This Fairy Tale first birthday was thrown by Sweet Pea Soirees in the DC Metro area for her daughter Gracyn. Everything about this party is whimsical–nothing is matchy matchy, but everything works together so well! Each little guest was given either fairy wings or dragon duds as they came into the party, and spent the afternoon enjoying a puppet show and some neat treats. Frog Prince Paperie was happy to be able to contribute the place cards for this event from the Butterfly Kisses line.

Love the little handmade toadstool cupcakes, and of course the birthday girl cupcake smash!

We had a magical evening of celebrating my mother’s birthday…full of laughter, fairies, butterflies, and a mischievous little puck. But…there was a great sigh of relief as we cut into the birthday cake, the work was over and we could all simply enjoy the moment.

Throwing this event was extra fun; we travelled to Virginia to where my family lives to put it on. As a result, the whole family got to be involved. My brother helped with the cooking, my father engineered signs and candleholders and anything else that needed built, my mother remained silent as I dismantled and redecorated her house, and she, my sister-in-law and a few old good friends helped craft many of the small details in the party. And probably most important, my dear husband wrangled the children while we put the finishing touches on everything. It was wonderful to have an event that brought us all together!

A few weeks before the party, invitations were sent out. They have a full craft paper brown enclosure tied with the ribbons that were used throughout the party, and were adorned with little fairies and some specially written prose. The fairies were a special touch just for my mother — they are silhouettes of her little pixie of a granddaughter and are seen throughout the party decor as well!

. As our guests arrived, we wanted to set the stage a bit…

White branches in teal-tinted metal buckets hung heavy with votives flanked the path to the door. Votives were placed up the walkway, with little fairies dancing up the steps.

Inside, fairies and butterflies fluttered amongst the sweets on the dessert table. Natural elements such as burlap, river rocks and long branches tied the beautiful gardens outside the windows into the room.

The items served on the dessert and appetizer table were specifically chosen because they were Mom’s favorites, although I admit I have a few new ones now myself, like the AMAZING strawberry meringues!

The artisan strawberry meringues were so pretty, we had to convince people they weren’t just decorations. And they tasted even better than they looked! Sweet Purrfection, a small artisanal confectionery out of Chicago, provided these light as air melt in your mouth treats. Perfect flavor, perfect texture, perfect custom color….they were just perfect! We’ve since tried their other flavors, and they are ALL fabulous. Erin’s Cake Creations provided the beautiful custom decoration for the carrot cake and fondant roses that reflected the paper flowers in the party decor. Girly Gatherings made the unique sugar cookies with graphics to match the invitation, a crested “G” and our little fuscia fairy. The live greenery was all contributed by my mother’s gardens...

Each letter of the birthday banner is unique typographic art taken from antique books and available in the public domain. Masterpiece Designs has a wealth of inexpensive imagery and is where I found the beautiful antique frames. They were perfect for holding Shakespearean quotes!

My brother and I had such a good time in the kitchen together preparing the appetizers…apricot brie puffs, spinach and feta purses, herb crusted pork loin rolls, black bean cakes with spicy sweet potato sauce and cilantro cream, honey minted fruit and marinated cheese. In the spirit of being  a good southern hostess, I’ll be sharing the recipes for everything in posts to follow.

We mixed up a signature drink for the night – Love Potion No. 9, otherwise known as a white russian (mom’s favorite). We’re happy to report Puck’s potion only turned one of our guests into a lovable donkey.

On the outside deck, fairy lights were strung on the arbors and trees for atmosphere, and there were many candles flickering out in the gardens to make for a little fairy magic. There was  liberal sprinkling of candles, votives and butterflies through the rooms inside where the party circulated. Fuscia paper lanterns and paper roses added pops of color.

A party can be thrown without a tissue pouf, but I don’t think I can ever give up the fun of the photo booth. The grandchildren, dressed as Puck and Titania, posed for the camera while the adults were able to play dress up for a moment.

As the guests left, we treated them to a few party favors. Again, one of mom’s favorites was selected to thank our guest for coming–chocolate covered oreos. There is a tutorial on how to make these little paper rose boxes here.

What we wanted to bring to our guests at mom’s birthday was a little feeling of magic, a little whimsy, and something the children attending the party would find some wonder in as well as the adults. The Midsummer’s Night Dream underlying theme and deeper color hues made using fairies for an adult party work, and made the party planning a little more fun.

Thank you to SandS Photography out of Hampton, Virginia for the party pictures.

While waiting for the pictures for the Midsummer’s Night fairy party to be completed, I thought I’d show a few parties that were an inspiration in the planning process. Kim at TomKat Studio always puts on fabulous parties–she has such an eye for detail, which is part of what makes them so much fun to look at! This Fairy Garden party was held for her daughter, Kate, and I think my favorite part is the eye popping colors she used and the butterflies alongside the little fairies.

The dessert display was filled with sweet handmade treats from cake pops to little colored meringues and cookies. I love how she got everyone from her mom to the neighbors involved in the preparations! The darling toppers she made herself and can be found in her store.

The little accents she used around the house added a touch of whimsy, like these die-cut butterflies hung from ribbons, and a monogram wreath. And since it was a fairy party, every little girl had their very own tutu and wings to play in for the afternoon. Thanks again, Kim, for sharing!

This mock-wedding celebrating all things Fairy as in a Midsummer’s Night Dream was take-your-breath-away beautiful. Unbelievable details. Inspired imagination. Incredible skill. Just WOW. While I can’t foresee ever replicating something like this, these fairy pictures in their secluded glen are fabulous to look at. I was going to include them in my “inspiration board” for the midsummer party I am planning, but they are just too good not to show on their own…

Thank you to florist and event designer Tricia Fountaine and photographer Elizabeth Messina for such wonderful images!