Blankets

We have no idea what the weather will be like in mid-August. Statistics tells us that it should be sunny and warm, but we could have rather bland weather too. The risk of rain is always present but August is usually the best time of the year for planning an outdoor event in southern Scandinavia.

I'm planning for chill at night anyway. Even if it's a warm and pleasant evening and night it's rarely as warm as in July when we can have tropical nights. Inside the barn there will be no need to for something to keep warm, but I'm planning for a lounge area just outside of the barn and some blankets might just be a good idea. These blankets can also be used for the ceremony to sit on.

I'm going to buy cheap fleece blankets from IKEA, and some quilt cover sets, cut the quilt covers so I get two sheets of fabric, sew one fleece blanket together with one sheet and give it a final edge finish with zigzag shears. Quite simple and perfectly in-theme. That's always something to look in to, quilt covers (or sheets). Really cheap ones are often cheaper than buying the same amount of the same kind of fabric per yard, and if you just need fabrics for simple things such as this, it's a good idea to check quilt covers first before looking at other fabrics.

Ceremony

We're having a secular ceremony. The formality takes but 20 seconds but it can of course be extended with elements we choose. We've not come that far yet though.

It'll be held in a nearby field. The surroundings aren't that fancy; a field, a wall of spruce trees behind a low dry stone wall. Had my parents not cut down the huge beech tree in the garden that would have been the obvious place to hold the ceremony, but it's gone, and the views over the road isn't that exiting. I prefer spruce trees.

Again it's simple, birch brushwood will provide the frame on which I'll hang frames in various sizes. Such can be found in the local thrift shop for a modest price. Some jars and some cans with wild flowers and long strips of fabric as some sort of very simple bunting will accompany the frames. As the focal point a small worn table will be perfect. I'll think of some simple decoration around that table eventually.

As seating we'll use some of the plank benches from the barn and some blankets and cushions. Hopefully we'll have family members playing some music.


That's it. And I have decided that we'll have sunshine. Period.

I see the light

Light is a lot more complicated than one might think. I like the idea of simple multicoloured party lights, but there are of course options. You can create pretty DIY lights from mason jars and a piece of plank. It's a good solution if you're at place where it's difficult to have electric lightning.

For simple party mood light you can always use cans. Fill them with water, put them in the freezer and use a nail and hammer to create patterns. Add on some thin metal wire loop that will make it possible to hang them. The really simple thing is to hang mason jars in wire.

In our case electricity is no problem so we could go for the classic multicoloured party lights. Or we could get 12 IKEA lamps and make a large one. That will certainly give light enough, maybe too much I'm afraid.


But then again, maybe not. It's a huge space under the ceiling in this barn. It's a fun idea anyway. If you're interested you can find the PDF-file and instructions here. Check out the Flickr photostream too.

Theme

I strongly advice anyone doing a party of any kind to have a theme. Nothing super elaborate but to the point. It's a great help when deciding on food, colours, décor and anything else party related you can think of. It's not meant to be like a theatre or a masquerade and you can make it very subtle. Having a Star Wars theme don't have to mean you've got storm troopers and Darth Vader invited, but you can choose subtle details. The nerds will know and the rest will just have a great time.

Of course we have a theme. This party will be in the Swedish equivalent to the hilly American south and because I'm the DIY queen who is keeping a lock on the wallet, the obvious choice was to steal ideas from the American poor south. The hillbillies. But since it's me I won't be able to not style things (once a designer - always a designer), so it will, whether I like it or not, lean heavily towards vintage. Those two are actually closer than people think. Vintage is the romantic notion of life on the countryside, so it's just a bit more arranged than real life. And the car wrecks are stowed away.