Sandra celebrated her 70th birthday in style at Oaklands Mansion.

As is tradition in her family, Mrs. Sandra told us that everyone has a big celebration for their 70th birthday.

Sandra is a long time friend of Weddings & Events by Raina‘s owner. We had heard how much fun her family can be. We were so excited to start planning and even more excited to meet them!

The Traditions

This lucky family flies, drives and sails in from all over the globe. Any time someone celebrates 70 they have a family reunion. We have to admit, this is a pretty fabulous tradition. Especially since the last celebration was in New Zealand! We also really enjoyed the tradition of all the “boy cousins” making a cheerleading pyramid. Apparently they have been taking this photo for decades. Every reunion was marked with a pyramid. Given their ages and decrease in flexibility they opted for a “modified” pyramid this time around.

The Venue

This time around they decided to celebrate at the historic Oaklands Mansion in Murfreesboro, TN. We were thrilled with their choice of Oaklands Mansion. Offering tours of the historic home during cocktail hour was a real treat for all the out of town visitors. Being big fans of history, Sandra’s family were eager to explore the inside of the historic Oaklands Mansion. Built in 1820 and added on to by the Maney family up until 1860, there was quite a lot to see. They seemed most drawn to the musical instruments of the time period on display in the home.

The Bar

The Drinking Well provided service with a smile. Offering southern hospitality at it’s best, they made sure that each guests always had their favorite drink in hand. It didn’t matter if it was a Diet Coke or a Cabernet. They remembered what each guest was drinking and had it ready for them as they approached.

The Memories

One thing that is especially important to Sandra is her cherished memories with those she loves. Asking each guest for a “penny for their thoughts” they shared some favorites. These precious memories will then be placed in a scrapbook. What a treasured gift to share with those you love.

The Florals

When Sandra told us that Oaklands Mansion was where she wanted to hold her party we asked about theme. She said she just wanted it to be colorful and cheerful. Immediately we called Sheila Hines Floral Designs because no one does “elegant garden party” the way she does! Sourcing her blooms from local growers she placed baskets overflowing with flowers on each table. Every basket and bouquet was different. The entire room smelled like a beautiful Victorian garden. When Sandra first walked into the room she had the biggest smile on her face. “This is exactly what I envisioned!” she told us. Certainly made us happy to hear!

The Dinner

From the freshly baked rolls to the southern green beans with Benton’s bacon and vidalia onions. The garlic herbed mashed potatoes and chicken breasts topped with a white wine mushroom sauce. Every single morsel was absolutely exquisite. As always, Chef Penelope’s Catering never fails to delight tastebuds across Tennessee. We saw quite a few guests making second and third trips to the buffet.

The Desserts

It’s not a birthday without cake. When you’re celebrating 70, you get to have as many cakes as you wish! In this case, four different cakes and assorted cupcakes in a variety of flavors. There was a red velvet cake. She also had a strawberry lemonade cake. The French vanilla/snickerdoodle cake that tasted like a cinnamon roll was a huge crowd pleaser. The one that didn’t have a single crumb remaining, however, was the raspberry black forest cake. It was as delicious as it was beautiful!

The DJ

Spinning tunes during dinner and dancing was DJ Kev from Choice DJ’s. That wasn’t all he did, though. This family is all about the music. Not just dancing to it, but playing it and singing along. He isn’t your ordinary DJ. He also mixed as if it were a live concert! More on that fun in a moment…

The Speeches

When you celebrate seven decades many people have stories to share. Immediately following dinner there were quite a few sweet speeches made. Everyone wanted to honor of the birthday girl. Some brought happy years to everyone’s eyes. Others had the crowd in hysterics. Exactly what you want when you’re being roasted with love.

The Maney Hall Ballroom at Oaklands Mansion

In addition to the impressive 200 year old antebellum mansion, Oaklands also boasts a beautiful ballroom. Maney Hall, named for the mansion’s original owners, has had wood floors and upholstered walls for better acoustics. There is a historic mantle over a working gas fireplace and dimmable lighting throughout. Outfitted with tables and chairs to accommodate 150, this is the perfect place for a party. Sourcing the rentals from Southern Events Party Rentals we dressed the tables with sage linens. We topped the tables with delicate white china, silver flatware and a bow-tied soft yellow napkin. The preset salads in stemless martini glasses were the perfect finishing touch!

The Musical Performances

We did mention that this was a very musical family, didn’t we? Well, following dinner, speeches and the cake cutting came the music. We have never met a more enthusiastic group of musicians, either. The sang everything from Big Rock Candy Mountain to the Gilligan’s Island Theme. If it has lyrics, and in some cases even if they didn’t, they found a way to delight in it! Every single person participated in some way. Whether it was singing or playing an instrument. Even if you weren’t “musical” they had tambourines to shake along with. Even the vendors were dancing to the tunes at the back of the room! We almost want to rent them out for parties. They were just that fun!!

Good luck to the next family member to turn 70. This will definitely be a tough party to beat!

Planning – Weddings & Events by Raina

Venue – Oaklands Mansion

Photography – Ivory Door Studio

Florals – Sheila Hines Floral Design

Catering – Chef Penelope’s Catering

Desserts – Jenifer’s Cakes

DJ – Choice DJ’s

Bar – The Drinking Well

Rentals – Southern Events Party Rentals