I had the best 30th birthday party. It was a small get together in my apartment with close friends. It really was the perfect night. When I started planning my party, I originally wanted to have the food catered and the decorations made by a professional. Jason convinced me to try to do it all myself. I am usually really bad at crafts and party planning so I was very nervous about doing it all myself. Pinterest was a game changer! If you are anything like me………Pinterest will be your best friend for planning a party.
My favorite part of the party was probably the charcuterie table that I put together. I wanted something at the party where everyone could gather around. It really was the perfect way for everyone to snack and chat.
To build the charcuterie table, I started by laying out the dishes and boards. I then added the cheese and meats. I added each element to the board separately, so I could make sure they were spread out evenly.
Step 1: Organize the boards and dishes on the butcher paper.
Step 2: Add the Cheese: Brie, goat Chèvre, Sharp Cheddar, Baby Swiss, Tuscan Herb Fontina, Pecorino, and Red Wine Soaked goat cheese.
Step 3: Add the Meat: Prosciutto, Peperoni, hard Salami, Genova Salami, and smoked salmon.
Step 4: Add other items in the Charcuterie: Jumbo green stuffed olives, marinated olives, grapes, Antipasto Assortment from Trader Joes, Fig and Orange spread, Persian cucumbers, broccoli florets, pickles and assorted crackers and toasts.
Almost everything for the charcuterie was purchased from the following stores: Trader Joes, Target, Whole Foods and Costco.
Step 5: For the final touches, I added fresh fruit halves (oranges and grapefruit), dried fruit, nuts, dark chocolate and fresh herbs.
The charcuterie table was a huge hit! It actually turned out better than I thought it would. I will definitely be making another one for my next party.
I am not a huge fan of traditional birthday cake and I wanted do something a little bit different. I decided to go with an assortment of yummy desserts from a local restaurant called Edwards Dessert Kitchen. It was really hard to decide what to serve(…..because all their desserts are oh so yummy), but I decided on Mini Rocher Mousse, Mini Curried Scotcheroos, and Key Lime Cheesecake.
One of the hardest parts about planning the party, was actually trying to decide what alcohol to choose and what cocktails to make. I kept it simple and light with Cran-rasberry Lacroix water mixed with raspberry flavored vodka. To make the drinks a little prettier, I garnished them with rosemary sprigs and a few berries.
The last part of party planning was the decorations. Again, I am usually not very good at crafts or making my own decorations…. so my expectations were very low for how things were going to turn out. I must say…..I was very surprised that they turned out.
I wanted the decorations to look grown-up and elegant, but still with a birthday party feel. I actually ended up making my own balloon arch with a kit I found on amazon (click here)! I set it up in front of the big mirror in my living room for a cute little mirror selfie situation. The rest of the balloons I found at a party store (we even got a helium tank from Target for the balloons).
I chose to go with 1989 (the year I was born) balloons….instead of putting up the number 30.
To finish up the decorations, I tied helium filled balloons with ribbon and tapped them to the floor. I wanted them to look like they were just floated effortlessly and naturally.
I definitely could not have put together the party without Jason’s help. We had so much fun putting everything together. I could not have asked for a better 30th birthday party.
Now, go and explore your #chardonnaystyle.
Cheers,
Taylor
