It Was A REAL Carnival!

Okay. I just have to post about this.

After I dropped Christine off at the dance at the school, I headed over to a wedding reception. It was being held at the bride's home. When we got the invitation, it was not your typical invite. The colors were very contemporary--tiffany blue, pink, and red. And it had a carnival theme to it with a ticket inside. Their pictures were on a strip that you would get from a photo booth. Very unique and cute. Just looking at it and reading it you could 'feel' FUN.

Immediately I thought: This is SO Paige (the bride)! And if anyone can pull it off, it's Marilyn (the mother of the bride)!

It is one of the best wedding receptions I have ever been to. The receiving line was across the front porch which then led to a pathway to the back yard. They had a real photo booth. You could throw the pingpong ball in and win a gold fish booth. An old-fashioned carnival candy booth. An ice cream station where you picked 2 of your favorite Costco cookies; the server put a big scoop of vanilla ice cream between them, you smoosh them together and then pick a topping to roll the edges in. Beverage station with lots of different kinds of lemonades. A cotton candy machine with yummy blue-raspberry flavored cotton candy.

The dinner: 2 stations of huge grills with hamburgers and foot long hotdogs, a huge everything- you-can-imagine-in-a green salad station, fruit display to eat, and a station with all the condiments: lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, red onions, and then large bowls of snack pack assorted chips. Mustard, mayo, ketchup, pickle relish. We ate out of red and white paper baskets with red tissue in them.

The cake: adorable and delicious! With all the layers different and decorated in the unique colors. The bottom layer was FUN-FETTI! (Thank you Paige for buttercream frosting that was so well done it just looked like fondant.)

Table centerpieces: 4 different colored wheels of 'tickets' stacked in the center with clay pots on top of them that had been painted white with red rims with every kind of white wedding flower spilling out accented with a few red and pink ones. Tiffany blue cloths and red napkins with old fashioned, hand pulled, red and white peppermint pinwheel suckers at each place setting. Votive candles in mason canning jars of every size with red ribbon around the tops.

Oh. And no carnival is complete without a FERRIS WHEEL. Yes, a real, true, honest-to-goodness, light up ferris wheel. There was a genuine ticket booth too. And for the gifts, an old fashioned car with the top down in the driveway with the presents inside on the seats and around the bottom.

Can you just imagine all the cute, unique pictures they will have from their wedding reception?!

Smart m.o.b. Pretty, silver, flat sandals for the feet!

Paige, it was everything you wished for, and Marilyn, you pulled it off brilliantly. It was the classiest carnival I've ever been to. Thanks for the great party!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRIDE AND GROOM!

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE...