Sixteen years ago today, my amazing husband, Audley,  asked me to marry him and become a mother to his nearly three year old daughter.  Time most certainly goes by quickly as this Friday we are hosting an engagement party with family to celebrate the engagement of a now beautiful young woman!

{Where have these sixteen years gone?!}

Samantha

We have put out so much effort to make Friday night a memorable evening for Samantha and Justin with every detail.  Invitations went out weeks ago and all of the big details like venue, chair rental, photographer, and the menu are confirmed.  Now comes the even larger task of pulling it all together.

We have chose a neutral spring theme for this event.  Samantha and Justin both like simple, but like all girls, Samantha loves a touch of glitter and elegance.

{We like to tease Samantha that she is Cinderella with a bit of camo!} 

Not Samantha ….. (image All Prom Dresses.com)

 It has been fun trying to pull these themes into one event.  Audley and I ( with a little display advice form our friend Eddie Ross — more on that later)  have worked together to come up with a design plan for the evening.

Here is what we have decided on:

A mix of formal and casual with white tablecloths topped with burlap table runners; We will use assorted sizes of Mason jars for candle holders and gerbera daisies (Samantha’s favorite) with glittered easter eggs scattered about, also at Samantha’s request just because she loves them; and a buffet loaded with hors d’ourves fitting an evening event.  We have chosen white and silver serving pieces to use on the buffet for another mix of casual and elegant.

the top & bottom images were collected from the internet.

Our menu reflects Samantha and Justin’s personalities as well:

chicken salad on croissants
tequila-lime chicken skewers
shrimp ceviche
breaded chicken tenders (Thank you Tyson for saving me a lot of time here!)
assorted cheeses; cheddar, colby, & brie topped with homemade mixed berry jam
grapes and strawberries
crudite platter; asparagus, mushrooms, celery, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, & cauliflower 
served w/ ranch dip & cucumber dill dip
cheese wafers
hummus & pita chips  (I cheated and bought the hummus)
tortilla chips & homemade peach salsa

I always thought I would dread the day when one of my girls came home bringing a guy with her, but instead I feel like making everything just perfect and happy for them.

I can’t wait to share party highlights in a couple of days!