Last weekend we hosted a Goodbye Party for good friends moving to Rome. I had a lot of time to plan for the event, but I found little inspiration for goodbye parties...even Pinterest let me down. After nixing the toga party idea I was left at square one. I finally found some inspiration in a Minted Save the Date card for a destination wedding which depicted a suitcase and flag bunting. I created my own custom version of the image and added the bitter sweet line, 'Kiss me and Smile for me,' from John Denver's Leaving on a Jet Plane and was off to the races. From there I went with a heart theme and a color palette of dark blue, pink & gold.
My favorite detail was the background for the dessert bar. I followed Ruffle Blog's instructions to create a backdrop using crepe streamers. This did take some time to complete so I was happy that I started the project well in advance (I also planned to change out the pinks and reuse the backdrop for B's first birthday party, so the effort was well worth it). I floated the Kiss Me & Smile for Me poster over the backdrop and had another copy of the poster wrapped for the guests of honor to take with them. Other details included a tissue paper flower heart with a 'Washington to Rome' banner, which I hung above the favors (directions for the tissue heart found on Martha). For the favors I wrapped up twinkies and attached a heart-shaped note which read 'Sweet Returns'--the twinkies themselves being a symbol of renewed homecoming were the perfect favor. For the fare we decided to pair American and Italian foods (pigs-in-the-blanket/meatballs, pulled pork BBQ/chicken parm, mac & cheese/penne with red sauce, cupcakes/cannoli) along with salad and garlic bread. Large blooms of creamy hydrangea and hot pink crepe myrtle were straight from our backyard and provided some added color and cheer. In the largest arrangement we tucked another 'Washington to Rome' banner. For the dessert bar we had mini cupcakes from A Touch of Sweetness Bakery, homemade cookies, heart-shaped brownies and mini cannoli and a few other goodies.
Here are some of the pictures which were taken the day after the event and leading up to the event. Unfortunately I didn't manage to take any pictures the day of the party because I was so busy running around--can you believe it!?! The day-after pictures feature mini-angel food cakes made by my sister for a little birthday celebration we post-Goodbye Party. It was a fun and busy weekend!
Ciao,
-K
Comments