One of my most favourite things (other than marmite on toast of course! LOL!) is planning and hosting birthday parties, baby showers, and fundraising events! But what takes the cake is hosting the most elaborate milestone birthday’s.
Last December, I rounded up my closest girlfriends and we headed to Hawaii to celebrate mine, Karissa, and Karrie’s big 4-0! It was seriously the best way to kick off the year with my besties by my side, you can read more about that here. But one of our closest friends, Shannon, wasn’t able to make it (who was also turning 40 this year!). I knew I needed to plan something super special for her 40th since she wasn’t able to celebrate with us in Hawaii … and then COVID hit!
Once we got the all-clear that it was safe to have small outdoor gatherings and B.C was operating in phase 3, I put my party planning pants on and got to work on planning a safe and intimate outdoor picnic celebration (with some help, of course!).
COVID Precautions
Since Shannon and her husband came in from out of town, they were tested for COVID prior to travelling. Usually, all of our friends crash at our place because I like to soak up as much time with them as I can. But, since we wanted to be super cautious we hosted them at the Quails Gate Lake House instead. Which, looking back on it, was likely much more peaceful for Shannon and her family! 🤪 Not only was it absolutely beautiful and the perfect location, but everyone was safe and had their own space!
Now, some of you may be wondering how we were able to pull off this small gathering during a global pandemic. If you read my previous blog on Leo’s 4th Birthday we followed the exact same steps to ensure that everyone was safe. We kept the numbers to a minimum and hosted the most intimate outdoor picnic!
How to plan an intimate outdoor picnic
To make this gathering unique and memorable, I enlisted the help of Gypsy Picnics. A hardworking and talented local mama who just started up this business, creating turn-key outdoor events! She graciously gifted us her services, and I have to say that this is the best one-stop-shop for hosting outdoor events in the Okanagan! When it comes to the food, Table Forty Nine was able to curate a couple of delicious goodies for the event. And none of our celebrations are never complete without a treat from The Cake Mama.
If you saw my Instagram stories that evening we were lucky enough to have live entertainment for the event! We had part of the local Kentucky Eileen group play some of their songs for us. Their entire group was able to attend, but they added such a wonderful ambiance to the evening!
I am so lucky to have two amazing photographers in my circle, Rachelle who is our in house photographer and my cousin Stephanie! Since Steph is close with Shannon, so we had her whip out her camera to capture some pictures of the night!
Overall, the night was so special and one to remember! Well, there you have it! All of the details on how we planned an intimate outdoor gathering for Shannon’s 40th birthday! Just a reminder that every province is operating at different phases. If you choose to host a small outdoor event please do so responsibly. Head on over to Leo’s birthday blog for more details!
xo
Jilly
