Two Fridays ago, I turned the magical three-zero. My birthday was low-key; Walt suggested a sushi outing, but my stomach hurt, so we stayed in while I hate-watched Downton Abbey‘s season 4. (Is it just me? I loved the first two seasons but after that third-season Christmas special, I flipped my opinion of Mr. Julian Fellowes upside-down. Ahem.)
For a while now, I’d been wanting to show my appreciation to my awesome and amazing clients — past, present, and future. So although it was probably a bad idea to tackle a “fancy” party, complete with venue, catering, and a tiny bit of décor at the tail end of my busy wedding season, I decided I’d celebrate my thirtieth birthday with some of my favorite new people — that is, you!
I picked a local art gallery slash yoga studio (how very Austin, right?) as the spot, and invited my favorite desserts places to be the crowning centerpiece of the whole she-bang: Sweet Ritual scooped their delicious vegan ice cream, and Capital City Bakery provided tiny vanilla cupcakes and monster-sized vegan brownies. (I’m not vegan, but I am lactose-intolerant, and wanted to offer something to everyone). I had the help of my amazing friend, planner extraordinaire, and former client Liz (see her wedding here) to plan and execute this, and I could not be more grateful to Liz for her help.
And I loved seeing everyone! It was an intimate gathering and everyone seemed to get along great. At one point I was sitting in between two tables — one was sharing depraved thoughts and comments whilst playing Cards Against Humanity, and the other was discussing Doctor Who, and I was like, “These nerds are my people.” We got into a spirited discussion about Alan Rickman being amazing, which evolved into a conversation about Jane Austen. So yes, I’m pretty sure I was in the right room ;)
It was a wonderful three hours, and I cannot say how happy I was that so many people came in for it! My sister surprised me by driving in from Houston, and one of my couples flew in from Maryland (!!) — well, to spend time with family, but the fact that they squeezed this party in during their short stay here was super wonderful. I got to know a few of my future couples better, which is always a good thing, and caught up with some couples whom I hadn’t talked to face-to-face since 2011, 2012, and 2013!
I thought it was apt to post this appreciation party blog post right at the Thanksgiving holiday. I appreciate you! You are awesome! Giant hugs!!
Sweet Ritual ice cream, Capital City Bakery brownies, and Cards Against Humanity. iPhone pics!
Urm, so, my camera settings got jumbled and everything became a long exposure. This is me with past client (and friend), Steven.