An 80th Birthday Celebration

On Saturday, we held a surprise 80th birthday party for Jon's grandfather. It was a couple months in the making and turned out better than any of us could have expected. My mother-in-law, aunt-in-law and myself took on majority of the planning, and I must say, we make a killer team.


I was in charge of more of the creative elements, which meant, I was in my element.


It had been planned that we would have an Italian theme, more specifically, a small Italian restaurant theme. We did our best to carry the theme out from start to finish-or in this case, from the invitation through the dinner. We had white string lights draped from the ceiling, red and white checked tablecloths, white taper candles, and foliage all around.


Here is the room pre-party:

In keeping with the theme, I designed the invitations using a simple black, red and white design. I used one of my favorite (although now that I am learning the Adobe Creative Suite, not my number one favorite anymore) program, Microsoft Publisher. It affords the opportunity to design so many different documents, and really exercise a lot of creative freedom.

Here are the invitations:

I was also in charge of decorating the place mats. Wanting to keep with the theme, and trying to tie everything together, I adapted the picture that was on the invitation and used a wine bottle and glass on the place mat. It was a time-consuming task, but well worth the outcome.

Another personalized touch we added to the decor was the use of a variety of pictures of the guest of honor through the years. We had pictures from the age of one, through his mid-70's- each in a simple black frame, and spread throughout the room.

The food was catered by a local family that used to own an small Italian restaurant in the Williamsport area. It was a restaurant that Jon basically grew up in--going there at least once a week with his entire family. Unfortunately, due to a tragic loss, the restaurant closed, leaving a hole in so many Williamsport hearts. I was lucky enough to have had the chance to experience it before its closing, and for that, I am thankful. So, to create a truly nostalgic feel, it seemed only fitting that we have this delicious food for this monumental occasion.

The party was the celebration of a truly great man, and his life. It was a great chance to mingle with people who knew this man for many years, and a great opportunity to spend time with family we don't always get to see. I felt so fortunate to be a part of this wonderful evening.