Their Kentucky Derby party was filled with beautiful hats, preppy outfits, delicious food and mint juleps that were a little too tasty!
We arrived in Jacksonville late Thursday night and spent most of the day on Friday prepping for the party. My parents had 70 people RSVP so we had a lot of work to do! (Side note: My parents are clearly way cooler than me. I don’t think I even know 70 people!) When my mom stayed with us in Charlotte two weeks ago, we found a bunch of Kentucky Derby-themed recipes to make so we got to work prepping brown butter cupcakes, bourbon pecans (<— SO good and highly recommended!), Kentucky Derby pie bars, mini ham and cheese sandwiches, baked brie, bacon-wrapped crackers and more.
I actually really enjoy party prep and had fun playing music and spending the day in the kitchen with my mom while my dad worked on organizing and assembling everything we needed from a beverage standpoint. (Ryan had to work remotely on Friday so he popped in and out when he could!)
Chase was highly entertained by all the party prep fun when he was awake (apparently the noise a box of crackers makes when you shake it is solid gold to a baby) and I felt grateful that he was in a good mood and napped well so we were able to be productive even with a nine-month-old in the mix.
Saturday morning we set everything up and tied up loose ends before guests began to arrive. My mom did the most amazing job with some of the party decorations and it was neat to see everything come together. She bought photo booth props off Etsy for a fun photo booth station and made her own table cloths from Kentucky Derby fabric she found at JoAnn’s. So crafty!
She also made a big board with all of the horses names on it which was very helpful since the nametags my parents had available for guests had a special spot for them write in the name of the horse they were rooting for before they came in for the party! It was a great ice breaker since not all party guests knew each other and since those who selected a winning horse won a little bottle of bourbon or whiskey praline pecans, it was a festive and fun little game, too!
The party passed by in a flash and I enjoyed meeting so many of my parents friends and introducing them to the newest member of our family.
Everyone seemed to enjoy sipping on the mint juleps, taking pictures and chatting away until race time.
Once it was time for the race, everyone gathered around the TV to watch the 142nd Kentucky Derby!
After the excitement of the race, those who selected the winning horse received a prize, as did the man and woman who received the most votes for the best outfit and the best hat, respectively.
The winners:
Though the party was set to end an hour or so after the race, people ended up hanging out for quite a while which was a lot of fun! I know my parents loved having their friends and family together in one place and I’m so glad we were able to make it to their big party.
It was hard to get on the road on Sunday morning but such a treat to be able to hug my mom and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day in person! We had such a great weekend with my family and even though seeing them always makes me wish we lived closer, I’m grateful for the ability to drive six hours and be able to see our favorite people. I hope we see them again very soon!
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I love themed parties. Those cupcakes and appetizers all sound so good! And love seeing everyone’s derby outfits, so fun!
What a fun party that sounds like! And great picture of the whole family!
Looks like an awesome party!! So nice that you were able to see your mom on Mother’s Day if only briefly- I’m a 5 hour drive from home and it’s definitely tough at times <3
themed parties are the best–i love all the little touches you guys did! Sounds like a wonderful day!
OMG Chases and his lil outfit I died a lil bit. So cute! You guys looked great
Your parents are so cool. Wow, I couldn’t throw a party like that and I definitely wouldn’t have 70 people to invite. I am dying over Chase’s outfit, what a CUTIE.
Right!? Me neither!! 🙂
Looks like do much fun!!!
Loved your outfit!
Chase is so handsome in that little vest!
Looks like such a fun time! Your parents are awesome, and your mom seems like she should plan parties for a living!
that’s so lovely you were able to go home for the party. i miss derby days, it’s hard to find a good mint julep in budapest.
Looks like so much fun! Glad you had a great weekend 🙂
Your family is the CUTEST. Oh my goodness Chase’s outfit was too adorable! I loved themed parties like this. Next awards season my family wants to have an Academy Award party!
Sounds like such a fun party! After living in the “South” – aka, Ohio, but only 90 minutes from Churchill Downs – and attending the Derby multiple times, the big event always feels a bit anti-climactic out here in Denver. While we do throw a huge “Orphan Easter” event for those that can’t travel home, adding a KY Derby fiesta sounds right up our alley! Maybe I’ll take a tip from your mom next year once our wedding planning has tamed down a bit.
So glad y’all had so much fun! Totally lookin’ the part, too. 🙂
You guys are so cute! LOVE your outfit!
This looks like so much fun! Everyone looks great, but I love your sister’s dress. Can you provide the details on where I might find it??
I’ll ask her! I know it was the dress she wore to her rehearsal dinner a few years ago. 🙂 I’ll report back!
Ditto, her dress awesome! Loved it
Omg, that first photo – you guys are so cute!! Love your hat 🙂
Ok your hat is SO cute! And Chase with his bow tie?? I want another baby now…haha!
Every year I want to throw a party and the time comes and goes. But after seeing your parents’ party, I have to mark my calendar for next year!
