Two parties in Two Days - Part One

A few weeks ago my husband and I celebrated a fun-filled weekend when we hosted not one, but two parties at our home on consecutive days.  I think my husband thought I was a little nuts at first, but it actually worked out quite well in the execution.  :o)  We had a party on Saturday night for dear friends Chris and Katie, getting married this Spring in lovely Charleston, South Carolina.  On Sunday afternoon, we had a children's Easter Egg Hunt for our son and some of his precious little friends.

The obvious con about having parties back to back like that was cleaning up for one and then immediately setting up for another.  However, I say "con" loosely, as it was much easier than you might think.  Houses just don't get that dirty after adult parties once you get in your late twenties/early thirties, at least not generally.  ;o)  So clean up really consisted of doing the dishes and taking out the trash late Saturday night, and sweeping a few areas.  After that was done, we hit the hay and rested up for party number two.  On Sunday morning, I switched out some decor items, put out the food, and voila.  Two fetes in one weekend.

The outside-the-family stars of the weekend (in terms of assisting with the parties) were hands down Adam's Apples.  This is a great little shop in Avondale Estates that sells delicious chocolate-covered apples, other chocolate-covered goodies (like bacon - yum! We served this at the Saturday night party as a favor), flowers, balloons, and other party items.  The owner, Dax, and his team are super nice and helpful in every way.  For a nominal fee, he even delivers.  Well worth it and he is going to be a staple for Forlines' parties from now on.

The other three stars were Sweet 'n Sinful, The Little Wine Shop, and Pine Street Market - these are also great shops in Avondale Estates that should immediately be put on all Atlantans go-to lists for parties.  Sweet 'n Sinful is, as you can imagine, a bakery.  They whip up delicious treats for any occasion (more on them below, with pics of the almond cupcakes I purchased).  Pine Street Market is a bona fide butcher that we are also blessed to have in our little town (and they are next door to Sweet 'n Sinful - convenient, huh?).  Owner Rusty is a doll, and a real knowledgeable guy when it comes to meats and other carnivorous goodies.  Check them out for bacon, salami, prosciutto, steaks, and other specialty meats.  Most (if not all) the meat is from local farms, and humane treatment of animals is also a priority.  Love it.  And The Little Wine Shop sells wonderful wines with customer service that can't be beat.  New owners Robert and Virginia James live on our street, and our community is lucky to have them!  They always point me to great selections at good price points, and the facility is a cute place for wine tastings too.  Be sure to check them out! 

Below you will find pics from the couples' coed wedding shower.  We went with a celebratory, champagne-bubbles theme.  I think everything turned out well, and I hope our guests and VIPs agreed.  :o)

Our foyer with white, silver and clear balloons.  I wanted this to be evocative of champagne bubbles, and we also
 used the balloons at the Egg Hunt the next day along our back fence.  Balloons, flowers, and the
 chocolate bacon you see below are all from Adam's Apples, as notated above.

Our favors - little bottles of Maker's Mark for the men, Chambord for the ladies - you know I love it!
 Remember this post? - and chocolate-covered bacon for all.

My husband provided cigars as another favor for our male guests. 
Romeo y Julietas - how appropriate for a wedding shower, no?  :o)

We did a bourbon and scotch bar as a masculine counterpart to the champagne bar I did (shown below). 

The food!  And yes, that is Katie's brown-sugar bacon!

The champagne bar!  I served a few kinds, along with add-ins for several drinks.  My favorite was the classic Champagne Cocktail, with a sugar cube and a dash of bitters.  Old-fashioned but charming and delicious!  We also had Chambord on hand, Creme de Cassis, Campari, and several other liquors good for mixing with your favorite bubbly.

The cupcakes we served were from the fabulous Sweet 'n Sinful bakery - another all-star for parties that we LOVE!  My dear friend Layne Lee owns this shop, and the only reason that we don't use her for every fete is because we are so spoiled to have my baking Aunt Bobbie in the family.  But Layne's goodies are not to be missed!

So that's Party Number One!  I am going to blog about the Egg Hunt over the weekend.  Two Buncolator blogs in one weekend, y'all!  :o) 

Happy Friday everyone!

xoxo

Lindsay