This past July I celebrated my fiftieth birthday AND twentieth wedding anniversary. My father threw me a wonderful party, which gave me the opportunity to celebrate these important milestones with my friends and family. So after much ado, I finally have all the pictures up and I am so excited to share them with all my readers. Also, I have had a lot of people ask me how we made the party eco-friendly, so here are some of the ways we reduced waste and implemented green solutions.
First of all I have to give a big thank you to Barbara Roos, my party planner and dear friend!
Barbara created a beautiful atmosphere with the garden theme of the party, while also making sure her choices were as green and conscientious as possible. All the centerpieces were made from fruits and vegetables – these were all reused or replanted after the party. We even gave away every single tomato from the centerpieces to party guests.
All paper and dining products were recycled and/or recyclable. Our invitations were printed on recycled paper, and the plates and napkins were all recyclable.
In addition, we purchased carbon offsets to account for our energy usage. Barbara did a great job of proving that “going green” does not mean sacrificing style or sophistication. She also worked closely with Dennis Dean, who catered the party.
Dennis’ crew set up multiple stations around the venue showcasing many of our Southern favorites as well as cuisines from all over the world. The food was delicious! Many of the ingredients were sourced from local farms and purveyors.
All of the leftover food was donated to homeless shelters, and any other leftovers or waste was composted by Dennis Dean catering.
It was really a large priority for me that nothing would be wasted from the party. The results were amazing – Barbara and Dennis did such an amazing job! There were, of course, so many people who assisted in helping me make sure this celebration was fun and eco-friendly – thank you so much to everyone who helped!
I was so moved by all my friends and family that came to give their well wishes to Rutherford and I. My entire family attended on both the Turner and Seydel sides!
Three generations of Turners were present, as well as 4 generations of Seydels.
My siblings and I hope our children will remain as close and unified in their lives as we have.
Look at these beautiful, well-behaved future stewards of the environment!
But then grandpa enters the picture …
Seriously, though, in celebrating our anniversary, Rutherford and I could not say enough how proud we are and how grateful we are for our children. Of course, no celebration would be complete without speeches!
I became a little teary- eyed when my father gave his speech …
and laughed when my eldest brother, Teddy, gave his!
When people ask me what I love most about my husband, without a doubt, I always say I love his sense of humor and his ability to make everyone laugh.
Needless to say, he was pretty excited about the idea of a microphone and a captive audience of our closest friends and family!
He had everyone laughing…
But eventually, I realized it was going to be up to me to retrieve the microphone.
But he did lead our family and friends in singing me Happy Birthday!
It was wonderful.
We ate, we shared, we laughed and then we danced!
Chuck Leavell – former keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, our friend, and Eco-Hero performed with his band.
As if all of that was not enough, I was surrounded by those I love, those I admire and those that support me.
I cannot wait to to see what the future holds, and with all the support I have received, I feel as if the sky is my only limit.
