Since there was a pirate undertone to the whole day, we thought rum should be included. To start the night, we decided a mojito would make a perfect apéritif, and for a nightcap, chocolate rum cake with skull and crossbones.
Description: An anniversary celebration rooftop dinner party.
People: 8
Rentals: Louis ghost chairs x 8, Wine glasses x 8, Champagne coupe glasses x 8, Salad/side/dinner plates x 8, Rectangle table with linen, Silver candelabras x 2, Chrome guard posts x 6.
Menu: Tuna tar tar, Caesar salad, Lasagna, Chocolate rum cake.
Drinks: Mojito's, Champagne, Red wine.
Playlist: Marvin Gaye, New Order,The Flamingo's, Van Morrison, David Bowie, Blondie, Al Green, Sondre Lerche, The Smiths, The Kinks, Thievery Corporation, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, and many more.
The whole night was to revolve around eating at the dinner table. We needed to make the dinner simple, as we had been on a boat all day and had to run up and down stairs to get to the rooftop. So how do you make a simple dinner last all night? The answer is courses. We had three, plus dessert, which meant each couple was in charge of making a course and serving it. We had so much fun and were so relaxed, that we were dancing between courses.
Let's talk decor. As I was setting up, a man from a building across the way yelled over to me, and told me how beautiful everything was - but what was with the wooden sailboat centre piece? I laughed out loud, because for onlookers that might seem like an odd choice. I told him we were on a sailboat earlier that day. He seemed satisfied with that answer.
Another decor piece that I had to get my hands on, was lace. I was lucky enough to find some vintage lace off Craigslist. It was beautiful. It helped give it a 1800's feel. The only thing missing was Captain Hook. A classy well behaved Captain Hook.
In the last post, I mentioned how we secretly took oyster shells that we shucked from the boat, for a later use. The purpose of doing this was to use two for each place setting, on top of the napkins (pictured below). It gave the day continuity.
Since we were on a rooftop, there was no lighting, which meant it would get pitch black. We needed a good lighting system: Candelabras. They actually give off a lot of light. How beautiful it was to see the wax dripping down the sides. (Some people use fake burning candles. No mess, no fuss, but unfortunately no ambiance. They should be illegal. If you can't have wax candles, figure out a different solution.) Now, because it was going to be dark, we thought it would be smart to set up guard posts so no one would get lost and fall off. So we rented 6 chrome posts, and wove nautical looking rope through it.
The final thing I want to discuss is name cards. This actually deserves a whole blog post on itself. Because the special couple are not just your average Joe's, I wanted to spice it up with name cards. I gave all our friends pirate middle names. My card said "Charysse 'Walk the Plank' Carlson" (pictured below). Some other middle names we had were Treasure Chest, Peg Leg, Cannonballs and Yarrr! Each person also had a different picture - all with the same feel.
All in all, it was the least stressful dinner I have ever put together. Everything was delicious and relaxing. All night, the neighbours were taking pictures of us - and well, we all felt pretty darn special. What a night.
I remember so clearly my girlfriend saying to me how that whole day was so romantic between friends. And she was right. Just call us The Romantics.
Yaarrrr!
Charysse
