All We Needed Was Sand

Compared to my Roaring 1920s party, for my 33rd birthday, this year was very last minute. With Tokyo coming up (have I mentioned we are going?), I wasn't planning on spending extra funds on a party. But, as the date crept closer I felt we should put together something small. A little more than week before my birthday I decided to have a Retro Beach themed birthday party. To be honest I was "phoning" this year's party in by choosing an easy theme. One might say I did the same last year with a 1920s theme, but with that party I mimicked a specific scene from The Great Gatsby film. This year I went ahead and raided the tiki/beach sections for decorations. I think the decor, along with the retro music, conveyed a happy atmosphere. 

I was taking a few test shots with the camera. I didn't want to wash all the photos out with a flash, so I had Rey and Brandi sit for a few silly poses. Work it you two!

Rey and Brandi look great here, but maybe I should've repositioned her straw? Meanwhile, in the background, I don't think that tiki idol was enjoying her photo being taken. Fashionably speaking, Rey looks like a greaser from the 50s while Brandi has that Biker's chick look. We all loved her hair!

Soon after we had the music going. The playlist was simple, full of Annette Funnicello, The Ventures (surf guitar), and The Beach Boys. The loop only lasted about 2 hours, but we just kept repeating it. Sure the music was a little on the corny side, but it was upbeat. 

As we shopped around the stores, Eric was very determined to grab some cocktail umbrellas. I'm sure glad he did because they added that extra touch to the cupcakes and the drinks. The cupcakes were store bought, but now they blended in with their surroundings. As my UK pals Mikey and Jonny would quote me saying, "It's in the details!"

Whether she cared for it, or not, Daphne got in on the beach action. Eric and I thought she looked great in her outfit. We aren't those "dress up your dog" type people, but this definitely called for an exception. 

Soon guests arrived and they were either mingling, or apparently on their iPhones ;-)

I can see here that Rey was about to enjoy more of his Fruit Punch/Coconut Rum concoction. 

Our gal pal Kelly joined us from Newport Beach in what I think was reminiscint of the 1960s character Gidget. I don't know if that was her direct intention, but she sure did a nice job!

The rest of us guys took the easy way out. Beach attire for that era is as easy as a camp shirt and the shortest swim wear you can find. However; Eric did personify a fashionista/trend setter of the early 1960s. All that was needed here was was a nice bonfire, but of course that would've taken down the place. 

We should've had a prize for who travelled the farthest. First we have Ricky and Greg that drove down from the Hollywood area. Then there was Jeff and Lance (pictured directly above) that joined us from Riverside! But, I think the invisible trophy goes to Angie (below w/red headband). She drove down from San Luis Obispo! I can't take all the credit. Angie was also on her way home to San Diego county. No matter from where they drove, I was very lucky to have our group come together to celebrate.

As with any gathering we have, this couldn't have happened with Eric! Who knows, maybe from now on Eric will be the bar keep. He was having a fun time mixing up some drinks for our guests. He kept that blender spinning! I thought he was going to try to chop up our fake pineapples for garnish! 

See below.....What did I tell you all? There's Eric making another drink for Ricky! And that reminds me of something. Everyone came with either a snack or alcohol to contribute. It really does say something about the friends we invited. I didn't ask them to bring anything, only themselves. Sure we did have a few ask what they could help with, and we welcomed that help. Others surprised us with items. I was even given some fabulous and again unexpected gifts. My point is that we had some great people over that night, special people. I hope they know I'm grateful for all of them and I look forward to more times together. 

How to Plan a Gay Wedding in 2 Months

We looked around the room. Eric and I could see the left over Chipotle, tasty left over cake, wine, "empty chairs and empty tables", and a few guests that had stayed behind. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, our wedding day was drawing to a close. So much time and creative energy was spent to bring about our cherished day. Did we feel satisfied? We sure did! 

Planning only began in mid September. With the wedding day on November 17th, we heard many say we were crazy. Eric and I, being a little stubborn, were determined to carry out our wedding prior to our upcoming Disney World trip, December 2nd. It did cross our level headed minds to wait one more week December 1st, but that is Thanksgiving weekend. So, that was a "No". 

Eric and I had an idea of what we wanted, but budget, location, and timing would play a huge role. And, when I say we knew what we wanted, I meant we had about four ideas between us. Did that cause some arguments along the way? Of course it did! Do you all think a smaller wedding made planning any easier? No, not at all. Later, when the decor fell into place, it felt perfect.  

A hard subject when one has a small wedding or event is the Guest List. When we decided to keep it at 50 and under, I assumed that was a good amount. Well, when we started listing names the slots filled quickly. Hard decisions were made and looking back, I don't think we even disagreed about the list. Once a number was decided, it definitely was understood between us that we had to be strict. 

