Backyard Birthday Picnic

Our beautiful backyard picnic this weekend was the sweetest way to celebrate my sisters 31st birthday. It was an intimate celebration with close friends. Prior to knowing a global pandemic would soon disrupt us all, we once had plans to travel for her 30th. A year later in the same predicament with restrictions to travel, I decided to plan a something small yet memorable.

I’m pretty proud of the plan and how well everything turned out — that is because rather than stressing myself (and others around me) out I decided to reach out to the best for help! Since I live an hour away from my sister I contacted a close family friend who does Event Planning in the Central Valley, Taylor Hohl Events.

Taylor and I have known each other our whole lives, so it was a no brainer for me to contact her after seeing her gorgeous events these past few years. I contacted her about a month and half before our date with what I was looking for. We then scheduled a call where we discussed vision and budget, then quickly kept it pushin’ from there!

My biggest recommendation/tip when working with a planner is always have a budget prepared before speaking with them. You should have a minimum and maximum expectation for yourself before speaking with a professional planner.

Okay, so the details. I was inspired from Pinterest of course — a picnic with an amazing spread, bubbles, florals, balloons and something sweet to finish. Taylor then sourced all the decor, food and dessert leaving me not to worry about a thing. As much as I love crafting and DIY everything having someone else to help plan allowed for more enjoyment of the moment.

My top requests were:

+Lots of Flowers. and allowing for guests to take some home when they leave.

+Donut Towers. because duh.

+Balloon Arch. also duh.

+Charcuterie

The vision turned out into a full on vibe in the afternoon — delicious charcuterie from Savor Charcuterie who just opened a shop in Turlock, personal spring salad individually boxed up made by yours truly, (Everyone loved this!) Chandon bubbles, Mr. T donuts (my favorite local donut shop) , and close friends surrounded. We had such a great light afternoon enjoying each other and all the crazy little kiddies running around us.

Taylor made my visions come to life with wood crates for a floor seating table, ombre dyed drop cloth and pillows for seating, rattan textures, rose gold accents, marble platters and colored goblets. Each detail didn’t skip a beat.

Another detail that I highly recommend to anyone who hosts an event with lots of flowers is a to-go station for your guests! We set up silk cloth and natural string for everyone to make themselves a bouquet as they left. Not only are you preserving the flowers but it’ll leave all your ladies with a smile because who doesn’t love flowers.

Here are images of all the beautiful details. Below I’ve listed out all the vendors Taylor used to make this party happen. Taylor’s readiness and professionalism was absolutely easy to work with. If you’re in need of help with your next Event small or large — she is your girl in the Central Valley.

Special thank you to the following vendors for making this party so special and beautiful!

+ Mr. Ts Delicate Donuts — my favorite donut shop in Modesto

+ Myself — Spring Salad included spring mix, blueberries, strawberries, feta, red onion and walnuts with honey balsamic dressing

+ North and Nested — Plants

+ Old Time Pastries — Cake

+ Savor Charcuterie — gorgeous and delicious platters. and they just opened a shop in Turlock!

+ Taylor Hohl Events — If you’re interested in planning something with Taylor, mention my name and she’ll give you 10% off your first event!