A Parisian Sweet 16!

A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of being invited to my friend Alyssa's sweet 16 party. It was so lovely! When she told me ahead of time that she was planning a Parisian theme, I knew it wouldn't be your run of the mill, black and pink, fleur-de-lis and Eiffel Tower decor. Instead, it felt like we were in an elegant Paris flat, snacking on fresh baguettes and cheeses that I can't pronounce. Alyssa and her family just exude elegance, and it is so peaceful in their home, I absolutely love being there. The party was inspired by the Parisian themed party in Jennifer  Shea's book: "Trophy Cupcakes and Parties" Which, btw, is an awesome book. Here's a shot of the inspiration:
Isn't that just gorgeous? Ugh. I wish I could just plan parties all day every day.
Alyssa and her mother outdid themselves with delicious foods, we enjoyed French music in the background, and since all of the guests were older than Alyssa, we went around the table and shared advice that we would give our 16 year old selves. Some funny advice, some serious advice, lots of motherly warnings to stay away from boys for a while, haha. I think I rambled about trying to keep her sweet, positive spirit no matter what life throws her way. Because sometimes life tries its hardest to take that from you. Oh dear. Hopefully I didn't sound that depressing when I said it! As a gift, we all pitched in and bought her a beautiful blue KitchenAide mixer. It hadn't arrived yet, but we showed her a photo on the iPad and she was so excited! She is a wonderful baker, so of course the gift came with the stipulation that she would have to make us all brownies when she received it. Only fair.

My goodness. Alyssa was just 11 years old when we moved here. (And about 11 inches shorter, I think!) She has grown up in a blink of an eye to be one of the loveliest young women I've ever met. Makes me wish I had a teenage son...oh wait, no boys for a while, that's right! ;o) I look forward to seeing where she takes her life and in which ways she'll show God's love to the world.

Happy (late) birthday, sweet Alyssa!

And happy regular day to you! Love you. :o)
-Disney

Comments

  1. This is lovely! so cute and I love reading the post. Happy birthday to her :)

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  2. What a lucky girl! Beautiful party, I would have loved that as a teenager! I would love it now :)

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  3. Makes me feel old! I had Alyssa as a toddler in MOPS!

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  4. What a lovely party and a lovely girl by the sounds of it, Disney. Happy Birthday to Alyssa from way over here in Australia.

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  5. That is a lovely party! I love that it isn't your typical hot-pink and black Eiffel-tower decorated party. And I just had to say... my husband has a lovely, wonderful cousin who looks JUST LIKE the lady whose shoulder Alyssa is peeking over. =)

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  6. What a lovely young lady. We don't really do sweet 16 in Australia but if we did, I hope we would celebrate it by sharing with people we love in such a sophisticated way.

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  7. I don't have a friend or sibling at 16 year old, So nice to see a young lady's birthday party here! My 6 year old daughter wants anything pink and princess.

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  8. Beautiful! Such a great party theme and very mature for a 16 year old! Looks like she has a wonderful support system, she'll grow up into a wonderful woman.

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  9. Lovely! I still can't believe she's 16!! I remember being her cradle roll teacher in Church and toddler teacher in MOPS!

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