21st Birthday Ideas: A Dinner with Family That's Not Too Embarassing

My brother David had his 21st birthday a week before Christmas, and my mom and I wanted to plan a little celebration. When thinking of 21st ideas, I tried to keep two things in mind for a guy's 21st Birthday Party:
#1) don't embarrass him and
#2) he's probably got more fun things to do that night...Hello? He'll be 21!!

We decided on an early dinner at David's favorite Japanese steak house, Samurai in Andalusia, Alabama, with just immediate family, so David could go hang out with his friends for the rest of the night.

21st Party Decorations

I wanted to do something special for decorations, while keeping rule #1 (don't embarrass) in mind. I came up with these little double-sided table flags, and they were perfect! I picked up these jars and beads at Dollar Tree and embellished the jar with a little brown ribbon. I made three to place around the hibachi, and because they were so low, only the people at the next two tables over could see them (minimizes embarrassment). Since they were pretty small, they were easy to transport, too.

Having David's name on the flags allowed our Samurai chef to really personalize our dinner experience, too...making for an extra fun night! He called David by name all throughout the meal, and the rest of us got called by name, too...well, sort of. We were "David's Mommy", "David's Sister", "David's Brother-in-Law", "David's Daddy", and my Dad's girlfriend Debbie was "David's Daddy's Friend". His persistence in calling us all by name was really funny, as they became quite a mouthful for him at times!

Clearly, I forgot to tell Samurai about about Rule #1.  They made things even more festive with balloons, drums, and a delicious pineapple boat. Well, I guess you can't get out of a family gathering without a little embarrassment...right?!

21st Birthday Gifts

For David's 21st birthday presents, I came up with the idea for a "Find Your Favorite Beer Tasting Kit".  Over Thanksgiving, David had been asking me what beers I liked to drink, probably in prep for his birthday, so I thought he would enjoy doing a taste test to find his favorite.

The Fresh Market has these really neat looking six-pack containers for mix and matching beer to create a custom six pack.  Unfortunately, their beers were a little too gourmet for this project, as I was looking for the basics, but they kindly gave me the box with my grocery purchase.  I was able to find the single beers I needed at a gas station.  I filled the pack with a Miller Lite, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona Light, Heineken (in case he has more refined tastes), and a Blue Moon (one of my favorites).

My husband and I gave him something a little more substantial, too, and of course, the wrapping had to match the rest of the party decorations!

21st Birthday Cake

David also loves Sugar Rush Bakery in Andalusia, so my mom picked up a variety of mini plain cheesecakes, mini turtle cheesecakes, and chocolate cupcakes.

So yummy!  It was wonderful because everyone could pick what they liked.

 

I found these cute plates and napkins to match everything else at Party City.  The plates are actually a hard plastic, so you could reuse them if you wanted.  For convenience, we just left them behind at the restaurant, though.

I think David had a good time at his 21st Birthday Party!  Samurai Japanese Steak House even surprised him with a porcelain samurai figure, too, which was so thoughtful.  (David must eat there a lot!!!)

Do you have any 21st birthday ideas?

What fun things have your done to celebrate?

Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Pennant Table Flags
"Find Your Favorite Beer" Tasting Kit Sign
Hand-stamped Birthday Gift Tag

Surprise 40th Birthday Party: Paul's 40 Favorites

This surprise 40th birthday party exudes relaxed Southern charm with all the elements that make for a fun afternoon: yummy bites, cool drinks, a little music, and, most importantly, good company and conversation.  All of the gorgeous party photos were shared by Mike of Houston Studios Photography in Dalton, GA.

When Jessica decided that she wanted to throw a surprise 40th birthday party for her husband Paul, the task of coming up with a ideas was a challenge.  Luckily, she found me in an internet search!  After learning a little more about Paul's personality and hobbies, I came up with the theme "Paul's 40 Favorites" and helped her plan the event's look and feel in a manly palette of brown, black, and gold.

Paul isn't the type of person who likes to be the center of attention, and according to Jessica, "would NEVER throw himself a party."  Using photos of Paul's 40 favorite days, trips, people, books, movies, and sports teams throughout the event space, helped draw attention away from Paul, the person, while still keeping him front and center as the guest of honor.  The photos also helped the guests learn a little more about Paul and served as great conversation pieces.

