Summer Soiree

I have been busy planning a surprise luncheon for my sister who graduated last Wednesday...what a challenge! This has been one of the hardest things that I have had to plan, as we spend A LOT of time together, so keeping all the details a secret was a little tougher than I thought! I had to get the party stationery and the decor ready within 48hours, however I have had months to visually plan it!

With true British weather...very unpredictable; it was windy, cold and cloudy, but thankfully we had no rain! My sister is a simple being who likes, chic, pretty and arty kind of things with not too much fuss, so I kept the details very simple, with bursts of colour here and there! I chose violet, sage green, and various shades of yellow for the colour palette.

We used a white table cloth with light silver details on the fabric with chic silver tassels in each corner of the cloth. She's also an asthmatic, so I couldn't use showers of flowers, so I bought a bunch of bright yellow Gerberas from the supermarket (a bargain at £3 for the racket!), and cut the heads of the stems, and placed them on the table for the yellow accents. We used yellow "faux" linen napkins & damask embossed napkins in a light green colour for added texture. (I was going to use sage green ones, but they were too harsh against the strong yellow). We wrapped these in the themed napkin wrappers, placed the cutlery inside, and set them in a white tray.

We grouped the cake treats, simple party snacks & drinks together, and the salads, sauces & dips on another table. The cake treats were a rich chocolate sponge cake, covered in a chocolate ganache, adorned with slices of fresh strawberries. The rich redness of the strawberries, added a pop of colour complementing the yellow/green/purple palette. We also bake some Lemon Touch Cupcakes, with a simple yellow buttercream swirl and place them on a white platter with the green embossed napkin. We used some stylish jars to serve her favorite food craving...popcorn, and adorned the lids with purple ribbons.I must say after spending an hour or so cutting the food tags, I misplaced them...urgh, and found them the day after! We also served peppermint creams & chocolate eclairs and placed them in mini coffee jars.

Setting up & almost there...

Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake & Lemon Touch Cupcakes

 We served a cold buffet of salads, and braaied (BBQ'd) bbq steaks, mango & lime chicken drumsticks, and smokey bourbon ribs. For the drinks we served a homemade Ginger Cooler & Citrus Mint Fizz, Orange & Mango drinks, and a mix of other drinks. I will post the recipe for Ginger Cooler & the Citrus Mint Fizz, they were perfect Summer coolers (you just had to imagine that it was hot & sunny)!

Always be prepared for change...it got too cold outside, so we had a quick switch, the guests moved inside, and the tables were moved outside!

It was a lovely afternoon with family & friends! The food was good, the treats were yummy, and most importantly she cried from the surprise, so I say job done!

We have some great & exciting news to share with you all about our CCTreats...it's still sinking in! Check out next post coming soon!

Stylish & Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCCEvents