Real Party: End of Summer Surf’s Up Celebration

For so many parents, getting ready to go back to school can be hectic and stressful for some parents, and planning a party is just one more thing to add to the list.  But, for Holly of Paisley Petals Events, the end of summer is a great reason to celebrate the school year starting. Holly threw this surf’s up party for her son Jackson. Living in Utah, they are no where near a beach, but this is the perfect theme for a dog day’s of summer soirée. “My son loves sharks, so I wanted to think of a creative way to tie sharks into a summer party theme, and to me, surfing just screams summer.”

With the surf theme in place, Holly came up with the idea of life-size surfboards for party décor and knew she would need really bright
colors to make them stand out. “I also knew that I wanted to have an invitation that incorporated the theme and colors I had envisioned for the party. I found an invitation on Etsy that was exactly what I was looking for.It was perfect because I didn’t want it too childish and it incorporated the exact colors I was using for the party.”

The surfboards were a major component of the décor, which Holly’s husband made out of eight foot pieces of plywood. She then painted them fun stripes in the colors she had decided on for the party…orange, blue and green. She used paper lanterns in coordinating colors to make the party feel a little more “beachy”.  I created my own pennant banners to say “Surf’s Up” and “Hit the Beach” to dress up the surfboards a bit.

When it came to food items, Holly tried to coordinate both the theme and the party colors together equally. “For the center of the dessert table, I filled my apothecary jars with candy in the same three colors, with striped ribbon to match…orange slices, peach gummy bears, gummy sharks, cotton candy, blue raspberry jelly beans, green apple licorice and lime taffy.  The kids took home a treat bag filled with whatever candies they wanted from the table.I also served sugar cookies shaped and decorated like sharks and surfboards along with cupcakes decorated with surfboard and shark-fin fondant toppers.

“I think the surfboard cupcakes were my favorite.  I just love how Jill coordinated the toppers to exactly match the surfboards; they turned out just perfect! I think anything with water involved is going to make for a great party.  Boys just love getting wet and wild and they certainly did just that!”

“The best thing about planning parties for me is the happiness you get to experience when you watch your child (and the other children) having so much fun and just truly enjoying the party.  Hopefully they’ll always remember how you celebrated life’s special moments.”

Thanks Holly for sharing your summer-ending celebration with us!

Summer Celebration Makers

Photography:  Laura Sheneman

Cupcakes:  Jill at  Sprinklebelle Cakes

Invitation:  Sarah at  Chachke Designs

Send to a friend