2004

Surprise Luau -30yr- Fake Invitation

May 2001

Bari in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Honorable Mention

I planned a "Surprise 30th Birthday Luau" for my husband.  First I created on the computer two different invitations.  I used a child picture of my husband for the cover of the invite.  On the "real" invitation I put flower stickers around his neck creating a Lei and one flower sticker near his ear on the picture. 

The "Fake" invitation had a picture of him with a clown hat sticker on his head.  I created a label on the computer that read "FAKE" and stuck it right across the picture.  I showed my husband the fake invite (obviously w/o the "fake" sticker) and sent all guest a real invite in color and the fake invite in black & white. This allowed all of our friends to talk about the party without anyone slipping up.  However, my husband thought the party would be on Sun, when it was really on Sat.

For the Luau. Two friends helped me by coming to the house 5 minutes after we left (for a drive) to welcome the guests as they arrived.  I asked everyone to wear a Hawaiian shirt.  To my surprise ALL 45 guests did!  I bought 10 straw hats and 6 grass skirts (people shared), Leis for everyone and plastic coconut cups for the drinks, straws with tissue paper fruit and other Luau decorations I purchased from a trinket wholesale store (Oriental Trading).  I bought tropical flowers from a local florist.  I looked up Hawaiian recipes on-line and created some of my own. 

Menu included pineapple-apricot chicken, coconut macadamia cream cheese balls, salad with mandarin oranges and coconut rice.  I made home made orange ice cream and put the ice cream back into the orange peels.  I bought an inexpensive Hawaiian music tape and put candles everywhere for ambiance. My cousin made pina coladas all night. A bunch of friends chipped in and got my husband a Hawaiian Girl to deliver a poem of juicy info about him and balloons.

The cake was in the shape of a stuffed pig with an apple in its mouth. My husband thought we were going out to dinner MUCH to his surprise!  Our friends are still talking about the party 2 years later!!

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