The Modern Jewish Wedding Anniversary Party Details
July 4th is such a big wedding date for my family. I have my parents, an aunt and uncle and three sets of cousins who were all married on July 4th weekend. Not to mention some very good friends. So, each year here at MJW we spend the week sharing weddings from the 4th of July. This year we have a few new entries. Including this one which isn’t a wedding but instead celebrates a 50th wedding anniversary. You can see the not so modern Jewish wedding details we posted on Friday. And, for this special occasion, I channeled my past event planner days.
It is not often that I plan events anymore but, when I do, I’d like to think they are full of fun and inspiration.
Mazel Tov Mom & Dad
We managed to get the entire family together (not an easy feat in the summer when you have two teenage children) for the important family occasion. In the top photo you can see me and my Modern Jewish Wedding parents and just above you see Mr. MJW and kids with us.
A hint about smiling in family photos from my expert photographer friends,
Put your chin on the shelf and smile really big (don’t be shy).” It helps with the double chin we all hate to have in pictures we get when we tense up our face.
Shell Personaly Styling & Closet Therapy made sure we all looked the part of a 4th of July party without being too matchy matchy. All Dolled Up did the ladies hair and make-up. By the time the party kicked off I felt less like the planner and more like the guest I wanted to be.
It was really important to me to stay with the whole 4th of July theme since the wedding did and used red, white and blue as the color palette. But, I didn’t want to feel like the flag had “thrown up,” on my party. So, we went with a little bit of a vintage 4th look. Premiere Events always has the best rentals to inspire me. My creative process seems to always take shape at their showroom when I pull out all the combinations and start to play.
The denim linens were a lighter blue and provided a nice heavy texture and the pattern red napkins lent elegance to the tables. The white chairs gave us the picnic feel we were going for (although here in Texas being in air conditioning was a must)!
You can see for the centerpieces, done by Disch Events, we alternated floral centerpieces with vintage pinwheel ornaments which gave the party both the pops of color and the throwback feel we were hoping to evoke.
The hand made sign from Two Peeps Designs was my favorite decor element. It was used to welcome everyone as they arrived to the 17th Floor of the Hyatt Regency Downtown Austin which would have a view of the fireworks from their floor to ceiling windows. Not only did the sign provide actual directions to guests, but also provided an excellent keepsake for the guests of honor.
Y’all know one of my soap boxes is your wedding really isn’t all about you. It’s about being excellent hosts to your guests. Everyone wants his/her wedding to be the “most memorable, fun, best ever” wedding that anyone has ever attended and that means planning the reception from their point of view.” Because, we were downtown where the fireworks take place it was important for us to provide expedient parking options for our guests. We did have yard games (they were just in our pre-function area–again in air conditioning was key), like life size Jenga and Connect Four, from Game Plan Entertainment, to entertain “kids” of all ages.
Our menu consisted of a mix of finger foods which are favorites in this part of the country at a picnic by the lake, like these jalapeno poppers. We also had watermelon, but, elevated it by making sure it was displayed and served nicely as well as adding a taste of mint. It was fabulous.
We are Modern Jewish after all and baking challah runs in my family. Therefore, all of our family life cycle events start with a ha’motzi (blessing before we eat) and a shehyanu (prayer of thanks for special times). It is always special when we break bread together and have everyone in the room sing along.
Appetizers were only the start of the food. In keeping with David Tutera event advice we like to add an element or change things up every 30 minutes. Dinner was a classic all American menu of hot dogs, a make your own hamburger bar with two different kinds of french fries and corn on the cob.
I always look at the bar as another decorative element for the room. In addition, to a signature cocktail which I always name, personalized M & M’s, rock candy stirs and straws to go with the theme are just a few of the touches. In this case we also tried out a laser cut wooden sign with branded hashtag created by The Inviting Pear.
Dinner was on the early side, so, to keep everyone entertained prior to the fireworks we had a caricature artist. He was so popular I never even got my turn in his chair.
We added a selfie station with lots of patriotic, 60’s style (since my parents were married during that decade) and 4th of July themed props. Then we asked people to post all the photos using our hashtag.
Good friend DJ Gatsby provided us with with a DJ who started the music off slowly and even played the couple’s song, “More.”
The view of the fireworks was spectacular. We served red, white and blue popcorn and had apple pie and a make your own sundae bar. With the room finally dark, everyone could see the fabulous red uplights and we really got the party started on the dance floor.
You know it’s a successful party when you have to kick people out to start the clean up! Which, by the way, is a good reason to hire an event planner–so, someone else has to worry about that!
As a member of the Austin event community I am lucky to work with my friends, who also happen to be the best creative partners I could ever have! Thanks to the following team who made this party one I hope my parents remember for the next 50 years! A very special thank you to Ginny B Photography for all the pictures.
Vendor Resources: Photographer: Ginny B Photography//Venue: Hyatt Regency Austin Downtown//Rentals: Premiere Events//Centerpieces: Disch Events//Yard Sign: Two Peeps Design//Design: Lovejoy Events//DJ: DJ Gatsby//Style: Shell Personal Styling & Closet Therapy//Hair & Make-Up: All Dolled Up//Yard Games: Game Plan Entertainment
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