A Party!

I'm still trying to catch up with events that happened in April!  A few weekends ago, we had a lil' party in S. Alabama for my in-laws' 50th Wedding Anniversary.  It was quite the affair.  My SIL & I started preparing for it in in August.  She took the brunt of the planning, and also had a lot more stress from it than I did.  (It pays not to be the favorite!)
Everything turned out marvelous.  My MIL has very good taste, and knew when to put her foot down when something tried to be done that she didn't like.  Needless to say, my MIL is one classy lady.
My in-laws were married in Copenhagen; my FIL was an Army Helicopter Pilot stationed in Germany at the time.

After they married, they lived in an apartment owned by this woman's parents:
 The man in the middle is her brother, and to the left is her husband.  It was such an honor to meet them, finally.  She babysat CH when he was a baby.

We got to my in-laws' house Friday night to find OS fast asleep on the couch.  He works nights, and we flew him in Friday.  It was quite the adventure for him:  it was his first airplane ride, and he had to switch planes in Atlanta.  I made sure he had plenty of time between flights, but he missed his flight anyway.  He thought you could show up 10 minutes before the flight left and be able to board.  I guess that was the 1 thing I forgot to tell him about.  The important thing was that he got there, and was able to attend the dinner at the VFW Friday night.  We missed it because MS had to go to a class to do a group project, so we didn't get to leave as early as we wanted to.

We stayed in a cabin on the Army Post.  The view was really nice:
My SIL, husband's cousin's wife, her daughter, and MS' girlfriend, and I went over to the country club to help set up and to make sure the set-up was as we (and our MIL) wanted it.   The room was absolutely gorgeous:
I think my MIL was completely pleased with how it turned out.  It was quite the party.  There were people there that I hadn't seen in a long time:
These are the parents of CH's best friend from high school.  MS was named after their son, which also happens to be this man's name.  And, he was present when we got married.  This couple holds a very special place in my heart!  We always make sure we stop by their house when we're down that way.

The evening started out with a "cocktail hour" on the veranda.  There was a lot of mingling and people taking pictures.  I managed to get in a couple of pictures, too.
 My 2 oldest boys with one of my FIL's friends.  He's quite the character!
My handsome boys.
The food was great.  My MIL didn't want a cake, so we had a cupcake table as well as an ice cream bar for dessert:
There was a traditional Danish toast with Gammel Dansk, which is quite the nasty drink!  It is a "bitters liquor".
Yep, that's all I could stand!  It made cough syrup taste good!  I wish I had taken a picture of my SIL's face when she downed hers...not a pretty sight!

Let me back up just a minute.  We had a photographer take a few pictures throughout the night.  (Unfortunately, I don't know her name to give her credit for the next 2 pictures!)
This was my BIL's idea:
 For some reason, CH, YS, & I were the only ones ready for this picture:
My SIL took this picture during the cocktail hour:

 As soon as the guests came through the door, this greeted them:
 My MIL's original wedding dress, along with the "Thank You Bags" my SIL & I prepared.  We put chocolate, peanuts, mints that my SIL made, and my heart cookies with edible gold heart glitter in the bags.  Here's a close-up of the bags:
 We ended up putting the guest book right in front of the picture:

After dinner, there was plenty of merriment and mingling.  
Me, CH, and MS
 My MIL and her grandsons
 CH & his mommy!
 This is the original napkin design, recreated for the occasion
MS had a chance to show off his German skills with the German guests.  (This is the couple from the second picture)  It was so weird to watch him talk and hear German come out of his mouth!
It was a wonderful night, and it was so great that so many people came to share such a special night for my in-laws.
The next morning, we had to leave early so MS could get to work.  And, OS had a plane to catch, which, by the way, he caught!




14 comments:

  1. Wow!!! The planning that went into the party!! All so detailed to the smallest thing and so very, very beautiful! So many great ideas. Thanks for sharing the pictures with all of us.

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  2. Wow...that looks like such an unforgettable and fun celebration! Everything looked beautiful and I love how you displayed your MIL's wedding dress! I'm sure your in-laws will cherish that event for a long time to come!

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  3. ahh - that's a legacy right there! :)

    I think I coughed at the idea of that liquor - UGH! :)

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  4. ahh - that's a legacy right there! :)

    I think I coughed at the idea of that liquor - UGH! :)

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  5. This looks fabulous! I hope my kids do something like this for us when we hit year 50 : ) Your boys look so handsome!

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  6. Wow, that party was wonderful and let me tell you that your boys are so handsome!!!! So many sweet pictures.

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  7. Nice photos! Thanks for sharing.
    Congratulations on completing the A-Z Challenge! Just stopping by to say hello. Visiting from the 2013 Post A-Z Road Trip! Thoughts Of Beauty In The Stillness Of Dawn...

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  8. Sounds like quite the event. That's so sweet that they made it 50 years.

    Just stopping by from a-z. :)

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  9. Sounds like quite the event. That's so sweet that they made it 50 years.

    Just stopping by from a-z. :)

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  10. What an amazing party. The tables were gorgeous. You all knocked yourselves out. Not so sure about the liquer....yucko. I remember giving my parents their 50th and I am so glad I did.

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  11. Thank you bags, I've not seen that before, except at kids birthday parties, but what a nice gesture. I don't think my wedding dress could even be displayed. I really didn't take very good care of it, pack it away and stuff like some folks do. Love the colors, the tables look very nice. Glad the party went so well.
    Looking Back

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  12. Wonderful! My hubs and I were married in Copenhagen too -- because I was stationed in Germany and he was stationed in Alabama. Too many almost coincidences here ...

    I love your OS's learning curve. Ha ha

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  13. Wow! What a great party and I love that you showcased your MIL's wedding dress! What a great idea!
    Your boys are so cute! Great family pics! Thanks Mary for sharing! laura@imnotatrophywife.com

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  14. What a wonderful party for your in laws!!! I love the tables/set up and colors; so pretty. And she still has her wedding dress? That is super special to showcase it for the party.
    I hope they appreciated all the hard work you all did; it looks amazing.
    YOU and your family look great in all the photos; such handsome boys you have!
    XO

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