90th Birthday Party Ideas

Ninety is a big age milestone.  I can’t imagine what it must be like to have experienced ninety wonderful years of life. It’s definitely a cause for celebration.  When we decided a number of months ago to throw my grandmother a 90th surprise birthday party, I was excited to have the honor of styling the dessert table and designing the party graphics for it.  It was so special to see her surprised look.  I didn’t think there was anything we could get past my grandmother! It was also wonderful chance to get so many family and friends together.

Since I can remember, my grandmother has loved birds and flowers. My childhood is filled with memories of birdwatching together, eating fresh picked raspberries on her back porch and planting flowers in her garden. To capture these memories, I designed a spring garden theme party.  I used a classic floral pattern as a background print.  Butterflies, dragonflies, and flying birds fluttered around the words, tying the design together.  Here are some 90th birthday party ideas for a springtime celebration.

Using the garden as my inspiration, I styled the dessert table with natural and sweet elements. Starting with a white tablecloth, I mixed in hints of pale green and rich purple.  I included flower pots, moss covered letters, bird themed candy vessels, and a bird house.  White cake plates, serving platters, and a towering cupcake stand helped give the table a fresh, airy feel.

I designed cupcake toppers to send special wishes to the birthday honoree.  It was my first attempt at buttercream icing.  Lesson learned – a lot of buttercream doesn’t go very far.  I also over tinted the green icing.  Mr. Mountaineer ended up saving the day by going out and buying store bought cupcakes.  I either need LOTS more practice or will just have to go with store bought cupcakes from here on.  I will say this – my cupcakes definitely tasted better than the store bought ones.

To add height and color to the table, I filled large apothecary jars with purple and pale green meringues.  These are my mom’s specialty and I will have to learn to make them some day.  I love how dark the purple turned out thanks to soft gel paste food color.

I created a set of straws and straw flags to add a celebratory touch to everyone’s drink glasses.  I love how the flags looked on the purple striped straws.  These could also be used as cake flags or on hors d’euvre sticks.

The party was hosted in an old colonial house.  It had a beautiful fireplace in the main gathering area.  Instead of using our original burlap backdrop, we decided to make use of this feature for the dessert table.  I hung the birthday banner along the mantel to bring in the party theme.  It added a whimsical touch.  I was reminded about how important it is to work with the details of your party space instead of adding extra elements unnecessarily.

For accessories, I created a special birdhouse commemorating my grandmother’s 90th.  It gave the table styling some much needed height. I also “planted” some marshmallow pansy pops for some edible blooms.

As the take away treat, we sent guests home with a variety of herbs.  The pots were dressed in burlap and tied with purple raffia ribbon.  I created the favor stick using purple striped straws and favor tags.  It was a sweet way to show our appreciation to guests for helping my grandmother celebrate her ninety years.

Although there were a few things I would have done differently, I love how the spring garden paper designs and overall styling of the event turned out.  I definitely learned a lot from hosting this party and I can’t wait to style my next one!

Happy Celebrating,

Natalie