A very close friend of mine–ok she’s like a sister to me–had her first birthday party since her sweet sixteen where we celebrated the big “4-0.” The first part of the party took place at a local winery. The second part of the evening consisted of a garden dinner party. It was without a doubt the most beautiful birthday party that I’ve ever attended.

Of course it helped that her parents have a beautiful backyard  where the party took place. It also helped that the backyard is configured in such a way that it accommodated a very long table so that we could all sit together.

The table had perfectly mismatched chairs, tea cups and china. Everything was decorated in the colors of pink, gold and black. When I first saw the table, my jaw dropped.  It looked like something you’d see at a very expensive wedding coordinated by a celebrity wedding planner. Some of us even jokingly stated, “I didn’t know I was going to a wedding.”

Each place setting had a teacup with two macaroons (Rose and Coconut) that were flown in from New York City that morning! They were as fresh as could be. I was never a fan of macaroons until this party when I discovered what a real macaroon is supposed to taste like. On top of that, hand drawn artwork encompassed each name tag. The artwork on all the name tags was different–yet another personal touch. Add flowers, candles, champagne, a fabulous husband and his friends who cooked us an impressive dinner of tri-tip, chicken, potatoes, bread, salad, followed by several kindred spirits who served us the food, it was perfect.

I’d love to post some of the most personal photos from that night to show the love and happiness we all shared in, but since I am going rogue and blogging about this without her knowledge (until now), I’m going to limit it to the photos of the setting and venue.

The best part  of the evening wasn’t the elegance and magazine worthiness of the whole thing, it was being a part of a single moment in time that the birthday girl said she’d never forget. Really, how could anyone forget?

“To many more birthdays celebrated with family and friends–whether they be celebrated by a romantic garden party–or by dodging the smoke of a BBQ.”