On Saturday, we gathered as many friends and family as we possibly could and threw a party, in celebration of 10 years of wedded bliss between Bennett and myself.  It seriously was the best day ever.  EVER.  The weather was beyond perfect, and the mood was just so fun and happy.  I couldn’t have asked for a better way to ring in this milestone.

I firmly believe that an invitation helps set the scene for whatever party you’re trying to throw.  I had these fun ideas for the outfits I wanted to sew for all three of us, so I asked my brilliant artist friend if she would be interested in illustrating us, so we could use that image for multiple things surrounding the party.  It also helped in the long run with the “what do I wear” and “what exactly is semi-formal attire” questions.  I just kept referring them to our image.

Also.  Please go check out Rachel Goodman Art.  So she can create beautiful art for you as well!

In true Bennett and Katy fashion, we DIY-ed our way through this event.  So we didn’t have photographers or caterers…but we did have a ton of family helping us throw it all together on the two days leading up to it.  It meant that maybe we didn’t get as many pictures of the party scene as we could have, but I’m in love with what we were able to capture.  Here are some shots our cousin grabbed of us before people started arriving.

In terms of catering, we decided to offer a guests a taco bar.  Best idea ever!  It was so much easier than our original plan of different finger foods, and covered a huge array of food needs: gluten free, veggie, vegan, picky children, meat lovers, etc.  Besides over estimating on how much cheese and tortilla chips and shells we needed, we did a pretty darn good job guessing on how to feed around 100 people.  There wasn’t much fussing to do over it once it all started either, so it made for one of my favorite versions of crowd feeding.

Just like the first time around, my Momma made us some sweet cupcakes and a cake topper.  And the world got to experience her buttercream frosting recipe again.  (I’m still convinced some of my friends in middle and high school only liked me because of my mom’s baking…frosting recipe included in that theory as well!)

We kept our decorations and favors pretty low key.  There were a few 4×6 frames with photos from our wedding on the tables as centerpieces.  We had a mixture of paper flowers and silk flowers left over from my dress that we scattered in various places.  And we livened things up with some fun heart sunglasses for our guests to wear for selfies, as well as buttons we made with our illustration on them, glow stick bracelets for the kiddos, and selfie sticks for easier selfie taking.

Beyond that, we just loaded up a fully stocked bar with liquor, wine, and a 1/2 keg of a local session IPA….and then partied the night away.  It was so much fun.  I never stopped smiling, laughing, telling stories, or hugging people all night.  It was the perfect way to celebrate a decade of being married to this human.

I’ll spare you the sweaty, blurry dancing photos that we were able to capture on Saturday, but I’ll leave you with these instead.  We created a photobooth for our guests to use (which I plan on explaining how I DIYed that in the coming week on here).  And while it created photo strips of everyone’s moment behind the lens, it also saved the photos individually for me.  Here are some of my favorites.

Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in our lives over the last ten years.  Every single person we’ve encountered has shaped who we are, and we are thankful for you.

It’s now two days after the party and my feet still hurt, and I’m still exhausted.  So thank you a little extra to everyone who made it to our house on Saturday.  It was seriously a blast.  And it meant so much to us that you were willing to be there to celebrate right along with us.  We love you all!

Here are a couple more links, sharing things from our super fun 10 Year Anniversary Party!

10 Year Anniversary Party Recap | My Happy Floral Dress | Pintucks + Suspenders
Outfits for Attendees | DIY Party Photobooth