Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Hand-painted wood sign to welcome guest’s to Steve’s Birthday Celebration.
I met Christy this spring, in our quarantine bookclub that was organized by her niece and my high school friend. Right off the bat, I knew that their family was close. We went around the zoom squares to introduce ourselves and I quickly realized that aside from Christy’s 3 daughters on the zoom call, she was related or “related” to every person. It was clear, to Christy and the Ruvitusos, family was everything.
Christy reached out to me after our Wednesday night book club in July and inquired about helping her plan a birthday celebration for her husband. Last year, they planned a trip to Italy in the Summer of 2020 to celebrate his 60th birthday, and of course due to the current state of the world, it was cancelled. When I spoke to Christy, she was bummed, but grateful that she still had the opportunity to celebrate with loved ones. She wanted to make sure the weekend was extra special for Steve and if they couldn’t be in Italy, they would bring Italy to their home town of Waccabuc, New York.
The weekend kicked off on Friday, with a “Bourbon and BBQ” themed party. This night was dedicated to the guys, and was the focus was on good food, good drinks, and good friends. We wanted to keep it simple, yet fun.
Digital invites sent to family and friends are a casual and fun alternative to paper invites
Homemade BBQ Sauce favors were given to guests of Thursday Night’s festivities. Labels were custom made to match the digital invites with food catered from JD’s Smokehouse in Waccabuc, NY.
On Saturday, we brought Italy to Waccabuc, NY. We created a rustic vibe (despite the rainy weather) with hand painted wood signs, “wine stained” napkins, and some of Steve’s favorite things. Christy made it clear that she wanted family and their favorite moments at the forefront of the celebration (wine too!)
Despite the circumstances, it was the perfect weekend filled with fun, friends and family. At the end of the day, that’s really all that matters. Right?
xo,
e.
Digital invites don’t have to just be black and white— they can be customized, just like this one!
Chin Don! The Ruvituso’s clink their glasses often and cheers to their favorite people, places, and memories.
Each guest received a custom lettered glass, a full class of wine, and a favor to take home.
You don’t have to worry about spilling your wine if your napkin is already stained with wine! I spent an afternoon “tie dying” so that guests could sip, laugh, and have a good time without worrying about a spill.
Custom drinks that included some of Steve and his family’s favorites, with a creative twist!
Who doesn’t love a caricature? This added some laughter while doubling as a keepsake for Steve’s big day!
“Moments in Time” is a special saying for the Ruvitusos, so to capture some of their favorites, we compiled a list of phrases and symbols that are meaningful to Steve and his family. See if you can crack some of the codes.