Happy Monday! When planning a birthday party for an adult, especially if it is a "Special" or "Big" Birthday for that person keep in mind that the same decor for a wedding can be used for a special birthday. This is because it is usually elegant, pretty, classic with touches of the unusual. You can even use the same type of invitations and just put in different wording! Today I'm going to show you a party and options that are right along that theme. 

 Many weddings send out "save the date" cards. You can do this for a birthday as well. Especially if the party is being held on a holiday weekend. These "save the date" cards could just say something like "Mary has a Big Birthday coming up...hope you can "save the date"...official invitation to follow! Make sure to send those out about 6 months before the date of the party. Basically, as soon as you know the date and book the venue...if you have one to book. More on that later...

 There are many invitations out there. Many of them could be used for weddings but for a birthday you want to use wording to set the scene. We are going for a "Garden Party" with this one so here is one of the styles you could choose. Keep the Birthday Girl in mind when picking your style. If she is bold then this one would work...

Is she a little more stylish? Then something more "architectural" will work for her. Still uses the green and pink color palette but with a little less "girly" and more about style.

  

                                        

Is she a lot more of a "Girly Girl" than that? Then really go "Garden Party" and pull out the flowers and vines for her invitation. And remember to save one of the invites for your Birthday Girl as a keepsake.

Now it's time to set the scene. Hopefully you have a backyard or the corner of a pretty park where you can set up. Hang a few crystal chains from the branches of a tree if there is one nearby to catch the light, top the tables with pretty tablecloths and simple centerpieces to set the mood. Even if you are inside a home or venue, you can use this idea with "trees" in the corners of the room.

 Even if you have to be indoors you can set the mood with this wall of flowers. Just fishing line or clear thread strung through the base of the flowers and then attached to a wooden dowel and you have your wall of color. This can be hung from a tree, a wall or a fenceline and would look SO beautiful behind the Birthday Girl!

 Yes, for a birthday party, using chair decorations would be incredibly expensive. So why not just for the Birthday Girl's chair?! Just one special wrap like this would really set her "throne" off and make her feel even more special.

 Speaking of keeping the costs down. How about easy centerpieces? These are just bottles and jars that have just been washed out and then used as vases! Don't worry about getting supermarket flowers. You only need them to look beautiful for a few hours.

 You can also go for a bunch of different containers on each table so it looks like you went around your garden gathering up pretty little containers of flowers for your tables. When using something like this metal pail just put your flowers into a glass that is a tad bit shorter than the pail first. 

These green apple tea light holders are very very simple to make. Just core out a bit of the top of the apple, brush with lemon juice to keep them from browning, and then insert a tea light in a clear holder. Even if this is a daytime party these make a charming display.

And speaking of display! These little treat cups are now available at Michaels in sets! $20 a set before the 40% off coupon and you have a gorgeous "small bites" display for your party! Fill them with any small treat you like from salads to puddings.

And speaking of treats! How about glasses of cotton candy set up on a table...add either sparkling water or champagne and watch how the sugar dissolves into sparkling decor! And since it's just sugar and color it tastes really good too. Performance art for your guests as well!

If you are going for a more formal idea then why not put place cards at every table. Using a metallic gel pen you can simply write on more green apples and set those on the plates. Quite the inexpensive card idea that goes right along with your garden theme!

Favor time! Yup, just like a wedding, big birthday parties have favors too! For adults you can use the same type of favor you would for a wedding or you could go a bit more fun and make a mini candy bar. A full candy bar can be quite expensive and you will be stuck with a lot of leftover candy. So keep the candy bar small with just a few choices. Have a stack of small paper bags and scoops for each type of candy and let your guests help themselves.

And, of course, there is cake! A stacked cake doesn't have to be a huge cake. This cake from Cat's Cakes is a 4 inch, 6 inch and 8 inch stacked cake and feeds 55. It follows the Garden Party theme perfectly with its fern leaves and lily pad flower topper. Perfect for any special Birthday Girl! 

Hopefully you got some ideas for some really special woman in your life who may be having a special birthday this upcoming year! Remember that, if you live in Northern California, Tory and I can help you plan and execute your Big Party ideas. If not then we can always help you plan and give you ideas. Just leave us a comment here and we will try to help!

Next week I am on vacation but when I get back I will have the Man's version of today's party...after all, men have "Big Birthday's" too!

See you then!
Cat