DIY 4th of July | Shaine & Michael's Surprise Engagement Party

When Shaine & Michael got engaged last year I decided to throw them a surprise engagement party. Conveniently enough, it was right around the 4th of July so I took the theme and ran with it: a "Love is Like Fireworks" Engagement party.

Right away the DIY projects began. 

"Firework" cupcake toppers were created by bending and wrapping sparkly pipe cleaners around lollipop sticks. 

Food tags were made using a few different coordinating papers and my incredibly old paper cutter.

An old canvas's frame was covered in blue fabric and hand painted to match the theme. 

Rolos were turned into "firecrackers" by covering them in coordinating paper and sticking bent sparkly pipe cleaners into their tops.

Streamers were attached to metal rings to hang as decor. To fancy-up the flatware, I folded them into little napkin packets and wrapped them with coordinating paper.

"Sparklers" were created by dipping pretzel rods into white & milk chocolate and then dipping them in sprinkles. 

To add a bit of non-permanent color to these mason jars, I cut the ends off of balloons and stretched them over the bottoms. These mason jars would be used for the "firefly catchin' station."

These cake displays are great because they can be re-threaded with ribbon to match any occasion. I got them from TJ Maxx years ago and they have been so worth it. 

The Finished Product

The old-fashioned shaved ice machine at the left was a wedding gift. I used it here for "Shaine-d ice." The mason jar at the right contained actual (not of the pretzel variety) sparklers for guests.

Chia seed pudding is super easy to make and (although kind of a weird texture at first) is also delicious and pretty good for you. I topped mine with a tart cherry spread from Whole Foods and served it in shot glasses that were blue at the bottom to match the red-white-and-blue theme.

I was too lazy to cook so instead I served deli-purchased food and gave some of them names that were specific to the couple--like Mike-a-Roni & Cheese salad.

The cupcakes were purchased from my favorite bakery. They're delicious but baked in plain white cupcake liners, so I just stuck them in fresh liners to match the event.

The red fabrics and doilies were mostly vintage and pulled from an old supply I had squirreled away from a bridal shower I decorated a few years ago. 

The letters were wooden and purchased from Michael's on sale. I mod-podged them in coordinating paper. PS, get it? S'Mores? S-M-ores. You get it.

These watermelon cakes were made by stacking different size circles of watermelon. Coconut was sprinkled on top. These looked great--especially with their sparkler candles--but were not the easiest to eat and were completely ignored by all guests.

Burriss Brew & Siegel Sauce were named for the couple's last names. The red "ice cubes" are actually red frozen water balloons. Not only does this look awesome, but ensures melted ice won't water down the beverage. 

The right side of the table was the Firefly Catchin' Station. I didn't know how popular that would be, but the kids at the party really loved it. The mason jars were from WalMart. They were 'balloon dipped' in balloons also from WalMart. The vase was from Pier1 and purchased years ago. The nets were from the Dollar Store.

This little picnic spot was set up as a cute photo op for the couple... 

But instead turned into a cute photo op for my husband and one of our neighbors. Things got weird.

Naturally, no fireworks party would be complete without a bit of actual fireworks.