Luau Party

Hey party people!
A few weeks ago, my in-laws came in from Las Vegas to surprise my husband for his birthday. We had such a great time with them! While they were in town, I thought it’d be fun to throw a little party in celebration of the day of my husband’s birth. It’d also be a great opportunity for them to meet some of Mike’s friends. Let me say that I may have to fly my mother-in-law out here for future parties. She (and Joe, her husband) were incredible! It wouldn’t have been possible without them.
If you want to throw your own Luau Party…here are some ideas and inspiration…

LUAU PARTY TIP: Use coconuts as vases. Drill a hole in the top end, drain the juice, and fill with tropical blooms.

Honestly, I had a whole party last summer planned around flamingos but it didn’t end up happening…so I was just itching to take out these little suckers. They added a cute little touch. Our mail lady even left us a sweet note saying she liked our flamingo by the mailbox.

The other decorations I had outside were these party balls, strung along white lights. If you’d like to make some yourself, find the easy video tutorial here.

Of course, what is a luau party without a tiki hut?! See how I created my own DIY Tiki Hut here.

To create the Luau party table, I used a lot of what I already had. I found that fabric awhile back and decided to use it as my tablecloth. The centerpiece is just a glass vase with sand. I added my parasol from my sister’s wedding (that I’ve used for this picnic as well) and one of the flamingos.

I also thought this was the perfect place to stick the menu sign. Everything else was pretty evident, but I wanted guests to know what the main items were. Joe, my MIL’s husband, was a lifesaver! He manned the grill and did a fabulous job! The kabobs were delicious and I don’t know what we would’ve done without him.

Our entire menu included – chicken kabobs, veggie kabobs, shrimp tacos, chips and salsa, veggies and dip, and a fruit tray.

The plates came from Party Pail, as well as the flamingo stirrers and sticks (on the tiki hut). They have so many options to choose from. I actually got several because I couldn’t decide. GREAT online resource for party supplies. Check out Party Pail here.

No matter what type of party, I love to have a veggie tray. It caters to just about every food sensitivity and offers a healthy side.

LUAU PARTY TIP: Don’t have beautiful tiered serving dishes? Don’t worry. For my veggie display, I used a square vase, a clear tray, and the glass food dishes (for the dip). Think about dishes you already have that could create pretty levels.

The shrimp tacos were a recipe from Heather Christo and they turned out delicious. My only regret…my little set-up didn’t allow for a lot to be served at once.

Underneath those tacos is just a bamboo pizza server covered with a faux leaf.

A fruit tray is something I typically serve at my parties. It’s healthy, beautiful, and easy. And who can’t resist a juicy watermelon?

These delicacies are something called Famous Amos chocolate chips. We had a few boxes left from my cousin’s wedding, so they made a perfect “kid’s dessert” for the party.

For the adult dessert,  I made these mini treats. These are key lime pie and chocolate chip cookie dough mousse cups. They were easy to make, budget-friendly, and a crowd pleaser. For the recipe and instructions, click here.

I love party favors. They don’t have to be elaborate or expensive…just something that says, “Thanks for taking the time to come.”

For this luau party, I made lime salt for all the guests. I wanted to give them a way to use it, so I found this Gourmet Popcorn recipe using lime salt to include. I can report to you that two guests have said they used it already and it was incredible.

Serve your salt in cute little glass containers or as I did with a recipe attached. It makes a great party favor or gift…and literally costs pennies to make.

PRINT HERE

I will confess to you a #partyfail that happened. I always tell people never try to make more than three food recipes for a party. If you’re in charge of decorating, cooking, and hosting…more than three recipes will be too much. One of those recipes needs to be one you can make in advance too. I did the kabobs, the shrimp tacos, key lime pie mousse, and the chocolate chip cookie dough mousse. I know on paper it doesn’t sound like much, but prep for the non-recipe items really add up.

Overall, the party was a success, thanks to my reinforcements (it takes a village ;p).

Now, I’ve got to get ready for a 6 year old’s Magic Treehouse Birthday party I’m doing this weekend. Can’t wait to show it to you!

Until then, Aloha and Party On!

Disclosure: Party Pail did send me complimentary products for this party, but all opinions are mine.