It was quite a spectacular 4th of July weekend in Chicago this year. At least half of Chicago dedicated themselves to the ambitious task of setting off fireworks from dusk til dawn for a few days running… and my brother Derek turned 25.
To celebrate, we threw a summer garden party slash birthday bash in my sister’s private, wooded, fairy garden-esque backyard in Old Irving Park, where we drank honeydew margaritas and Arnold Palmers, dined al fresco on a generous potluck picnic and hung out in the pool.
Since my brother joined the scene in the mid 90s, his birthday and 4th of July have always been intertwined for our family, all the festivities rolled into a single day. When my younger siblings were growing up in a small suburban neighborhood in Charlotte NC, the main event was the neighborhood parade hosted by the local fire station. The parade consisted mainly of floats sponsored by nearby businesses and backyard mechanics revving their engines, but the firefighters also threw a lot of candy from the firetrucks.
All that to say, my brother grew up with an annual birthday tradition of a parade, fireworks, firetrucks and a torrential rainfall of candy, so we had big shoes to fill with this quarter-of-a-century party during national birthday do-over month.
In past years we’ve embraced the red, white and blue color scheme but this year we decided to go with a palette that was less 4th-of-July-forward (so to speak). With some shopping and Pinterest inspo from Derek’s girlfriend Parker, we adopted a coral + blue palette that I think fit in with the general ambiance of the day very nicely.
For the tablescape, since the party was at my sister Dea’s house, I wanted dishes + flatware that were lightweight and easily transported, but still classier and prettier than your typical backyard potluck paper plate and plastic fork situation. I found these pretty plastic teal plates on Amazon for a steal (about $2 per place setting for dishes + flatware) along with some gold-rimmed plastic party cups.
To make the plastic flatware a little fancier, I bought a spool of sheer peach-colored ribbon to tie around each setting. Our other sister Bree helped with set up on the day of the party and interpreted the vision beautifully. The cute cocktail napkins were a key aesthetic inspo. Parker found these at perennial fave, Target, from the Opalhouse collection (and they were just $3 a package!).
For the flowers, I hit up my local Jewel-Osco. Their “3 for $12” special on bunches of flowers is awesome for putting together unique bouquets that match the desired color palette. I chose peach and coral carnations and mini carnations, white chrysanthemums and baby’s breath, and some big, showy periwinkle hydrangea blooms.
I arranged the flowers in three sea foam green glass vases that I found on Amazon plus two white-speckled tangerine-colored jars that I dug out of the bargain bin at Target. The tangerine glass is actually a lantern for a tea light candle, but it also made a great vase. I adore all these vessels and can’t wait to figure out new ways to use them at future events. Soon, I’ll share some behind-the-scenes video of the flower arrangement process.
For the food, we went potluck style, and ended up with a table heaped with delicious summer favorites. Derek made his legendary fried chicken (seriously, it’s amazing). Love the foodie dedication of spending 3 hours on your own birthday frying 30 chicken legs in a cast iron pan! Parker put together the gorgeous fruit platter and made an unforgettable chocolate chip cookie cake. Other guests brought deviled eggs (everyone loves a deviled egg!), chickpea salad, chips (lots of chips!), etc.
For my contribution to the menu, I decided to go equal parts nostalgia and now, with a summery vibe. That meant pulled pork sliders with vinegary pulled pork and creamy coleslaw, Carolina style (a throwback to those childhood summers in Charlotte); the best ever mac and cheese with carmelized onions and blue cheese; and an intensely flavorful grilled corn and bean salad of my own invention topped with lots of fresh cilantro, fresh squeezed lime and grated cotija cheese. I’ll share more details on the food soon.
Finally…. For the drinks… My sister Dea mixed up a pitcher of Arnold Palmers, Parker brought a batch of deliciously refreshing honeydew margaritas that tasted even better topped with zesty tajin, a must-have here in Irving Park. We rounded out the drink offerings with some Lagunitas beers and a couple bottles of rose to sip by the pool!
