The Prettier Party

Now that I have successfully procrastinated enough from my long weekend in England (two weeks later, I still have serious jet lag).  It’s time to show off a few photos from Granny’s wonderful 80th Birthday organized by her very fabulous daughters.  And with much help from Helen (my very tasteful mother who luckily passed on her genes) and her three sisters, I was able to design the table and spruce up the space.

The private dining room in the Quod Brasserie & Bar at Oxford’s hip Old Bank Hotel is very much a blank slate.  After scoping out the space and deciding on the physical arrangement of the room, we set off to the flower market determined to infuse color into the evening. Determining a pink, green and silver inspiration, Helen and I tried our hand at very amateur flower arranging. We incorporated a silver sparkle into the decor with customized silver and pink balloons and birthday confetti, and dressed small cocktail tables with a sweet potted plant and lots of votives.  Ta-da!  A very bland space probably used more often for meetings than birthday parties was transformed into a warm, glowing space for cocktails and a delicious celebration.

Future warning: if you are ever looking for cheesy accessories that say “80″ you had better start collecting well in advance.  At every party shop I went into in London I opened the door with hope only to find that you can celebrate turning 10, 18, 21, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, and even 70, or “Congratulations!”  Do not enough people turn 80? Or at that point does it become a matter of – congrats! you lasted this long? While stateside, Helen was able to successfully locate one silver 80 for the center flower vase.

And the party itself?  Well, as usual, you know it’s been a success when the birthday girl has to be taken home early.