Banquet in the Vineyard

These pictures are from my sister Laurel-Manette's 18th birthday party this past September. Her birthday was the first themed party I planned, and it was SO fun! We decided to hold it at Martin's Vineyard on Knotts Island, NC. Martin's Vineyard is a family owned vineyard and small winery that is simply saturated with charm. Over the years our family would visit the vineyard, bring a picnic, and spend the day picking grapes, peaches, and apples, when each respective fruit was in season. What a perfect place to celebrate her 18th birthday! I had the most fun planning her party out of all the events I've done so far...there wasn't the same pressure since it was for my sister and not a paying client. She was so gracious and easy-going, and we had a marvelous time going over everything from the decorations to the seating arrangements.

The theme of the party was "Summer Evening Attire with a Twist". I got the idea after seeing a similar party featured in a magazine earlier that year. The dress code was charming and eclectic - cocktail dresses with rain boots, evening gowns accessorized by aviator hats, and dress shirts paired with shorts and soccer cleats are just some of the creative outfits our guests came up with. The menu was comprised of fresh, end-of-summer salads, sandwiches, plus a medley of homemade pies for dessert. My mom volunteered to be the Birthday Cook, and she slaved in the kitchen for hours leading up to the party. Everything was absolutely delicious!!

The weather was beautiful as well. Rain was expected that weekend, and we anxiously watched the forecast for days, praying that the rain would hold off. The day of the party dawned crisp and slightly overcast, but rain-free. As we were packing up and leaving the vineyard after the party was over, raindrops began to fall while we made our way down the windy driveway. The timing could not have been more perfect!

We decided to hold the party in the vineyard itself, rather than on the grassy knoll where parties were usually held. The rustic charm was almost overpowering!!



Each table was covered with my mom's antique table clothes, and scattered down the length of the table were an assortment of candles and vases of all shapes and sizes. Filling the vases were Queen Anne's Lace, green spider mums, green hypernicum berries, coral roses, green button mums, and yellow daisies. We found branches with grapes still attached that had fallen from the vine, and these we liberally added to the decor.







Each place was set with a different antique plate, and an apple stuck with a brown paper leaf bearing their name. We used Ball Jars for glasses, and each person's name was tied to their jar with twine. Lastly, a small black bird was next to each plate, filled with peanuts for the guests to munch on.

Table # 1

Table # 2

Table # 3

A little blurry, but these two pictures show some of the creative outfits we had!

To finish up, here is a quote that we used on the invitations for her party. Even though her party wasn't held on a beach, we loved this quote and felt inspired by the carefree, old-fashioned happiness of it all.

"Eventually we decided that we would go on the picnic in spite of everything, since all the arrangements were made, so we staggered down to the boat, loaded down with food, wine, and costumes, and set off for the coast...eventually we reached the bay, spread out the rugs on the sand, arranged the food, placed the battalion of wine bottles in a row in the shallows to keep cool, and the great moment had arrived."

Gerald Durrell, "My Family and Other Animals"