The Theme
It's crazy how much life has changed in two years. In October of 2016, Dallas and I welcomed a beautiful baby boy into our lives. Our new bundle of joy was 8lbs 3oz and had a full head of black hair! We named this handsome little fella Cashton Duke Strager. When Cash was born, Dallas and I had no idea what parenthood had in store for us. We have laughed and cried and fought and doted over this little man.
Cash has given us a lot to celebrate in life and if you know me I love a good party! For Cashton's first birthday we threw a huge party with a fishing theme, coining the phrase "Cashton Is Reeling In The Big ONE". We hosted 50 plus people with a sushi & candy bar as well as a petting zoo for the kids.
This year, however, we decided to invite family and close friends for Cashton's 2nd Down Birthday! Since Cash's birthday fell on a Friday, we celebrated his birthday Saturday with a college football watch party for all ages.
Football runs in our family so this theme was an easy decision for us. Dallas's father (Duke, who Cash is named after) was a coach at Virginia Tech University with legendary Coach Frank Beamer, Dallas played semi-pro football for the Virginia Rush and I cheered professionally in the NFL. Football = Life for us!
For this shindig, I sent out "ticket" invitations to our "home field". I also asked our guest to participate in showing their team spirit, asking them to rock their favorite team colors or jersey.
The Decor
I searched high and low for the perfect decor for this party, finding most of my items at Oriental Trading Company, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Party City and Amazon. I did have to get a little creative and make a Lombardi trophy as well as a couple signs but it was easy enough.
For the Lombardi trophy, I bought a tall candlestick at Hobby Lobby and a football from Walmart. I spray painted them silver and attached them using a hot glue gun. The signs were just as simple. I bought black canvases and a chalk pen then traced computer-generated phrases with a pencil. Then I went over them with the white chalk pen and voila! Custom signs!
The Entertainment
In addition to our decor, I wanted to make sure our guest had a good time. I sought out, Backyard Bouncing, a company that provides tailgate games and concession items. I rented a popcorn machine and we decided on an inflatable football toss to entertain all in the backyard.
We also had cornhole for the kids and adults to indulge in.
The Details
When it came to the details for this party, I had so much fun planning! I ordered under eye black stickers from Amazon, football field table runners from Oriental Trading and painted mason jars from Etsy.
I ordered our custom jersey and football-themed cookies locally from The Little Baker Company in Cornelius. She does INCREDIBLE work and can design pretty much whatever you ask! She also has an online Etsy shop and ships if you can not do local pick up!
The Cake
My next hurdle was finding someone to bake the beautiful cake I had found on Pinterest! The woman who we had worked with last year decided to retire a few months ago. Thus, I put out the APB (All Points Bulletin) on my Instagram and I got hundreds of responses.
After sifting through a ton of options and receiving quotes, I decided to go with a woman named Angel, and she was just that! Angel has a full-time job but bakes on the side and she is AMAZING!
Not only was she able to create the cake in my head at a very affordable price but she also delivered! The cake was even more spectacular than what I expected and it was delicious! Please email me if you would like her information!
The Food
Personally, when it comes to hosting a party of this caliber, I HATE to cook! It monopolizes all of my prep time and takes me away from my guest during the party because I am constantly refilling platters.
This year I explored some different options and one seemed to fit right into my theme! JJ's Red Hots rents out a food cart called "Frank The Tank" and it was PERFECT! JJ's sent the cart and two cooks to help feed our 30 guests.
For our get together, we devoured classic, specialty and build your own hotdogs, in addition to brats, chicken tenders, and chicken sandwiches.
They have different options that will fit any party and the setup and break down was seamless! Such a better alternative than running yourself ragged during your celebration.
The Bar
What tailgate is complete without a bloody mary bar? Working off my football theme, I deligated bar duties to my mother. She has a bartending background and she was able to create a bloody mary bar fit for a king.
Goose, Tito's, ZinZang, bacon, shrimp, olives, okra, and celery rounded out our set up and it was a huge hit among the adults!
All in all this party was probably the easiest bash I have ever hosted. I tried to do as much in advance as possible. The night before I steamed my tablecloths, picked up cookies, arranged the cake delivery and laid out all my platters, silverware and decorations. That way the day of the event all I had to do was blow up balloons, fill coolers and get myself ready.
Lifehack ... If you want a stress free event, do as much as you can in the days leading up to your function. Then kick back and enjoy your party with all of your guests.
Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Boy!
