First Communion: The After Party
Y’all will get the full 411 on Clare’s big day this week. But first, let’s talk sugar and fajitas, shall we?
If you’ve been reading the blog for any amount of time, you know how much I dig the party. Always have. Just ask my mom.
A few weeks ago, I shared how to plan a feast for a sacramental celebration and today? Today I’m showing you how all that came together at our house. I can assure you of this. It was great fun.
It was all about our First Communicant. Her full name is Clare Rose and that served as the inspiration for the whole day. When guests came in the door, they were greeted by this {yes, those are edible flowers/cookies}.
That vase you spy has a beautiful back story. Many, many years ago when my paternal grandmother married, that was a wedding gift from one of their closest family friends. When I married, my grandmother passed it along to me. While my Granny Mary is no longer with us, a piece of her was present on Clare’s most important day. Now, as a staunch Methodist she probably wasn’t as overjoyed at this Catholic celebration, but her saucy spirit certainly lives on! We had guests sign a mat and with it, we’ll place Clare’s First Communion photo, just as we’ve done with the older three siblings. They hang in our upstairs hallway and I love reading those messages to my kids. We also placed a wooden bowl on that table to hold cards and gifts for sweet Clare.
I’m probably more proud of this than I should be, but holy water. Get it? I know. Catholic nerd. I think this may be the first party, ever, where we didn’t serve Dr Pepper. What have I become, y’all? We did serve raspberry lemonade, sparking water and sweet tea. So I haven’t completely turned in my southern card.
The cake. We should just dedicate an entire blog post to that sweet thang. Thanks for all your Instagram love! Oh my lands. I’m not too ashamed to admit I teared up when I saw it. And, equally lovely were those cupcakes and cookies. My friend Kendra decorated the cookies. When she dropped them off, I was all, “I’ll open them later, I know you need to get going.” Of course, as soon as she left, I popped that box open and started crying. I’ve often said that while I have a creative streak in me, I’m always humbled and amazed at the gifts of other people. Olga and Kendra really did take my ideas and turn them into something far more lovely than I imagined. For me, it made Clare’s day even more special.
That’s not weird to say, right? That sugar made me cry and get all theological? Please say no.
People need to eat more than sugar, so Scott whipped up his famous guacamole (so amazing that we bribed convinced the Dominican Sisters to stop by for a bite) and fajitas. My parents brought the fruit salad and we had a winner. Side note here: Scott and I invited the Sisters over for lunch, knowing that they would probably have a busy Saturday afternoon. But, perhaps it was the call of Scott’s culinary skills and my penchant for pretty party things that encouraged them to join us for laughs, food and lots of hugs. Sr. Maria Fatima and Sr. Maria Guadalupe, you can check a Whitaker party off your “things to do in Texas” list since you’re leaving us in June! We loved having you two and Sr. Dominica here for the party. And, seeing your sweet faces at Mass just as I stepped up to lector – more beautiful than words can express.
The tables were set with our wedding china because I figure, why not? The best part was Clare’s little love notes to all the guests. She’s our love note writer in the house, so it seemed appropriate. I think it was my favorite thing about those tables.
Then there were the gifts. Heartfelt cards, thoughtfully chosen remembrance pieces and of course, money. Or, as Clare said, “jackpot!” She told us her goal was $200 and when we asked what she wanted to do with all that cash, she replied, “Give it to the poor, of course.” Of course. This is Clare we’re talking about here. I asked her if she’d take me to dinner, but she assured me the poor needed it more. “You can just cook your own, Mom.” Owned.
It was a beautiful day. Even if I didn’t capture every event on film, I’ve got thousands stored in my memory. To everyone who celebrated with us in person, and in spirit, thank you for your prayers.
Furniture (tables/vintage tub/cupcake holder) | Style Co. Events
Cake, cupcakes | Polkadots
Cookies | Sweet Spot Cookie Shoppe
Printables | Me!
Straws, rose accents, vases, ribbon | Michael’s
Cakestand | The TomKat Studio
White frame stands | IKEA
Flowers | HEB (arranged by me!)
love it Kathryn! My baby boy’s !st birthday is Sunday, so I’m in the midst of party planning too! Somehow its hard for me to not put frills on the decor!! I’m so used to planning girly parties!
Blessings, Emily
LOL. I know!!
You have really outdone yourself, Kathryn!
What a beautiful celebration for a beautiful young lady — so special!
God bless Clare!
V
Oh thank you, Verda. We loved every minute!
Wow, beautiful! Everything is lovely, but my favorite is what she decided to do with her money. Getting all teary! You are raising them right.
Clare loves to serve – it’s her sweet melancholic nature. The Holy Spirit gets that credit! Thank you 😉
Everything is just lovely. Congratulations to your sweet Clare.
Everything is beautiful! What a special girl Clare is deciding to donate her money to the poor. Melts my heart.
You are very talented with decorating and details. I am crafty with thread, yarn, and needles of various sizes, but when it comes to decorating my home and family parties I am totally lost.
We all have our gifts. Mine includes eating sugar 😉 But boy am I terrible with yarn. Bet your stuff is beautiful!
So lovely! All of it. I am now really so excited for Lucy’s special day next year. Bookmarking this baby.
Random thoughts:
Great to see Tanja in there!
The prints on the wall in your dining room … they look like a maps? If so, we have the same style, only from Napa/Sonoma Valley, that we picked up while honeymoon there.
She’s the hit at every party, Lisa! And those prints are from our babymoon – 15 years ago! – to Napa and Sonoma. Great minds…
Beautiful! Motivating, inspiring! Can’t wait until my girls celebrate communion so I can steal some of your ideas!
Steal away!
So beautiful!
One of my favorite details has to be the way the cupcakes displayed – so creative! The entire party is just so gorgeous and so full of love, Kathryn. What a sweetheart your Clare is. Thanks for sharing this special celebration with us.
That was a favorite of mine, too. It was a suggestion from a friend!
I loved this! We just had our son’s first communion celebration with my niece and nephew (a couple of weeks after my son’s, so we celebrated the day together). I will tell you that your party takes the cake (literally and figuratively)! I adore that cake! That floral detail is almost too pretty to eat. We went with a stained glass décor on ours to coordinate with both of our churches’ windows.
The thoughtful girl wanting to give money to the poor, the cupcakes, the “holy water” and the special vase and use of the wedding china… All so fabulous! Well done!
I’m confused by the idea of a party without Dr Pepper. I don’t think that counts?
I LOVE those flower cookies! Did guests take one as they came in? Or as they left? Or did the kids eat them later? Who decided the seating arrangement? (These are the things I worry about with parties — will people do things the way I think they will?)
[…] week preceding First Communion was full of activity. Last week, I shared all about the par-tay. Clare was counting down the days (and the Masses) until her big day. And then we looked on the […]
[…] friend. Those frames have become my go-to party item. You might remember seeing them gussied up for First Communion or plain jane at the Relaxing Spa […]
I am in the midst of planning JR’s party now for next week. I am so glad we have a later date so that I can learn from all of you first! I love the photos and the cookies. It is so sweet that your daughter stayed in her dress too. My son will want to be out of that suit before the first guests arrive! I will have to take my photos fast I guess! Thanks for sharing. It is helping me really get geared up for the after party!
Wow. That your daughter wanted the $200 for. Thank you for all the ideas. Could you tell me where the art she received was purchased? Thank you so much.
Oh you bet! The shop link on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JenNortonArtStudio