Fabulous Fetes ::: event planning & event design service: {Real Parties} Garden Spring Fling

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm ready for spring!! So when I had to come up with a theme for my mother's birthday party it was simple. Her only request was that it be a picnic style party at a beautiful botanical garden here in Virginia called Meadowlark Gardens. She could not have picked a more perfect location.

I decided on having a simple menu of sandwiches, crudite, an orzo pasta salad and fruit.

My mother and father both love to garden, and since we were having the party at a botanical garden, I thought I'd use a garden theme. I looked everywhere for an antique wheelbarrow with no avail so I opted for this old fashioned tricycle to hold the sandwiches. The sandwich choices were ham & havarti on a pretzel roll, smoked turkey on a french roll and shrimp salad on croissant.

I love crudite in individual servings so when I came across these mini terra cotta pots I thought it was a perfect fit for this picnic (plus, I'm not sure about you but if it looks cute...I'm more likely to eat my veggies).

I decided to try my hand at making a fruit bouquet. It wasn't hard but in the future I know to vary the sizes of the honey dew and cantaloupe. I ended up doing some additional cutting at the end to fill in gaps.

Delicious and a perfect way to serve pasta salad for a picnic...big hit!

In lieu of a traditional birthday cake, I chose to make cupcakes. My neighbor made the most wonderful log cake that I think melds perfectly with the garden theme. I found this birdcage that is actually meant as a jewelry stand, my neighbor suggested I place the 'birthday girl's' cupcake in it...and she says she's not creative!! Lastly, I decided to try my hand at cake pops. Yummy, and so easy! Thanks Bakerella!