Bowties & Pearls Dinner Party

{click on the pictures for a larger, more clear image}

Happy Birthday my dear, sweet husband.

Thank you for always taking care of me.

{I was going to break up the party into a few posts but have since decided to bombard the interwebs with the whole kit & caboodle at once}

Here are a ton of pictures of the party!

{Setting the Table}

{puttin' on the ritz}

the boys each received a custom, handmade bowtie

the girls had their choice from a rainbow of handmade hairbow headbands

{the guests}

{the food}fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken and tomato relish & sauteed summer squashes

rosemary peach lemonade {which was DELICIOUS}

caprese salad

roasted asparagus{let the merriment begin!}



{the sweetest ending}
we sang first for Ryan
then removed a couple candles and sang for Ashley, whose birthday was the day before

surprise!

What I think is most satisfying are all the hours upon hours of work and thought coming together almost just as I imagined. From the 12-15 hours I spent making the chandelier to the day devoted to cooking, each aspect was a do-it-yourself effort that I'm proud of.

I must thank Jane for taking almost all of these pictures while I was scrambling around trying to finish everything {I was running about 30 minutes behind schedule. Of course.}, Casey and Taran for showing up on time and immediately asking what they could do to help, and ESPECIALLY Bobby for helping me with the bowties and cooking and cleaning. There's no way I could have pulled everything together without him playing sous chef. Seriously. He's awesome.

Aaaaannnnndddd a huge thanks for everyone for coming and helping my husband feel special. I'm so glad everyone had a great night!

{Questions about this party or any elements? Ask away!}

Bowties & Pearls Dinner Party: Invitation

Ryan's birthday was last week. What better way to celebrate than a party?

To ease him into the idea of dressing up for his own party {he's not the biggest fan of dressing up} I suggested the party to him a month ago.

It worked out perfectly!

After many printing mishaps, I ended up using 3 different shades of blue cardstock for a meager 11 invitations. I designed these through the Silhouette software and printed from my regular ole' printer.
The vellum envelopes and the confetti were all custom-cut. Some by hand, some by machine. Then the envelopes were glued together, filled with confetti and glued to the invitation.

The fancy silver sleeves were from the craft store, as were the envelopes.

Luckily, this hodge podge of elements was perfect for setting the theme.

The Best Bread Pudding I've Ever Made

It was heavenly. It tasted like french toast but also reminded me of these cinnamon rolls my mom and dad and family used to get when I was really little and lived in Paradise Valley {Phoenix - which means I was under 6 years old} from some kind of bakery. They were the first memory I have with raisins in cinnamon rolls and probably why I crave them.
This fit the bill. I topped my plate with a tablespoon of pure maple syrup and then I melted into a pool of complete and utter sugared bliss.

It's not very custardy, as is typical with most bread pudding. It was more of a dry yet really moist result.

You might want the recipe. I'll add in my changes for you.

You can thank me later. Unless you gain weight because you ate the whole pan.
Keep that to yo'self.

Bread Pudding
Adapted from allrecipes

6 slices day-old bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

Chelsea's Changes:

1. In lieu of milk, I used heavy whipping cream because it's richer and creates a more velvety texture, but also because I had some on hand that needed to be used up.
2. I added an extra egg, 1 cup milk, and 1/3 c. plus 2 Tbs. sugar. The amount listed didn't seem to be enough.
3. I used a french baguette that had been pre-sliced and bagged by the bakery. It was only $0.79 and already day old so it was perfect. The texture lent itself well to the french toast concept.
4. I doubled the cinnamon it called for.
5. I topped it with freshly whipped cream and/or maple syrup. It was definitely more decadent with the whipped cream, which I preferred.