And I think it was a big success 🙂  It looked like everyone had fun, and even though the party officially ended at midnight, we still had a hanger on or two until almost 12:30. The kids were all talking about it at school on Monday, so there was buzz over the weekend, and I think things went great.
We started with the family dinner at 6 o’clock, and we had a nice buffet with pretty good options. There was Virginia baked ham, chicken marsala, baked ziti, and penne pasta with sausage and spinach in Alfredo sauce. We had green beans almondine, salad, fruit salad, pepperoni and cheese. The candle ceremony was a really nice tribute to some of Brighid’s favorite people. She called them all up one at a time, gave them a flower, and they lit a candle around her cake. We had chosen a small piece of music for each person, and that worked out nice. When Angel came up to light Bean’s candle, Brighid got very teary and emotional over it. And then the weirdest thing happened. The candle kept flickering out. Angel lit it two or three times, and after the fact, I tried several times, but we couldn’t get it lit no matter what. It would flicker a second or two, then burn itself out. I know Bean was there with us.
The kids began arriving about 7:15, and they all were so nicely dressed!  It was great to see them all jazzed up. I think having it black tie optional maybe discouraged a few kids from coming, but there was a caterer who suggested it because it helped with the behavior of the kids. I don’t know if it was the clothes, but I think this was a GREAT group. There was no trouble from any of them. At about 8 PM, we introduced Brighid, who was escorted in by a leprechaun. I don’t know who looked more uncomfortable – Brighid or the little person. His job for the evening was to hand out beads from his pot of gold to the guests as they came in and to mingle. He didn’t do so much mingling, but made sure the kids all got beads coming in.Â
The food for the kids was vitually untouched. There were hot dogs, pizzas, hoagies, soft pretzels, and chicken tenders. I ate one of the tenders myself, and it was delicious!  We ended up taking a ton of stuff home. The hot dogs were half way eaten before I threw the rest away, and the hoagies were taken to the police station the night of the party, along with a big slice of birthday cake. The chicken nuggets have been eaten over the course of the weeks since the party, both for lunches and dinners. It’s been nice not to have to cook 🙂
The DJ, I think, was great. We used Steve and Company, who we used for our wedding, Russell’s 50th birthday party, and Granuaile’s Christening. He played a great range of music and the kids seem to really like him.Â
I hope this was a party she’ll remember for the rest of her life. She looked absolutely stunning in a gown that her Grandmom and Grandpop Andersen bought, with all of the beautiful jewelry accessories. Her cake, from Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes from the Food Network and owner of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, was (from what I hear) delicious, and it was exactly what she wanted. She danced the night away, and I know I’ll have happy memories of that night until I die.
Of course, I hope Eilis and Granuaile choose a vacation or something instead for their Sweet 16 😉