Our 30th Birthday Celebration in France

Andrew’s and my birthday are only 19 days apart, and we both turned 30 this September! We had always said it would be a dream to have friends to my mother’s home in France, Le Mas des Poiriers, to celebrate, but with EU travel restrictions over the past year or so, we are afraid it would not be possible.

When travel opened for vaccinated American travelers in June, we were once again hopeful to host our friends in Provence by September! And despite a bit of uncertainty during the planning process, we were delighted that things came together.

While there were so many friends we wished could have been there, we ended up with a group of about twenty – friends of ours from childhood, college, and our early married years in San Francisco and New York. We planned an adventure-packed few days showing everyone around our favorite parts of Provence (I will put together another blog post with more about the itinerary as it would make a good little guide to the best spots!) and had a blast catching up with friends we don’t get to see often enough.

We left Peter home with my parents so we could have a little bit of “adult time,” and although Kit was too little to leave behind, with the help of some babysitters we managed to feel like we had a “week off” from the kids to unwind and enjoy the company of our friends in our favorite place!

On the second night of the trip, my birthday, September 21st, we had the loveliest dinner party in the garden. Oliver Fly, a talented film photographer, happened to be in Provence (he is based in Paris) and was able to come over and capture the evening! I am so glad that worked out – his photos are always magical and I will cherish these for years to come.

With the help of my friends, we set a beautiful tablescape in the garden using my mother’s antique china, a tablecloth from Parterre, place cards from Clementina’s Sketchbook, and Anduze vases for the floral arrangements (we sell them in our Provence Poiriers shop!) I put my own floral arranging skills to the test, once again with the help of my talented sister and friends.

Chef Peter served us a beautiful dinner, and it was an unforgettable evening — the most wonderful way to ring in my 30s that I could imagine! I am so thankful to all my friends who flew all the way to France to make it so special. It’s a memory I will hold onto forever!

The beautiful cake was by Made in Cake.

4 Responses

  1. It looks so beautiful ! By chance would you be able to provide the name brand of chairs that were used at your table setting. Thank you

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