Backyard Picnic Bar Mitzvah

For those who don't follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may not know that I'm undergoing a site makeover and re-design.  I thought it would launch yesterday but as technology usually goes, it hasn't happened yet!  In the mean time I thought I would share a recent party I styled for a client.  The photography isn't the best, and the impending thunderstorms created a last minute scrample to move some things indoors.  But at least the client & their guests were happy!   

You've probably not seen a bar mitzvah this casual before - but the client wanted a backyard picnic-style party on a budget and that's what we gave her.

We ended up having to move the photo booth area to the covered front porch, and the dessert table into the dining room.  The lighting was very dim (which means fuzzy pics) but you can see most of the details.  I covered a paper mache "L" (for Larson) with moss and hung photos of the guest of honor on the backdrop to add personal touches.

The pie pops from Cakewalk Desserts, displayed in mini bales of hay were a hit with the guests, as were the cupcakes in a jar I put together.  I got the mini spoons from Think Garnish and stamped "eat cake" on them - these were my favorite favors ever!  These are really small jars from Walmart, literally the size of a cupcake.  You can't see the frosting covered by the lid. 

The backyard was covered with a tent so I was able to proceed as planned...with one caveat.  I had planned on 4 tabletops but when I got there, there were 5!  I had to spread out the centerpieces in order to cover the 5 tables.  Oh well, gotta roll with the punches when working on real events!

The guest book area was set up with 2 large canvas boards and paint pens so guests could write messages to Larson on his special day.  These can be hung in his room afterwards.

All the printed items were by the fantabulous Kori of Paper & Pigtails.  You may notice this is very similar to the Backyard Printable set she shared.  Since we worked together on this event she simply changed the colors a bit for the "summer party" and offered it as a free download exclusively to CAH readers.  Also repurposed were extra napkin pockets I had made, and the fabric wrapped cans holding flowers.  I love recycling!

I hope this party design relays 2 important messages:  1) Real parties are much less "perfect" than styled photo shoots; and  2) Sometimes you have to go with the flow & Make It Work!

Cheers!