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To honor their beloved grandmother, an Atlanta family asked WM Events to plan an 80th birthday celebration like no other. Because these are “unprecedented times,” we made sure the party would be too. With a nod to the family’s German heritage, we designed an event that delighted all the senses and was worth waiting eight decades for.
We started by designing a custom Paperless Post invitation and managing distribution and RSVPs. Our in-house design team created a unique logo and graphic for the one-of-a-kind event.
Let’s Eat!
Knowing that if you invite people, you need to feed them, we worked with Proof of the Pudding catering to select a menu of passed hors d’oeuvres, a seated dinner and a delicious dessert course.
The party took place at the gorgeous home of one of the family members, and guests arrived to passed bites like smoked duck meatballs, mini lobster rolls and soft pretzels with beer dip – we couldn’t throw a German party without them. They were also greeted by a German-style musician, but more on that in a minute because the entertainment is going to get its own section.
To keep everyone together, we opted for al fresco dining and joined five farm tables lengthwise to create one elongated estate table, which we paired with wooden Crossback chairs. We added a special chair for Oma and decorated it with florals fit for a Königin (that’s queen if your German is rusty). Long floral garlands were centered down the middle of the table, creating a seamless tablescape and enhancing the appearance of one continuous table.
We added dozens of votive candles to cast a warm glow along the table. Each place setting featured gold chargers, blue glassware, gold flatware and hemstitched dinner napkins featuring the family crest.
This provided an elegant site for the plated dinner. Guests enjoyed frisée salad, a dual entrée of sliced tenderloin and seared sea bass paired with cauliflower puree, grilled summer vegetables and stuffed acorn squash. For dessert, we selected a quintessential Sachertorte, and in celebration of Oma’s birthday, we presented a 6-in. three-layer white cake topped with bright red strawberries.
Décor and More!
Summer-hued table florals were matched by floral centerpieces throughout the house from the powder rooms to the kitchen island. Outside, we hung a market-light installation to create ambiance above the lawn. As evening turned to night, one hundred LED candles lined the pathway and steps around the pool house and back patio, while the pool received its own floating floral display.
Oh Baby, That’s Entertainment!
This birthday celebration offered much more than a dinner invitation. To give the multigenerational guest list an evening to remember, we included multiple forms of entertainment. It started at the front door with the accordion player who greeted guests and welcomed them to the cocktail hour. He got more than a few folks cutting a rug, if we remember correctly.
A baby grand piano was delivered and installed in the family room, so pianist David Reeb and a vocalist could provide live music from almost every era and encourage a fun round of karaoke. And because everyone loves a good magician, we brought in James Brandon, who provided strolling magic during the reception and an intimate after-dinner show.
How Sweet!
Guests took German treats home – Linzer cookies, chocolate Lebkuchen and dipped gingersnaps — all wrapped in a cute bag and tied with a ribbon with a special message attached.
Of course, we engaged a photographer to capture all this merriment, as well as plenty of great family photos, which were mailed to guests afterwards in engraved silver frames.
We even got this cool drone shot of the outdoor set up. From our backyard to yours – WM Events really knows how to make the most of a setting.
