Summertime has come to an end, and my kids are back to school. To celebrate the end of summer, I hosted a “End of Summer Party” for my girlfriends. I truly enjoy entertaining and creating memories with family and friends, and I have recently decided to incorporate fresh new elements into my blog. I will now include: party planning, tablescapes, recipes, and DIYs.
My talented friend and party planner Sandra Mendoza, and I collaborated on this simple yet beautiful party theme to share with you!
Here are some helpful tips when hosting a soiree….
Choose A Theme
Find a theme that is unique and inspires you…
When life gives you lemons… Throw a party!
My party planner and I chose this bright and colorful citrus theme.
“See kid’s inspiration can come from anywhere. I tell clients and anyone I work with parties,
weddings, showers, etc should reflect you and who you are. What inspires you daily or what
reflects who the celebration is for, and there are NO rules. Sometimes, the smallest or most
unusual thing can inspire a bigger picture.” – Party Planner, Sandra Mendoza
Plan Ahead
Don’t leave any planing to the last minute, that way you can spend time and enjoy your guests at your party.
photo credit to Mary Tran
Set The Mood
Decorate with fresh flowers, candles, and or homemade center pieces. I have learned that you
don’t need to spend a lot of money to create a special ambiance.
The decor was simple and chic, and it all came together beautifully. As you can see, we incorporated lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit in our decor.
Warm Welcome
As your guests arrive, welcome them with a cocktail. This will help set the tone to your party.
We served this fresh Grapefruit Paloma Cocktail in mason jars, and garnished them with edible flowers.
Incorporate Small Details
Small party favors or little welcome gifts are always nice…
These mini limoncello bottles were available on ice for my guests.
The Menu
Keep the menu simple. You don’t want to fuss or make a mess in the kitchen! Who has time anyway?
My menu included:
- Fresh Summer Salad with Mozzarella, Spinach, and Basil with 18 year aged balsamic vinegar
- Rosemary Lemon Chicken (grilled on cedar plank outside)
- Lemon Asparagus Orzo Salad
This colorful summer salad was crisp and fresh.
The weather was perfect for grilling, so I made this Cedar Plank Lemon Rosemary Chicken.
Lemon and Asparagus Orzo Salad
Photo Credit To Mary Tran
Dessert- Keep It Simple!
Go to the grocery store or bakery and purchase ice cream, cookies, pie or cake.
For dessert we served lemon, lime, orange citrus flavored sorbet. I added a lemon Meyer cookie and garnished it with some mint, and served it in a martini glass. It looked elegant and there was no baking involved. Score!
Set Up DIY Station
Set up a DIY station, beauty station, and or play games. You want your guests engage and have fun!
I set up a sugar body this DIY Body Scrub Station with instructions.
The girls whipped up their own sugar scrub by adding coconut oil, citrus shavings, lavender, and essential oils. I provided mason jars so that they can take them home.
The Inspiration- My Lemon Print Summer Dress
Let me introduce you to my talented party planner Sandra Mendoza…
“Hi, I’m Sandra. I am a full time returning student (eek), a part-time party planner (Fun!),
and an always friend of Angela’s (Woohoo). I have known Angela, for some time, but have only
recently worked with her in the fun filled, exhausting, but amazing party planning world. She
contacted me in May about helping with her daughter, Tori’s 21st birthday party. I was happy
and excited to help bring the Toga party extravaganza vision they had to light. While planning
the party, Angela and I discussed her blog and how she was ready to bring new fresh elements
and content to it. We discussed doing some parties and DIY’s together. You could feel how
excited we both were for the upcoming things we wanted to do together. The first thing would be
a lady’s end of summer dinner. Something, simple, fresh, relaxing, and nice to celebrate the end
of a season. As we sat there discussing, planning, and scheming away her youngest daughter
brought in a package that had arrived. (Who doesn’t love a little happy mail). Angela opened the
package and it was a dress she had ordered, an adorable, lemon printed, summer dress. I loved it,
and then it hit me; this was our end of the summer party theme. The lemon print was simple,
fresh, and relaxing. I told Angela, and she agreed this was a great idea. So, off we went to plan
the perfect end of summer dinner party.
See kid’s inspiration can come from anywhere. I tell clients and anyone I work with parties,
weddings, showers, etc should reflect you and who you are. What inspires you daily or what
reflects who the celebration is for, and there are NO rules. Sometimes, the smallest or most
unusual thing can inspire a bigger picture. Maybe it’s a dress print or drinking beer instead of
wine in your wedding ceremony, or not having any traditional shower games, because that is not
who you are. Celebrations should be fun, easy, and how you want them to feel. Find what gives
you that feeling and you can make it your own perfect party! So, cheers to perfect parties, with
no rules, and inspiration that finds us in a million possible ways.”
My girlfriends and I relaxed, indulged, and enjoyed our special time together. It was fabulous, fun, and memorable. I hope I have inspired you to host your own soiree…
Stay tuned for the recipes I served at my party…
Cheers!
~Queen Bee Latina
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