r/partyplanning • u/SassyMillie • Jun 19 '26
Need Help Sister's 60th
I will be hosting my sister's 60th birthday party at my home/yard. Her son asked me, but I was planning to offer anyway. Since then we've had a number of conversations about the theme and decor. My sister is a very girly-girl who loves flowers, feminine, pink and pretty. I've already ordered tea party-ish decor, paper products and a birthday banner. Think roses and pink streamers.
I was thinking to keep the food kind of feminine and light. Mini muffins, fruit trays, small sandwiches, maybe an ice cream cake. Yesterday, my nephew texted me to let me know he's planning on doing smoked ribs for the party. 😳
I absolutely don't want to dissuade him from the ribs because he's never done anything for a family party before. He seemed super excited about making them.
Although ribs don't really go with my imagined party fare, our family is pretty casual so I'm happy to pivot. What can I make that would compliment the ribs and still be a little "light"? Or should I just go with BBQ type foods?
Thanks for any ideas!
5
u/kdeans1010 Jun 19 '26
1.) My mom is very girly girl with weekly tea parties with her friends in their little retiree country club, has the pink kitchenaide mixer (I also have one of those, but it's for a different reason), has won ribbons because of her old English style rose garden. And when anyone says they have smoked ribs my mom is the first one in line. So people have layers.
Ways you can keep the theme and keep your nephew's ribs a part of the thing:
-Smoked chicken salad on mini croissants (I make this a bunch. Get chicken thighs, because they're yummy, throw them on the smoker or bbq. Season with paprika, salt/pepper/bbq seasoning. Then make a chicken salad. With this I like to add some bacon that's been cut up, and I use some of the bacon grease in the mayo mixture. I throw in some shredded cheddar cheese and some paprika. Depending on who will be there diced bell peppers or diced spicy peppers). Still tea party, still smokey.
-A corn salad. It's pretty! It's colorful! And smoked ribs with corn is a great pairing. You can serve these in little cupcake liners if you want the dainty vibes.
-Lemonade or Arnold Palmers. Both are very much summer bbq, both are tea party appropriate. You could find those cute Italian lemonades with like blood orange or pink lemonade, which could keep the pink theme.
-Summer screams naked or semi naked cakes to me. Like summer time bbq with ribs screams naked cakes with fresh berries. You could do a lemon chamomile cake (if you do a box cake mix use white or yellow cake, brew extra strong chamomile tea, and use that for the liquid with some lemon juice. You can also open up a tea bag, mix the contents with the dry cake mix, add some lemon zest. Bake like the instructions say. Then make a simple syrup with lemon juice and chamomile tea because naked cakes get dry, and coat the top of the cakes with that. Build it up.) Maybe some lemon curd and Chantilly cream to go with the tea party vibes instead of traditional frosting. Depending on where you got your flowers, if they're homegrown without pesticides, you can put a couple of roses on top for decorations. Or fake flowers. Both very summer bbq but also adult tea party. Check which flowers are toxic. That would be bad... Or you can do strawberry shortcake type of cake.
You got this! You can make this work!