It was SO fun!!! I think having a theme and something to watch/celebrate made it even better. 🙂
Your outfit is SO cute! And love the pic of your family at the end, everyone looks super happy, even Chase has a big smile!
I may have to steal this party theme one day! Your family did a great job!! Love your outfit- where is your top from?!
Thank you! It’s from Nordstrom but the brand is O’Neill. The back is actually my favorite part — I wish I would’ve snapped a pic but it’s an open back with a tie in the back. Here’s the exact top: http://bit.ly/1rKYIea
Too fun!! And Chase is turning from a baby into a little boy!! Too cute!
RIGHT!!?!? Time needs to SLOWWWW down!
Wow what a great party! Your mom did an awesome job on all the food and decor, loved the idea of the poster board with all the horses on it.
Thank you, Susan! 🙂 She really did put a lot of time and effort into everything and I was so impressed with her, too!
So fun. I love theme parties where everyone dresses up. That lady who won with her awesome hat!? I love that she not just put a bird on it, but a birdHOUSE! Did you notice she had black seamed nylons but the seams were up the front? Is that a thing? she looked like a blast.
yes!! she went all in and looked fantastic!
Chase’s little outfit is so cute! Oh my gosh, I love it. Okay this is weird but I don’t think I’ve ever watched the Kentucky Derby haha. It sounds like a good reason to throw a party though!
Love your outfit and your sister’s dress!!
I’m obsessed with your sister’s hat. It’s dynamite.
That looks like so much fun!
Cute party, cute hats, cute BABY! What a fun weekend! How do you make party planning less stressful? Would love to see a blog post on it! Since you mentioned it’s relaxing/fun for you, whereas it stresses me out so much, and I never seem to have enough time to finish everything in time, even when I plan ahead! Love the party! And Happy Mother’s day, Julie!
I want to amend my last post and say that I meant: how do you make party PREP less stressful? Because party planning (ideas, recipe searches), are fun and fine. It’s getting ready on the day of the party that stresses me out! Never seems to be enough time! How do you do it? Just an idea for a blog post, since you and your family have such great parties that always seem to come together flawlessly! 🙂
Love this idea for a blog post! I am planning a party for Chase’s first bday, so I’ll try to share some of my tips around then as I dive into planning that one! 🙂
Yay! Thank you! I’m about to buy a bigger house where I can entertain more, so I’ll be excited to learn how you stay calm, cool, and collected when guests are about to descend. 🙂
this is ridiculously precious! good gravy, your parents are pretty cool.
What a fun party!!! Yea man your parents are definitely the cool ones! Love Chase’s outfit!
Love your and your sister’s hats. Where did you get them?
Steinmart!
What a great party you guys put together! So impressive! So nice of you to come down a day early & help your mom get everything ready. What a great Mothers Day gift to her! Love your whole family’s outfits!
The phrase “I can’t even” would perfectly describe the look of this party!
You and your family are just way too adorable for your own good.
You all look wonderful! A less frequently asked question: where is Ryan’s suit from? I love the look and my boyfriend has been looking for something just like it!
It’s from SuitSupply.com! He just ordered it recently when he was on the lookout for a tailored suit that was less traditional than a typical black or gray suit!
This looks like so much fun- I love your hat! This post made me realize I actually have never had a mint julep, and we were just in Louisville a few months ago! Must try!
I miss Sadie…
Your family is so dang precious! Love that your parents organized and hosted such a well thought-out party! PS… this is SO RANDOM! But I love following you on Snapchat, and I totally think you should do a quick tutorial on how your curl your hair!! I just can’t figure out how you do it, but I love it!
OMG Chase’s outfit!!! I can’t even.
Looks like a GREAT party and you guys looked fantastic! So many cute touches! My husband and I hosted Kentucky Derby Parties for 3 years (sadly we’ve had weddings and graduation the last two) and a huge hit were the zip strips! It prolonged the race atmosphere.
Here’s how we did it in case it’s something your parents would be interested in! We had a mason jar assigned to each race/strip and each name line was worth a $1 bet. We recorded all the pre-races, then a half hour before the final race would tear off a strip, name who had which horse, and then we’d play the race and whoevers horse won would win the mason jar of cash! We’d then fast forward to the next race. The only race we’d watch live was the final and had a Win/Place/Show betting station for that. It was fun to have small dollar amounts involved and multiple races to root for!
It sounds more complicated when typing it out than it is! Ha! But just an idea if they ever want to switch it up!
https://www.biggamesportscards.com/derby-downs.html
What a wonderful party! Where is your skirt from? Love all of the adorable outfits!
Looks like such a wonderful time! Love your outfit, you look stunning 🙂
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
I can totally see why you were bummed not to go! Looks like everyone had a blast!
Dunno if it was intentional and I’m sure I’m the umpteenth person to mention, Chases outfit matches his Mama and Papas in colour tone/shade 🙂
great family pic!! Love your site!!