for ~50 guests (yes, that's our definition of intimate) all the way from Dallas was difficult, and keeping it a surprise all the way up to the big day was almost impossible. Between finalizing with catering (oh, hello accidentally-ordering-from-the-wrong-restaurant-and-realizing-it-two-days-before-the-party), to getting my dad out of the house for a few hours as guests arrive (oh, hello sneaky-snooping-dad-who-figured-out-what-was-going-on), it was a hefty task that ultimately turned out to be pretty special.
This post focuses on some of the decor my sister and I did for the party, complete with links to the party supplies.
We kept the color scheme black, silver, and gold. My dad is a pretty low-key guy, so going any more extravagant than what we did would surely have resulted in a lecture after the party about how we shouldn't be spending so much money on him (seriously, he never lets us spoil him). Not pictured are black, gold, and silver helium balloons that we put up around the house. The gold foil "happy birthday" balloons were the highlight of the decor in the kitchen area, and served as the backdrop for pictures. The contrasting silver foil curtains added something extra to cover the blinds. Black plastic table covers with gold star-shaped confetti wrapped up the main location in the kitchen.
Silver foil curtains: I ordered a pack of these (came with two curtains which was enough to cover the area in the picture), and they did not disappoint. Easy to hang up, didn't tangle or rip, and came with an adhesive strip at the top so I didn't have to use very much of my own tape.
Gold foil "Happy Birthday" balloons: These balloons were fantastic for the price. There is some assembly acquired- you have to blow up the balloons yourself. The pack comes with a straw and stickers to tape the inflating holes shut. I was able to blow all of the letters myself, no balloon pump needed. The pack recommends not using helium because the balloons don't float either way, and helium may risk bursting them. I taped them all together and then to a strong thread to keep them hanging on the walls. Bonus- the pack comes with a few multicolor star shaped balloons. They stayed inflated all night and well into the next day!
Nothing Bundt Cakes: We went with a tiered bundt cake. Red velvet on top, and carrot on bottom. We also ordered pecan "bundtinis" (dad's favorite flavor), as back up in case we ran out of cake. All of the flavors tasted amazing.
Gold star-shaped confetti: Just your standard, star-shaped confetti. Not much else to say about this. I'd give it 5 stars. Or 150. Hehehe. Get it?
Gold party fans: These fans came with string attached and adhesive which made assembly a 30-second process. The only thing about them that I wish I knew before purchasing, was that they unfortunately aren't double-sided. If that's something that bothers you, these could easily be hung/taped onto a wall and used as a back drop.
Lastly, I made this tassel garland in the car on our drive to Houston! I got the thread from Target for $1 and bought the tissue papers from Hobby Lobby and Target. To see how I made it, check out my DIY Tassel Garland tutorial here.