Jessica had a fantastic idea to show Paul with some of his favorites as a child and now as an adult.  I love how the pictures below turned out taken from the same angle.  So cute!

Jessica commented, "Everyone loved all of the pictures - they were certainly a hit."

"Paul was COMPLETELY surprised and touched," shared Jessica.  Turns out Paul's birthday isn't until September, so I'm sure having a party in July when all of his family could visit from out of town kept Paul from suspecting anything out of the ordinary. He spent the day hanging out in Chattanooga, TN, (about 45 minutes away) with his dad and brother-in-law, which gave Jessica and family plenty of time to get everything ready for the party.

Paul with his two favorite people, Jessica and daughter Evie

All of the mouth-watering food was catered by The Filling Station in Dalton, GA.  I absolutely love the display of this pineapple cheese spread!

For the sweet table, I designed a DIY Chocolate Tower Party Centerpiece that Jessica created beautifully to serve as a focal point.  (See How To Instructions!)  The chocolate candy tower looks fabulous surrounded by decadent chocolate cupcakes and additional chocolates.

Guests were invited to share their favorite memory or thing about Paul on little cards that perfectly coordinated with the party's look.  The cards made a great guest-book substitute and provided thoughtful "gifts" for Paul to enjoy long after the party. (I think a little someone must have drawn him a picture on the large yellow sheet...just guessing.)

One of Paul's favorites is playing guitar, so Jessica wisely hired a guitarist to entertain the guests.  This set the stage perfectly for Paul to join in on a few jams and let the guests experience more of his 40 favorites. 

Jessica, thank you so much for letting me share in the excitement of this special 40th birthday party for Paul and help you plan a theme that brilliantly came to life under your guidance.  It was so much fun, and I hope we can do it again soon!

Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Custom Party Planning Guide with 40 Favorites Theme and Color Scheme Ideas
Party Invitations
DIY Chocolate Tower Party Centerpiece Instructions
Photo Display Cards
"Share Your Favorite" Guest Book

Now you can purchase these items, check out the pricing for this 40 Favorites Party at BellyFeathers.com.

Surprise 30th Birthday Party for Michael "Life Begins at 30"

Personalized parties are the best, and this surprise 30th birthday party theme was inspired by the guest of honor's wise and older friend, who always says, "Life Begins at 30." 

Michael is the husband of my best friend, Jessica, so of course, I was thrilled to design party supplies for his surprise 30th birthday party that tied in with the "Life Begins at 30" theme and with the Party City design below.

Tip: I always think it's a good idea to have some extra decor items on hand like these mini "Life Begins at 30" signs or table confetti to fill in any areas that need a little extra oomph at an event.

I had fun designing this over-the-top button pin for Michael.  Nothing says, "I'm the guest of honor!" like a giant crazy button pin, right?!  I got ideas for how to create it from this post on the Paper and Cake blog.

Here are two shots of the "Happy 30th Birthday" pennant banner I created for Michael, as part of the 30th party decorations.

I love the little detail of including the year 1980, the year Michael was born, in the 30th birthday decorations.  Jessica and her friend Angela found these at Joann Fabrics after much searching.  Apparently, wooden numbers aren't as easy to find as letters.

The bright and cheerful 30th birthday cake was designed by a local baker in Albany, GA, to match the party plates.

The real focal point of the party was this candy buffet.  I created another banner to hang above the candy bar that said, "Treats from Michael's Childhood." 

Some of the goodies included Big League Chew, Pop Rocks, Ring Pops, and Pixy Sticks. 

What I like most about this candy buffet is that the majority of the containers and candy were found at Dollar Tree.  You've got to love that!

Angela, who hosted the surprise party at her house, is crafty and created this "80's Treats" sign to look like a lollipop, which was great for adding height to the display.

Here are some close-up shots of the signs that I designed for the candy buffet.

Jessica, thank you so much for sharing these wonderful photos from Michael's surprise 30th birthday party!  I wish we could have been there to celebrate with you guys.


Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Pennant Party Banners
"Life Begins at 30" Mini Freestanding Signs
Candy Buffet Stick Signs
Candy Buffet Tie-on Signs
Candy Buffet Mini Freestanding Signs
Button Pin
"Life Begins at 30" Thank You Stickers for Candy Buffet Boxes