HOW TO HOST A BIRTHDAY BBQ BASH TO IMPRESS
Hello dear friends, thanks for stopping in today. Last weekend my husband had another birthday. Birthdays come around far too quickly just at a time you’d rather stop counting the years. It seems like it was yesterday when we were celebrating Brad at my new/old log cabin. Where does the time go?? A lot of work goes into the planning and executing of any party, so since I’ve already done a lot of the legwork, let me show you how to host a birthday BBQ bash to impress.
I do love that Brad’s birthday is in July when we can celebrate outdoors in lovely California weather. And, since this was one of those milestone birthdays I wanted it to be extra special yet intimate. An intimate backyard BBQ for 12 of our closest friends was what he wanted so that’s what I delivered.
Since it was also the 4th of July weekend I wanted it to be a bit in keeping with the appropriate patriotic holiday color scheme, so I decided on a blue, tan & white with galvanized metal accents.
So, here’s what I used for the table decor with clickable links to the resources…
- BURLAP BY THE YARD FOR A TABLECLOTH
- WOODEN FOLDING CHAIRS IN NATURAL FINISH
- IVORY & BLUE STRIPED JUTE TABLE RUNNERS
- BLUE LED HURRICANE LANTERNS
- FLOWER POT GLASS VOTIVE HOLDERS
- PALAIS MASON TUMBLER MUGS
- GALVANIZED AMERICANA METAL CHARGERS
- GALVANIZED CORRUGATED ZINC FLOWER POT
- BAMBOO-STYLE FLATWARE
- CLEAR GLOBE STRING LIGHTS
- WHITE TISSUE POM POMS
- BLUE & WHITE STRIPED RIBBON – Costco
- HOME-SEWN WHITE NAPKINS
I made simple flower arrangements using inexpensive galvanized corrugated metal flower pots that I purchased from here on Etsy. The flowers came from Costco.
The mason jar water glasses that I purchased here on Amazon did double duty as place card holders as well. I used Avery Shipping Tags as place cards.
In addition to the string lights overhead and candles on the tables, I added these darling hurricane lanterns that are actually battery operated and have a dimmer switch as well.
This provided just the right amount of light as night fell during the dinner service.
For an added celebratory touch I strung white pom poms at a variety of different heights from the string lights.
I always start my parties with light appetizers. I found the darling tin tray at Chip & Joanna Gaines’ (of HGTV Fixer Upper fame) shop, Magnolia Market.
All was ready to go as the guests arrived. This dinner would be served buffet style so all of the chafing dishes, serving vessels and serving utensils were set out and labeled with what food item would go where. This way there would be no need to search at the last minute for a needed service item, and my helper would know just where to put each menu item.
Although I had not told people what to wear, it was funny how many of the guests came dressed to match the decor, purely a coincidence but a nice one!
I set up a self-service bar in the backyard where my guests could help themselves to beer, wine, champagne and soft drinks.
I also designated a spot where guests could place their gifts. Funny, the gift wrap even matched the decor!
Sadly, all of our children & grandchildren were on the other side of the country, unable to join us for the birthday party. So, when we gathered in the bar for pre-dinner cocktails I played a video that my son filmed and edited for Brad, with all the family sending him birthday wishes from afar. That was certainly one of the highlights of the evening.
Eventually my helper and I placed all of the food on the preset buffet table where guests would help themselves to a variety of BBQ cuisine. By the way, if you can find yourself a great helper it’s worth every penny to have someone to help serve, bartend, clear plates and do dishes. This allows time to be a great hostess, and you’ll have far less cleanup after all your guests have gone home.
When I entertain I always try to prepare foods that can be made ahead of time. Everything on my menu was prepared up to 3 days ahead, spreading the workload over several days, and allowing me to enjoy my guests come party time. I also ordered the BBQ Brisket & Ribs from our Country Club, where the chef is a master BBQer. This freed up my husband, as I didn’t want him to have to man the BBQ on his birthday! Also, our local gourmet market makes my husband’s favorite cherry pie, better than I can, so I picked up the pies instead of becoming a pastry chef as well.
Here’s what I served along with some clickable links to my original recipes…
- PEANUT COLESLAW (Get the cool Galvanized Cake Stand here)
- THE WORLD’S BEST RED POTATO SALAD
- SOUTHERN STYLE COLLARD GREENS
- CELIA’S SOUTHERN STYLE MACARONI & CHEESE
- BRENDA’S 4 BEAN BAKED BEANS (Recipe Coming Soon!)
- GARLIC & HERB CORN ON THE COB (Get the tin tray by clicking here)
- SWEET CORN MUFFINS (Find the cool Galvanized Tray here)
- BBQ’d SMOKED BRISKET
- BBQ’d SMOKED SHORT RIBS
All of the guests saluted the birthday boy with toasts…
As the evening wore on it was time for desert, Brad’s favorite Cherry Pie in lieu of birthday cake.
Earlier in the evening I had also presented Brad with a surprise birthday gift. He has been to every state in America except Alaska, and he has always longed to go. So…
I gave him a cruise to Alaska, with the trip planned out from start to finish and organized in a travel binder.
So stay tuned and in the near future I’ll be taking you to Alaska with us!
Here’s an update on our Alaska adventure. Read all about the birthday cruise in these posts:
- THE SUITE LIFE ONBOARD CELEBRITY SOLSTICE
- ONE OF THE MOST THRILLING EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE
- FEASTING ON CRAB AND EXPLORING A RAINFOREST IN KETCHIKAN
- THE STUNNING SCENERY OF ENDICOTT ARM FJORD ALASKA
- DROPPING ANCHOR IN SKAGWAY ALASKA
In closing I want to tell you how you can enjoy extra savings when you shop the things I have featured in this post and most everything else you buy online. By signing up for Ebates you receive a cashback rebate on the things you’d be buying anyway. For example, the Cake Stand, Galvanized Chargers and Tray all came from Cost Plus World Market. Since I’m signed up for Ebates, I got an extra 4% back on my purchase and you can too. To me it’s like free money!
I got the String Globe Lights from Target who also participates in Ebates and I received a 2% cash back rebate when I purchased the globe lights at Target.com.
The Corrugated Galvanized Flower Pots came from Etsy.com. They too give a 2% cash back rebate for shopping at Etsy.com.
The White Tissue Paper Pom Poms came from OrientalTrading.com. I enjoyed a 2% rebate from Ebates when I purchased them. Every little bit of savings helps!
So there you have it: HOW TO HOST A BIRTHDAY BBQ BASH TO IMPRESS
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise credited, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This post contains an affiliate links.
