As a parent of a teenager, you might hear things like:
“I can’t wait to get a brand new car when I get my driver’s license!”
“Hey so a friend invited me to a party tomorrow and I told them I’d be there.”
“You can get famous for (insert something dumb like slapping a stranger) on TikTok.”
“I know I told you I wanted ________ yesterday, but I’ve changed my mind.”
And maybe for you, this is no big deal. But for someone like me who needs structure and a good heads-up to make sure things go according to plan, these things can give you a mild panic attack. So imagine, for a moment if you will, your High Schooler saying, “I know what I want for my Birthday party.” And you try hard to listen for context clues so you can decipher what she means when she says, “I want a pink tea party with some friends. Something outside and fun and pink.” To better explain, she sends you this picture from Pinterest and no other clues as to how she wants this thing to go down:
So the event planner in me says, “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” Then I spend the next four nights scouring the interwebs, searching for what is needed to put together this “pink tea party for friends.” I spend the next few weeks planning, prepping, ordering, calling, organizing lists on lists on lists, printing/cutting/preparing, scouting locations, designing the invitations, and sketching all aspects of the party out on paper.
And with about a week to go before the event, the resident High Schooler finally asks, “So what are we going to be serving at my party?” I then explained that the picture she sent me didn’t give me much to go with, so I came up with a well-rounded menu with a wide array of proteins, veggies, light snacks, a couple of sweet treats, and a decadent Cheesecake (because that’s her favorite). Her face drops, and she says she wants a different menu. She then lists the actual things she wants at this pink picnic. At that moment, I realized that in my “mom brain” glory, I believed that teens would appreciate a nice nutritional lunch at the park—rookie mistake. In reality, they are more interested in an extravagant lunch party that contains only one barely-there protein option and 100 sugary options. #LessonLearned
Even with all of the last minute changes and compromises (because I am not making cake pops for this shindig thankyouverymuch) I was able to put together a beautiful, extravagant pink picnic party for the Birthday girl. So if you are trying to put together something similar and all you’ve been given is a picture from Pinterest with no additional details, hopefully this showcase of the party helps you in your planning process!
The first step in putting together this party was choosing the location. I did some online research and looked for a convenient spot with a very fairytale feel. After scouting out the top 3 options, I decided to go with Reed Neighborhood Park. It had a perfect landing (where the old kiln used to be) with some open space (read: photo op), a big open platform, and two picnic tables that we used to serve food and feature the cake/present table. The only downfall to the park was that there were no public restrooms, so we had to give rides to the bathroom at a nearby shop. That didn’t seem to be too much of a bother, though. Overall, the gorgeous space and secluded feel made it all worthwhile.
Now that I knew where we would host it, I could design the invites! We decided to do digital invites for ease and to save money. Here is the invite we sent:
With all the broad brushstrokes painted, it was time to get to the details. Thanks to Amazon Prime, some of the pieces were easier to take care of than others. I purchased THIS package that included a table runner and tablecloth + balloons + a shimmering backdrop + a Birthday banner + a Birthday sash and crown + cake toppers. I also bought a separate tablecloth and table runner to complete the look. However, I didn’t have some of the essential items on hand—like a long picnic table or pink and gray pillows. So for those, I reached out to my friends and my local Buy Nothing community on Facebook, and they came in clutch with the floor pillows and added decor. Instead of renting a picnic table or trying to build/find something, I decided to use two folding tables (from my workplace) and some totes I had in my storage closet to hold up the tables, which would be hidden under the tablecloths.
Once I had the decor plan in place, I got to work sketching out how the tables would fit together, who would sit where, and which treats would go where on the table. The final menu we settled on was:
Crockpot Seven Layer Dip with Tortilla Chips
Ham & Gruyere Cheese Croissants
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Balsamic Glaze
Italian Pasta Salad
Classic Alfajores from Latin Bakery Austin
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Covered Pretzels (Flipz)
Pink chocolate dipped Rice Krispy Treats
Watermelon Popcorn
Strawberry Lemonade
and Welch’s Sparkling Rosé
Just get a load of this sweet lineup in action:
No party is complete without games. But what games do teens play at a picnic Birthday party at the park? A piñata would have been too tacky for the theme. The kids were dressing up in fancy attire for the gathering, so messy games were out. My niece requested we play one of her favorite games, THE CHAMELEON, and I suggested we also play HIT LIST because it was easy to re-create, and I could put the cards under the party plates at each table setting as a space saver. The teens LOVED the games, and I’m sure if time were not an issue, they would have stayed for even longer to play more games.
Vanessa also put in some hard work making customized Shrinkydink keyrings with each guest’s first initial to give as party favors. The artwork took the longest and she enjoyed creating something special for them!
Overall, the party was a hit! My niece loved it, and so did her guests. But before we turn the lights off on this party, I should mention that I COULD NOT have done any of this had it not been for having my father stay the night the day before. He did so much: he helped me put together food; he brought the Birthday girl to the party on time so that my younger niece and I could leave super early in the morning to clean the space and get everything set up; ran rides to the bathroom; helped serve food; gave rides home afterward and also bought us pizza for dinner after the party so I wouldn’t have to prepare ONE MORE THING!
It was a LOT of work, and planning to get it to take off like it did, but I’m glad I was able to make this a memorable, fun experience for my niece. Not only was it a special celebration, but it also reminded me of how grateful I am for the internet, Photoshop, friends, and family. What do you think? Did I do a decent job of making the picture become a reality?
amo.says 