Right away we had some family members that stepped up, without hesitation. My cousin Albert and wife Clara really wanted to purchase the cake. We were blown away by the gesture. Then, his sister and my cousin, Francesca, offered food money, and to create our "card receiving" box. We also had both Mothers offer to lend a huge hand in many different ways. Ricky, Eric's best man, allowed us to hold the wedding at his place. And, our great friend Cassie would be our photographer for both our wedding guest book, and the event itself. I can honestly say without our family and friends' generosity, this wouldn't have happened.

One item we quickly crossed off our list was the cake. Eric, my mom, and myself headed to Glendale for the cake tasting at the bakery Portos. They had about 12-16 different combinations for us. The red velvet was tempting, but lately it's almost too expected. We made up our own cake combination of white and chocolate cake, layered with vanilla custard. Eric and I couldn't wait for everyone to taste it!

During October, the details changed, shapes evolved and themes came and went . Would we have round tables or rectangular?  Something that drove me insane was that even though I could envision the space, I wanted to see the final product and experience it. Thank goodness the catering company was a "no brainer" for the both of us. We chose to go with Chipotle catering because it's our favorite. The spread we went with was the three meat taco bar. They would also throw in a few different salsas and chips with guacamole.

Suddenly time was creeping toward October 17th. This meant we absolutely had to send out the invitations. We just needed to decide on the style we liked. I have to be honest, the idea of sending out a massive text message did cross our minds. Don't worry, we got rid of that idea.

After invitations, the first photo shoot was upon us. As I mentioned before, our great friend Cassie would take our photos. She went with us to Disneyland and California Adventure in the wee hours of a Monday morning. Eric and I would be posing for our Guest Book. Eric had the idea to have photos where our guests could sign the borders, and write short messages. It was such a fun morning in the parks. Cassie is amazing at what she does. Check out Russek Photography on Facebook! 

(I don't rely on mirrors alone...they're deceiving)

It was an experience trying on suits for the big day. To be frank, we did encounter frustration as we shopped. Since we loved the first suits we tried on, it was hard to settle on anything else. Maybe a guy would usually think, "Hey it's no biggie." But for us it was really important. There was no wedding dress to be featured at this wedding ceremony. Eric and I were it and we wanted to look as good as possible. Once we finalized the suits, I felt stress levels slightly lower. 

 With exactly two weeks left, Eric, his parents, Ricky, Greg, and I got to work. Poor Ricky was "losing" his living room. We cleared it all out in that one afternoon. The sofa, tables, lamps, and shelf all ended up in his spare room. Ricky was left with the floor to sit on, and a TV. So when I say we couldn't have done it without Ricky, it's the truth. 

The plan was to then return to the following Sunday, which was a week from the wedding, to get even more prepared. When that day came, Eric then brought the backdrop for our ceremony. He made it that week from plywood, chalkboard paint, and of course chalk. He spent almost five hours getting this piece just right. 

Whoa, what a blog post, right? I want to keep all of your interest so I'll be back soon with a heck of a lot more photos and the wedding details. I can't give it all at once! And, if you were there, then I guess you know all the secrets. I will add that our daydream was becoming a reality. See all back soon!

A Roaring '20s Birthday

When it comes to interiors, I always seem to gravitate toward modern or  "clean lines". It was an easy choice to feature the era filled with Art Deco at my birthday party. Of course the feel of flappers and booze would also permeate the party. This idea was also sparked from the recent release of The Great Gatsby. The lavish parties thrown by the hermit of a character gave me some strong inspiration. I could have stuck with the dark, underground feel of a 1920s Speakeasy, but I wanted a more lively feel. I immediately wanted to feature the colors of Silver, Black, with a touch of Gold. 

Eric contributed quite a bit to the party's look. Brainstorming began in mid June for our July 13th party date. It was decided early on that we had to have our guests dress the part. Although we'd provide a vintage backdrop, our friends would give it life. 

Eric and I gave hard thought to bring in unique details our guests wouldn't forget. I had hoped people would get the sense that others lived in this party setting, that they had time traveled. We looked online for vintage portraits to occupy our frames on the shelving and walls. I'll even give it away that these temporary photo frames were purchased at the Dollar Tree. 

The den was sectioned off from the main living space with a silvery curtain. I had hoped the curtain would do a great job at catching the light. It did just that. Within the den I strived for a lounge with darker lighting. Sticking to the times, the den had a different 1920s track playing. It was a small change from the main area 1920s music that people may not have consciously noticed. The details are key. Eric and our friend Ricky certainly enjoyed the lounge area. 

For beverages we stuck mostly to wines and vodka based concoctions. One of my birthday gifts was the ingredients to a favorite drink of mine, a Manhattan. 

Our friends really put thought into their outfits. I know some of them were nervous they wouldn't get the looks quite right, but everyone did a good job. I'm glad all had fun getting creative for their attire. 

We even made the restroom appear a flapper lived there. She left a mess as you all can see. (I ended up in the pic. I wasn't sly enough)

It was a roaring time! All seemed impressed with the party's look/decor. If we had a bigger place and budget, who knows what we would've done!!