photos by Paul Ferney
Ready for the Easter Egg Party rundown? I’ve got dozens of photos to share, in case you’re interested.
The party started at 3:00 on Saturday. Guests (there were about 50 people including our family) arrived and scoped out the scene. In the yard, there is a trampoline, a treehouse, a jungle gym with slide and swings, and we set up a badminton net as well. So the kids started entertaining themselves immediately.
The tricky thing for us is always the language. To prepare for the party, Ben Blair translated 20 or so phrases he thought he’d probably need as the host and he did a great job communicating and chatting with guests. My language skills weren’t up to snuff, so I gave lots of big smiles, welcoming gestures and sorry attempts at speaking to try to make guests comfortable. I’m sure I was a comic scene. : )
Refreshments were served on a table under a shady tree. In France, gouter — the afternoon snack — is pretty much a sweets-only affair, so we just served sugary stuff. Macarons, mini-eclairs, cookies, and fruit tartlettes from a local bakery.
In a small courtyard on the side of the house, we also had a station where guests could dye boiled eggs. Dyeing eggs isn’t an Easter tradition here, so we thought it would be a fun novelty for the French children to try. We set out a dozen different bowls of dye and had a basket with 6 dozen eggs. (We’re super lucky to have access to tons of free-range eggs. We bought 4 dozen from our next door neighbor and our babysitter brought us a few dozen more from her own hens.)
After everyone had arrived, we asked guests to gather under the open barn — out of sight of the great lawn — while a few adults hid the eggs. We had over 600 eggs to hide. Three hundred were plastic eggs filled with American candies and the rest were foil wrapped French chocolate eggs.
There was an area around the be-ribboned trellis that was reserved for the littlest guests. And they were invited to start hunting a couple minutes before the older kids.
We had a stack of tin pails on hand to collect the eggs.
The older guests had a more challenging hunt.
After the hunt, there was resting/going through the loot (I think the Reeses were a hit!), more eating of refreshments and general hanging out. I like to think this trail of opened eggs is a sign of a happy child somewhere:
The sun was really beating down, so it wasn’t too big of a surprise when a happy water fight broke out. (My siblings have a theory that most good parties end in a food or water fight.)
I love this shot of soaking wet Maude:
Just as parents started picking up kids, a sun-shower surprised us all and absolutely drenched everything. It was beautiful and came at just the right time. It felt like a fitting end to the festivities.
After the party (and the downpour), a couple of families stayed to visit and help with the clean up. When we said our goodbyes, the Blair and Ferney crew did the final take down and rolled up all the ribbon to be used another day.
What a fun event! I’m so glad we decided to throw this party. It’s always nerve-wracking to give out invitations and hope people will want to come to your event — every time I throw a party I feel some panic the night before thinking no one will show up. But the guests did come. And I think they had fun.
I do try hard to adopt the local customs here, but at this party, I also felt some freedom because we were out-of-towners. I knew some of what we were doing would feel American or foreign, but I assumed the guests would expect that, so I didn’t worry about it.
As we downloaded about the party afterwards, the whole family really felt like this was a great way to connect with the community.
P.S. — Want more party details? Here you go:
-All about the ribbon
-The invitations
-The macarons
-The welcome bike
Also. One of my favorite features of this party were the red-headed dads holding babies. : )
{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
How lovely!!! What a beautiful party! :)
Love that you just let the rain come! and also love that your children are making great friends across the world
Thanks for sharing :) I can’t tell your kids apart from the french kids -good job Blairs!
Your children look so happy!
“I also felt some freedom because we were out-of-towners. I knew some of what we were doing would feel American or foreign, but I assumed the guests would expect that, so I didn’t worry about it.”
This is precise what I love about being an ex-pat. Everyone expects me to not fit in, so I feel much more comfortable with myself.
Such sweet fun! I love this.
So fun! You Gabrielle throw the perfect party!
A bit of complimentary sugar, genuine smiles, that’s all you need! Watch out, they’ll be at your house every Sunday now. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.
Big smiles reading this
loved the day. thanks for sharing.
You threw a great party. Thanks for sharing it with us!
I loved every single detail of your party, and am quite impressed that you hosted such a large party so soon after moving there! Like you said, what a wonderful way for you to truly connect.
oh my goodness, what a large and fun party! and pastel macarons make are just perfect for easter when there are similar colored eggs around! lovely lovely post.
So proud of you—-everyone!!! Such a lovely, lovely party! Gives us all courage to be more outgoing and inviting and inclusive and CREATIVE!!
Beautiful celebration of spring and joy!
So happy your party was a hit!
How beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Love it! My favorite photo is the one with Ralph and his pals.
wow! Such lovely pictures and party!
this looks like it was a magical event! wish i could have pulled something like this off!
thank you for the inspiration!
:)
Just gorgeous, luv!
Looks like the party was a hit and filled with lots of sweets! I love how you incorporated the Easter tradition of dyeing eggs.
What a festive, beautiful occasion. I love it! You’re so brave to have a big party and invite a bunch of people over even though you’re not comfortable with the language yet. I think it’s awesome that you did that. And it looks like everyone was having great time!
Love the shot of the chocolate rooster. And the braces!!! So cute.
THese pictures are so dreamy and perfect – it looks like everyone had a wonderful time. Viva France!
This post brought happy tears to my eyes. What a fabulous and blessed life! Enjoy the days and the children, well… you already do!
What a gorgeous party! Oh my gosh! It looks like magic!
