The irony of a self proclaimed “black thumb” throwing a garden party is not lost on me. I had originally planned to host this brunch outdoors, but 89 degree heat at 10:30am had me scrambling to rearrange furniture, and my living room acted as an air conditioned “garden”.
So what do I do to hide my emotions and ignore the reality of the move? Plan a going away brunch, of course! (Then the day of the party I cried at least six times and just wanted to wear pj’s, have her all to myself, and share a stack of pancakes.)
The girls all pitched in, making their specialties. On the menu was lox bagels, spinach quiches with Gouda, and bacon wrapped dates. For sweets we had apricot scones and blueberry French toast. A slight disaster involving the wrong burner being turned on had the French toast burning when we thought it was cooling. I could out my husband right here and tell you how his one job was to make a pot of coffee and instead he narrowly avoided ruining my favorite dish. But I’m much too forgiving to do so. (A long shift on daddy duty cleared him of all wrong doing.)
As soon as I saw the Guapa line, I knew it would be perfect for this brunch. It’s feminine and colorful but also has a subtle sophistication. Usually I DIY all the details of a party myself. Sometimes, however, it’s nice to have an option to throw a beautiful party without the hours of prep before hand. (As in, I have a four-month old and am barely sleeping-forget spending hours cutting paper.) Minted has several options for grown up parties like this one or this one.
I had guests write their favorite memories with Tan on the cute little hola! cards. The scalloped drink tags made sure that the champagne mimosas weren’t confused with the Perrier versions.
And then there were babies…lots of babies. Out of six of us girls from college, four had babies this year. Now we are all mommas with nine babies between us! I so vividly remember an autumn evening about 11 years ago as we walked back from an intramural football game. We came to conclusion that we were going to be each others “real grown-up friends”, the kind who are bridesmaids in your wedding and who your kids call “aunt”. Since that night we have been through graduations, weddings, death of loved ones, getting jobs, losing jobs and all the ups and downs that your 20’s bring. I guess somewhere along the way we did become “grown-ups”, but none of us remember exactly when that happened.
These girls have literally shaped who I am as a person, especially this one. This girl who can come over unannounced and I never bother to straighten up the house or put on makeup. This girl who will always share two desserts with me. This girl who will use a hair brush as a microphone when we sing old school Destiny’s Child on road trips. This girl who I have prayed and laughed and cried and gorged on ice cream with more times than anyone else. This girl who is taking a massive step of faith and seeing new doors open for her family. This girl who does not share my blood or upbringing but most definitely is my sister.
Party Goods: Minted
Photos: Lark Photography
Aw this is adorable!! I love how bright and cheery everything looks. The wine glass labels are super cute! What kind of camera do you use? All your pictures are gorgeous!!
Thanks! These pics were taken by my friend Laura (green dress) of Lark Photography. Normally I use a Cannon 60D though.
your tablecloth turned out great! such a fun way to say goodbye (even just temporarily!)
Thanks Emily. I’ll have the DIY up on Wednesday hopefully.
Beautiful in every way.
🙂
and i’m crying…
Everything looked amazing as expected, Heather.
& best wishes, Tanya. =)
Thank Britt. (should have had a tissue warning on this post…)
Oh, I love this post. It reminds me of my own group of friends from college — we’ve been through it all together. Thanks for sharing this lovely little party with us!
I’m glad you can relate! priceless friendships
This might be my favorite one of your posts, of all time. I love the sentiment behind your brunch. I, too, have a best friend that I adore. She is my “chosen sister,” and I love her dearly. I teared up when I read your post.
Your brunch was beautiful. I love the soft pastels with pops of yellow. Beautiful! And your signage from Minted was so charming. I loved every bit of it. And your menu sounded so delish too!! Your friend did a wonderful job photographing your special morning.
Sending happy thoughts to you and Tanya . . .
Thank you so much Suzanne! What would we do without our “chosen sisters”?
You are a good egg! What a beautiful party and one good lookin’ group of ladies! And the menu looked amazing. Good work!
What a cute idea and how cute are those babies!!
Even though I live in another state, this post makes me smile (and get a bit misty too)! I miss sharing life in person with you wonderful women, but I am so glad to be able to sneak a peek at what you are up to these days. Really love you girls.
Lindsay Farnsworth
Lindsay! We have so many good memories with you too! Little montage…you in a suitcase, “Central Perch” on the roof, float trips, W3N version of the gauntlet in the study room, and sneaking out of the awards banquets after they served food:) Good times. Love and hugs to you:)
Wow it all looked amazing! What a wonderful group of friends you have.