Cheese and Chalkboard Themed Party

For my 26th birthday, I held a cheese-themed party for my family.  In lieu of gifts, I asked each guest to bring cheese.  We ate the cheese for an appetizer, and I prepared a three course meal featuring cheese in each of the selections.  Because cheese and wine go so well together, I kept the decor casual with chalkboards, mason jars, and vintage accents.

Inspiration

My love of cheese inspired the entire party.  The picture above is an aged gouda, which is my favorite.

DIY "Chalkboard" Place Mats

I wanted to use real chalkboards for place mats, but I was afraid the chalk would be messy at my dining table.  Instead, I found black poster boards and cut them in half.

I used a silver permanent marker and drew stitching along the perimeter.  Then, I hand wrote the name of each guest in the upper left-hand corner for a personal touch.  I love that they look like chalkboards but are disposable.

Appetizer Station

I prepared a station for appetizers on my counter.  A personalized place mat thanked my guests for the cheese and asked them to label it with porcelain labels I got from Crate and Barrel.  

I also made homemade crostini and laid out olives and salami.

Mason Jar and Rose Tablescape

The table was lined with mason jars and roses.  The DIY chalkboard place mats fit perfectly.

I used jars of varying heights to add some interest to the centerpiece.

I kept the place settings very simple with a clean white plate, single fork/knife, and crisp white linen napkins.

These vintage crystal goblets in purple, green, pink and blue added extra color to the table.

Cheese Filled Three Course Menu

I served a garden salad with gouda cheese, scalloped potatoes, broccoli with a Parmesan cream sauce, and chicken stuffed with Borsin cheese.  The guys enjoyed steak.

I really enjoyed the party.  It was simple to put together and very laid back.  Kevin and I learned a lot at our first dinner party, and I didn't make the same mistakes again.  I think the center piece would be perfect for a rustic, vintage, or castle wedding.  What do you think?

Autumn Birthday Celebration

Grandma Nuccitelli turned 90 this November.  To celebrate, her kids threw a beautiful dinner party hosted at Mitchell's Fish Market.  The planning activities were split up, and my mom Natalie was in charge of decorations.  I helped put together the autumn inspired centerpieces and table arrangements.

Inspiration

For this party, we were inspired by many things.  First, my mom, sister, and I saved several candelabra centerpieces from my wedding, so we wanted to use these beauties again.  We also looked to nature because the tree-filled landscape in Michigan is so lovely at this time of year.

After I came across these darling name cards from Martha Stewart, our vision started coming together.

The Party

To make sure every detail was perfect, we started preparing a few days before the party.

We reused the silver crystal candelabra centerpieces from my wedding and filled the centers with bouquets of seasonal flowers.

I printed seating cards in a deep maroon script with an embossed pearl boarder.

Then my sister Brittany glued on jewel-toned rhinestones.

To add some personalization, my mom had maroon napkins imprinted with a gold script font.

Each table had an arrangement of flowers, the imprinted napkins, and seating cards.

The soft glow of the tea light candles was just breathtaking. 

Guests could choose their choice of entree.  There was even lobster.  I ordered salmon with goat cheese.

The gorgeous cake was ordered from Elite Sweets, the same place that baked my wedding cake. 

 

 A close up of the white chocolate topping.

 We served a chocolate chiffon cake with white chocolate moose and raspberry puree.  It was divine.

 Guests were given chocolate covered caramels with sea salt as a party favor.

These two beautiful ladies are Grandma and a special friend Linda.  Most of the photos you enjoyed were taken by Linda, who is quite talented and was thoughtful enough to document the party for us.  Thank you, Linda!

We had a wonderful time at this party. By hosting it at a restaurant in a private room, we were able to reduce some stress but keep it personalized.  Have you hosted an event at a restaurant? Were you happy with the results?  What do you think of our autumn inspired party?