A few weeks ago, we threw a surprise 50th Birthday Party for my mom, and miraculously, we were able to keep it a secret from her. Now she did have a few suspicions that something was up, but she did not have any clue that the event she was going to one month before her birthday was actually to celebrate her birthday! Ingenious! And it was all my dad’s idea. The rest of the details worked out well because I was in the area that weekend for a wedding, and my dad’s job had a “formal event to welcome people from another country.” Over the years, my mom has seen images I’ve taken from other people’s surprise birthday parties, but I don’t think she ever imagined being caught “surprised” at the door.
This project was especially exciting for me because it presented an opportunity to incorporate photographs that I’d previously taken of my mom into graphics design projects. From the invitation that I designed to the note cards used at the event for people to write their reflections and birthday wishes to mom to the thank you cards that she sent out after the event, I used quality photographs from recent years to bring a cohesive, elegant experience for our guests and the Birthday Girl!
When all was said and done, we might have gone over the top with how we celebrated her, but she IS definitely worth it; she truly is blessed! So please view some of the images from the event, and if you see something you like, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment!
You can view a slideshow of event highlights here.
The Invitation:
The Note Cards that Guests Signed:
“Thank You for Being a Friend” Song Lyrics that were handed out to Guests:
Thank You Cards mailed after the event:
These images are stunning! Wow! I love what you did with the cards and invitations too! 🙂
First of all we would have loved to come to the party, but I forgive you.(smile) Good friends are hard to find and harder to forget..always remember that.
Now that you have gotten your ‘spanking’ from me let me say this: You never cease to amaze me! Everything looked beautiful. From the invitations to the thank you cards and finally the photographs. Cheryl should be placed on the cover of Essence and “O” magazine:-) Move over Oprah, there’s a new Sista’ in town. I love ya! Aunt Joyce
Thank you for checking out the blog site! We definitely wished you all could have come up for her party to celebrate with us! I’ll have to call you to make sure you can attend the next event!
Great photos! Looks like there were many youojs occasions at you home this last December! I love reading your blog. Keep up the great work!