The Decorations

After Wille graduated on Wednesday and after his tour of the town at the back of the truck I had invited Martin and my ex-in laws for dinner at our house. It was fun decorating the patio for the occasion. My theme was white.

 

 

I know, so predictable but I really didn’t feel like going down the even more predictable graduation yellow and blue flag theme route so instead I took the my theme from the black and white photo of the sign I had made. When Martin arrived with the sign he stuck it into the flower bed at the front of the house along with the helium filled balloons.

 

I made simple bunting saying WILLE 2013 over the table by printing a letter each in dark grey on regular printer paper, punching holes at the corners after cutting the shapes out and stringing them with gift ribbon.

 

The black-and-white-Wille-as-a-toddler-photo-theme continued (inspired by this from you know who) on the champagne glasses (which I borrowed at work so I could avoid buying something I use so rarely AND avoid disposable). I bought the envelope seals from here and simply stuck them to the glasses. (Afterwards I just placed the glasses in the dish washer and the seals came off without leaving any residue.)

 

I’ve been holding on to these paper wheels for ages not knowing what to do with them but now they came in handy at the head of the table where Wille was to be sitting.

 

The little stickers also came in handy when I wrapped one of my gift to Wille (engraved silver cuff links).

 

I also used them on the paper napkins, the place cards and the cake (two back to back to back on tooth picks).

 

Even the soap in the guest WC got one. Oh, and the thank you notes Wille sent out after were embellished with the seals too.

 

We were super lucky with the weather on the day which was a total bonus considering that the day before was very cold. Great day all in all and I really enjoyed how (simply) the decorations came together.

Comments

[jend'isère]

Your décorations were simple sophistication in a practical way. So in character with your style!

[blackforestgirl]

Beautiful...and Wille have so much luck with his mother!
...and the mother with Wille..:)
I am also a single parent and somehow you are a role model for me .... love benita and anyway by decoration and organization.

Ela from Blackforest

[cath w]

Wonderful! You must be very proud of him :-)

[Amycapdet/May]

Amazingly beautiful and original!

[Maja]

Beautiful! Wille has a cool mum! :)

[Zosia]

Great ideas.

[etta]

Classic and beautiful!

[Libris]

Looks great! Congratulations to Wille!

[Judith]

So, so nice! Congrats once again to Wille. If you ever want to go wild and switch careers you can be a party organizer. I'd be a very willing customer!

[Sandy (USA)]

So simple and pretty! I seriously LOVE all your pictures. Your photography skills are crazy fantastic! BTW, I noticed you reorganized the right side of your blog to make finding things easier ... LOVE IT! I've been hanging out here everyday for a little while catching up to posts from when you first started. You have come a long way lady! Love your blog! :-)

[jja]

Awwww! Wille is such a lucky boy having so amazing mom (and the rest of the familiy too). Everything was so nice!

[Carlos]

Thank you all!

Sandy - I'm glad you like the change!

[~Michelle]

Wille's graduation AND... a Swedish Royal Wedding! It's a festive week in the cold north!!!

[sunny]

beautiful decor and photos (as usual!!)

I smiled when I saw your theme was "white"... very you!

I love, love, love (and will use the idea) your use of photo labels to create continuity among decor items and thank you notes, guest bathroom soap, etc.

[Gül]

So happy for you all! I most liked the way you arranged the flowers, so simple yet beautiful.

[gillian]

You must be a very proud mum. I remember when my daughter graduated from University last year, my jaw ached because I was so proud and had a permanent smile on my face!

Also, Willi must be so proud of his mum for putting on such an amazing celebration meal for him complete with your amazing simple white & black decorations.

Well Done Benita

xxx

[Jennica]

Så fantastiskt fint du har gjort det för Wille! Vilken härlig dag ni fick! Underbara dekorationer - enkelt och fint, som alltid bäst!
Kram!

[Tony N.]

What a gorgeous graduation party. So elegant and clean. Congrats to you both!

[RC in NY]

Just want to echo the other commenters saying how interesting it has been to read about Swedish graduation traditions - I only know about US and UK proceedings and I thoroughly enjoyed each post. Love the caps - so much nicer than mortarboards. Congrats to Wille. :)

P.S. Also the reorganized sidebar is really nicely done.

[Loretta]

Very, very lovely. Thank you for sharing this fun and exciting day.

[~Michelle]

I was just wondering -- did you eat outside? Bc your indoor table only seats 4...? Or was there some creative way to compensate for that?

[Carlos]

Michelle - We did sit outside. I had borrowed a table very similar to our patio table from a neighbor and made a long table where we could all sit comfortably. We have six patio chairs (four on the patio and two on the balcony normally) + the four dining chairs. It worked really well!

[Claudia Martins]

Congratulations to Wille and his mama! Very well done, it seems you had great fun doing the decoration.

[Michelle]

Love your styling for this celebration - great job! Lots of ideas here to inspire me. Congratulations to Wille too.

[nalani]

Congratulations to Wille and to you and family! The theme was perfect for the auspicious occasion.

[Malin]

Vilka roliga dekorationer med de små klistermärkena. Finurligt, snyggt och bra!