Dawsonville Anniversary Party by Kelly Lane Photography
Get your tissues out people, this is one for the books! When Greg & Debbie’s 40th anniversary came around, their family knew that they wanted to do some extra special for them. What ensued has got to be the most heart felt party I have seen in some. time. I don’t want to spoil all of the completely adorable and sentimental details (like setting up an outdoor movie screen to play The Parent Trap…as watched on their first date. (sniffle)), so get to reading! Thank goodness Kelly from Kelly Lane Photography captured every last bit of the fabulous night.
Can you give us an overview of the event? This was a 40th Wedding Anniversary dinner party for my parents, Gregg and Debbie Mervich. We wanted to do something special for them to celebrate 40 wonderful years. We took family photos, had a delicious 5 course meal catered by Amy Churchill of A La Chef, and set up an outdoor movie! We chose to do an outdoor movie because my parents’ first date was to a drive-in movie theater to see The Parent Trap…and that’s exactly what we watched!
Was there a specific theme or style? What inspired it? We wanted an intimate, chic, outdoor dinner party inspired by candles and mason jars!
What were the special twists that made your event unique? Our outdoor movie featuring the original Parent Trap in honor of my parents’ first date, was special. I also put together a scrapbook for my parents called “40 Years of Memories”. In it, there were 40 memories and recent pictures gathered from friends and former students of my parents. They loved it! A glass canister on the dinner table held conversation starters. We learned some new and funny things about each other and my parents.
Tell us how your parents met! They actually first met in preschool and didn’t know it until they had been married for several years. My grandmother came across a newspaper article with a picture of my mom’s preschool graduation (that was the “excitement” going on in town in those days). Low and behold, there was my dad also in the picture! They both had attended Mickey Mouse Preschool in Arcata, California. The funniest part is that it looks like my dad is gazing over at my mother and shielding his eyes from her beauty! They actually began dating in high school.
Tell us about the food and desserts: The food was SO good!! The menu was created with my parents’ favorite foods in mind. It was catered by personal chef, Amy Churchill of A La Chef. My family loves bread so the meal started with an assortment of breads. We then had Firecracker Shrimp as an appetizer. The entree was a delicious prime rib with a wine reduction nicknamed “Wine Candy” and a side of asparagus and duo mashed potatoes with mushrooms. It was SO good! For dessert we had dark chocolate creme brulee (chocolate is my mom’s favorite), a macadamia and coconut macaroon that was to die for (my dad’s favorite), and a chocolate covered strawberry. My mouth is watering just thinking about the meal!
What was the most memorable moment? Some of the funny stories my parents told of the beginning of their marriage and how they knew each other was “the one”
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Photography : Kelly Lane Photography | Catering: A la Chef
