A 50th Surprise

This past February, my dad turned 50. His work is always busy during the Winter months here in Alberta (so, like 10 months of the year) and he couldn't take any time off work for a party, so I planned it for the May long weekend. Many things didn't go as planned, including the shelter, some decorations, and some missing guests, but it all worked out in the end.

I feel that hosting and planning a "surprise" 50th party for my dad was a really good way to show him how much I appreciate everything he's done for me and helk, it's his 50th, it's basically asking for a giant party! It was supposed to be full surprise, where I'd even contact his employer and book his time off, except a few things went wary and the secret was out. It still worked out for the best, and my dad didn't know any details, but he had to book his own time off work ;)

My Grandma and I took a couple hours to prepare a '50' photo collage, the cupcake toppers, and a guest book of sorts. His party was a BBQ theme, as he does love his BBQ and it was supposed to be bright and sunny out. The weather had another idea, and decided to rain for the entire weekend...except for the hours of the party! The rain held off, but it was still cold and gloomy. The tarps didn't work out (one flat out broke and came crashing down an hour before people were supposed to show up!) so we rush cleaned out the garage and shoved everything in there. It has a little oven in there, so thankfully it kept the place pretty warm. 

I got a cake made for the occasion, too. It turned out so wonderful and was really good! Nothing but people complimenting how great it looked and how awesome it tasted. Of the 50+ people who said they were coming, 26 in total were there to celebrate! It was really great to finally meet family members that I've never met (or was too little to remember meeting). (Can you see my vibrant red hair? Love it!)

The help I received from everyone was beyond awesome and we really have an awesome family. My grandma let us use their acreage, everyone pitched in and brought some chips, salad, or dessert. My dad was so, so happy with it, and that's what really mattered! My younger sister drove all the way from BC for our dad's party, and my dad was so happy! We took advantage and got our first photo of the 3 of us in forever.

Everything was pretty budget friendly. The dollar store was my best friend for the decorations and it was all handmade. The cake and the poster were the only exceptions, as I went through Cake Affair for it (and will again!) and the Etsy shop, TalkInChalk.

Have you ever planned a 'surprise' party?

xo. Nicole