Gabrielle, looks like you spent a good time, beautiful party. Exquisite Details!
so beautiful! next time i will be sure to invite myself…
Congratulations, it must have been beautiful. Great idea introducing American-style egg dying to your new French friends.
Looks like a really fabulous party! What fun! You are so creative and adventuresome! I loved seeing the pictures, I was wondering how it went. Looks like the weather was just perfect!
Such a wonderful time you all had and such a beautiful day!
Absolutely lovely!
So grateful for your photo sharing of this joyful occasion!
things looked great! what a great yard to run free and play in. I loved the ribbon:) so springy. and as macarons make their way through the internet i find myself needing to eat one badly these days. i wonder where i can find a good one in rochester.
Incredible pictures of what looks like a beautiful, fantastic event. So envious of your adventures in France!
what an amazing party. i love the mix of american and frech traditions. i bet they all had fun dying eggs. I love all the pictures of the beautiful food.
I think the fact that you planned and hosted this party communicated a lot to your French guests, even though you couldn’t speak their language.
You? Panic that nobody wants to come to your party?!?
I think you’d have to be a fool to pass up on a Blair/Ferney event.
I think it is great to include American Traditions…It’s all fun isn’t it and for the kids! Why wouldn’t they love it? No worries. We had a great time too mixing French and American Cultures and Traditions. I’ m sure they want to learn about your traditions as much as they want to show you theirs ;-) I know my husband and in laws like to I’m sure its the same for most open minded French people. And the ones who came are definitely open minded ;-). Sounds like everyone had a blast and are looking forward to more parties at the Blair household!
Salut Gabby!
I love this, and I am so inspired by your gusto to put yourself out there in your community in France. I know how nerve-wracking it can be to do those types of things out of your comfort zone, but I suppose having six kids really forces you to do so! I’m moving back to France in 2 weeks, and I am going to think of you anytime I feel timid.
Question: As a language tutor/linguist nerd I’m always curious how people choose to communicate in situations like these. Did you speak to your guests in French? English? Did the kids translate?
bisous
Thank you so much for sharing this! What a fun event for all the kids involved. I admire how you and your children put yourselves “out there” and aren’t afraid to try new things (like hosting a party for French children, when you aren’t comfortable with the language? aye yai yai!) So brave! I know what you mean about hosting a party and hoping people will show up! That is always my biggest fear!
Thanks again, so so beautiful!
amy @ glass confetti
gabby this is so beautiful! i love that you had a little station for dying eggs so the french kids could try it out. and i totally forgot the tradition to let the little kids start the hunt a bit sooner than the older kids. sounds like such a fun party! im sure your older kids will remember this for years to come.
P.E.R.F.E.C.T! Wish we would have been there.
So lovely. Congratulations on such a successful and fun party! I have a feeling there will be more to come.
Looked like a delightful afternoon! Please let us know if you get feedback from the party guests. I’m sure they loved it!
You’re amazing!
It looks like a great time was had by all! Holidays like Easter transcend boundaries.
Looked like a blast!
Oh, fantastic! How lovely to have your sister there to help and what a perfectly lovely afternoon, all the way around. Très bien, Gabrielle!
so perfect! i wish it was warm enough in manitoba to have an outdoor easter egg hunt party! sadly the ground usually has snow on it and the temperatures are barely above freezing (sometimes far below!).
SO fun!!!! Way to step out of your comfort zone with the language barrier thing…the grounds are lovely, perfect for an egg hunt. Here is our egg hunt/lamb birthday party that same weekend (I told you about): http://kristendukephotography.com/?p=3683
Still dreaming of finding a spot in the French countryside…way to inspire;)
It looks magical.
i love the after shots of the family working together taking down the event. it’s what family and close friends do:)
Looks like the perfect mix of American tradition and French whimsy! Happy Spring Break!
oh me oh my, what fun!
What a gorgeous venue to have an Easter egg hunt! The kids looked like they clearly had a blast. That photo of Maude is completely adorable. Also love the ribbons you guys tied to add some pastel color to the event.
Looks like a fantastic party!
It seems so brave to go all out for a party in another country and another language! So inspiring, as always. It’s gorgeous and most importantly, looks like a blast. You are representing the home country so well over there!! xo
what a beautiful job you did of melding two cultures! way to build community globally, gab! and it is wonderful to see ralph and maude looking so happy and confident in their new world. marvelous pictures.
Love it! This post really “speaks” to me since I’m an American like you living in France! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful party you threw !
I started reading your blog daily a couple of weeks before you all moved to France and I love it – this is on the best part of the day !!! I think your family is well settled now and seems to have a lot of friends now. Hope you do too !
As for the mix of culture, I am sure it is expected from you … and your guests surely appreciated the day !
Finally getting to this post. What a fabulous fabulous party! You put me to shame. Just getting to this, because we got our “europe” on by heading to Montreal & Quebec City for Spring Break. It was so wonderful to immerse ourselves in the culture for a week. Not quite european, but it had that feel. Made me want to head back to France even more. So I will continue to live vicariously thru you. :) ps, we did get our american canada on, with a quick ending in Toronto and Niagara. Every kid needs to see the Falls once. Looking forward to hearing about your trip!
Simply gorgeous. My mom always organized Easter egg hunts for my sister and I and our friends when we were young. This looks as much fun as I remember them to be, and prettier too!
What a fabulous gathering!!! It looks like the children had a great time. And what a great way to introduce new cultural similarities/differences. What a great setting for an Easter egg hunt. I love the food, the decor, the eggs, the buckets! Simple and well executed. Have you received any feedback from the French attendees?