You Only Turn 27 Once

I love my birthday, and I’m not afraid to celebrate in a way that makes that sentiment apparent to everyone. September 22nd is my favourite day of the year!

As we get older, it gets harder and harder to celebrate with everyone we love all at once. Schedules are misaligned, everyone has more things to commit to, and some live in different cities or provinces. For my birthday, despite the schedules and distance, I try to get as many people I love as I can in one room to celebrate with me.

I turned 27 this year and listened to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac on repeat. With the ever-present feeling that life is passing me by — another year gone just like THAT — I’m closer to 30 than I am to 25, and I probably haven't accomplished all the things a 27-year-old should have. I knew the celebration needed to be that much more special. I’m a Virgo, so naturally, I had the idea to have a garden party back in July and started planning pretty soon after.

I’m hard-wired to (attempt to) put on the most extravagant dinner parties known to man. If I have a vision, it will be executed — even if that means stressing myself out and choosing an unnecessarily complicated menu (who knows what I’m trying to prove), buying four bouquets of flowers, rummaging through cupboards and the basement to find the most acceptable 20-year-old vintage dishware and vases, and insisting on baking two different birthday cakes (I was talked out of 2 cakes this year). 27 was no exception.

I’ll skip the not-so-glamorous details, but let’s just say the execution of a dinner party never goes as planned. I was going for a garden party theme. Think: outdoors, lots of flowers, candles, and whimsy.

First up: the invitations!

I originally wanted to watercolour paint each invitation and deliver them to my friends, but that was going to be way too time-consuming, so I opted for Jacquie Lawson e-cards instead.

Next: the handmade menus!

I hand wrote all 11 menus on small square cards and placed them into a cardholder by the front door so it was the first thing everyone saw and grabbed!

Now, the contents of the menu.

This took me the longest to figure out. I’m my own worst enemy and always want a plethora of options — and for everything to be top-notch. But I also wanted to be able to enjoy myself and not have a million moving parts to worry about, especially on the day of. I opted for a fruit tray, veggie tray, and kettle chips as snacks/starters, and had two of my lovely friends bring a salad and spinach dip as well.

For the main course, I cheffed up some pesto flatbreads with goat cheese, mozzarella, parmesan (need three types of cheese, of course), red onion, pepperoni, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli — one of my favourites. My mom is also an expert at making chicken drumsticks, so I had her help me with an everything-maple recipe, and they were an absolute hit. I was happy with these menu choices because both could be prepped the night before. I made up the pizzas and we marinated the chicken, so all I had to do the next day was throw them in the oven and serve.

The dessert is somewhat of a long story.

I really wanted to make two different cakes: a citrus feta cheesecake with dark chocolate and a coconut olive oil cake with sour cherry buttercream. It took a lot of convincing from loved ones to just make one cake. And I’m a nervous baker as is, but I have a lot of ambition. Apparently, the experts say the way to go is only one dessert. I decided on the feta cheesecake because it’s an easier recipe, but I made two of them — that was the compromise. I’ll save the olive oil cake for a friend’s birthday…

I used Red Currant Bakery’s recipe, and it was quite good. The dark chocolate complimented the citrus flavours exceptionally, and the actual cheesecake melted in your mouth. By the time I served it, I was a few drinks deep and was forcing all my friends to tell me they liked it. So who knows if it turned out as well as I remember.

The décor is my favourite part

It’s all about the details — and that’s what I’m good at. This is also what I’d been thinking of since I had the idea in July. I envisioned lots of flowers and candles. Mismatched dishware and seating. I wanted the set-up to have an air of whimsy to it.

The day before the party, I picked up three bouquets of flowers — all different. I found old mismatched vases of different sizes, shapes, and patterns tucked away in cupboards and rearranged all the flowers. I had chosen hydrangeas, carnations, wildflowers, and others that I’m not sure of the type, but they were pretty.

I also picked up disposable cameras and set them up outside for everyone to use. I wanted to be able to see the day/night through my friends’ eyes. And disposable cameras are so much fun. This will act as a little gift for myself later too because the anticipation of going to get the photos developed is such a bonus.

I made up goodie bags as well, with some candy and a little craft book. The kicker was: I printed out various baby photos of myself and stuck them on the bags. My friends got to choose which ‘baby me’ they wanted to bring home with them.

I set up my kitchen table indoors to hold all the food — it’s bee season, so this seemed practical. The tables where everyone would bring their food to eat were set up outside on my back deck and patio, and this is where I tried my best at tablescaping. I had two tables set up and used a tablecloth and table runners, arranged the flowers and candles, and hung up a few felt mice to add to that whimsy I was hoping to achieve.

Every time I host a party, I’m reminded that it’s not the tablescapes or the food that make it great — it’s the people. I’m lucky to have such amazing friends who showed up and showed out for my garden party. They appreciated my efforts and made me feel so special and loved — helping wherever they could and making sure I was having a good time. That’s what a birthday is all about; the festivities are just an awesome bonus. All I know is the party wouldn’t have happened without them, and I’m so grateful for each of their friendships. A party is only as good as the people that attend, and my party was FUCKING AWESOME. ;)

Now, the wholesome part of the day evaporates as soon as the sun sets. We cracked open the drinks at a quicker pace, the pong balls and cups were set up, my friend made sangria, and the speaker got turned all the way up. I won’t go too into detail, but we had a very good time!

My 27th birthday garden party was a huge success, and I have many people to thank for that!