June 28, 2010

Aloha! My Luau Birthday Party

Earlier this month, I celebrated my birthday.  I didn't have much time to prepare a birthday party this year because I had just gotten back from my vacation the previous week (poor me, I know).  Thinking it would be quick and simple, I decided to throw together a luau style BBQ to celebrate with my family.  Barbecues are my favorite when hosting a last minute party because most of the cooking is done on the grill during the party, so little preparation is needed in advance.  In fact, most of my party prep just involved the Hawaiian and tropical inspired decorations.

Some decorations I already had, like this cute hula girl I got at Old Navy years ago.  I also picked up a few cheap luau party decorations like this awesome monkey, hand carved from a coconut, for just $3 at the Christmas Tree Shops.  
tropical_decorations

There, I also snagged these tropical pink paper lanterns for about $2.

luau_paper_lanterns


I snagged these fun colorful lantern string lights at Walmart for about$5.

lantern_string_lights


And of course, I needed some tropical paper goods too (from the Dollar Store).




The guests were decorated too, wearing their most tropical looking outfits and donning Dollar Store leis that I provided- modeled here by an inflatable monkey decoration:
luau_party_decor

Even the puppy got in on the fun:


Although the decorations were cute, the party didn't go exactly like I had planned (notice the decorations are all hanging indoors). My thought to throw an "easy" backyard BBQ didn't work out so well when our grill wouldn't light up! So much for my idea of a simple BBQ. Then, as my hubby and brother in law attempted to fix the grill, rain started pouring down and my hopes for a barbecue were completely washed out. So instead, we went to plan B and ordered pizzas! Luckily, I had a few snacks and hors d'oeuvres (that didn't require the grill) already out to munch on while waiting for the pizzas. My sweet family was very understanding about the food delay and didn't mind pizza, but I learned an important lesson to have plenty of food on hand in case the BBQ doesn't light or something else goes wrong (who knows- stove doesn't work, food delivery doesn't come, etc).

In the end, everything worked out and I celebrated a wonderful birthday with my family, but next time I will definitely test the grill in advance and have alternative dishes on hand in case something goes awry!

(Pssst...If you like party talk, stayed tuned I have a big new blog feature coming soon!)

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