Surprise Luau!

It's easier for me to be a host or a helper at a party instead of just a guest. I think it's because my family likes to have parties and we like to go all out. When my Hawaii loving dad turned 60, we had a surprise luau!

We rented the Mill Valley Golf Clubhouse. It had multiple rooms with plenty of space, a kitchen, a stage, and a bar area. We had the perfect cover to get my dad to come to the golf course for a "tournament" with his brothers.

We made the welcome sign by painting letters cut out of cardboard and stuck it onto some burlap from Joann's.

Downloaded a Hawaiian looking font, placed it on some fabric and stuck it into a simple, cheap Ikea frame

Here's a shot of some of the food. Ahi Poke, Spam Musubi and Hawaiian chips

Close up of the Poke garnished with slices of mango

We were able to cook and wrap the spam on-site to have it as fresh as possible when eaten. We added a little style to it by cutting it at an angle ;)

It's not a luau without shaved ice! Island Sno has THE softest shaved ice outside of Hawaii. They bring their own syrups and even add ice cream!

The bar was decorated with plastic backdrops from the party store, another burlap sign, and some birds of paradise flowers. We had an assortment of Hawaiian Sun drinks and helpful friends and cousins to man the bar!

We ordered the cake to be frosted plain because we added fresh orchids to the top

For favors, we filled clear plastic boxes with nori crackers and Li Hing gummy candies. Finished the boxes with green raffia and a little tag.

We set up a photo area complete with a blow up Hawaiian arch, cardboard surfboards/boogie boards, hula skirts, coconut bras, ukuleles, and other fun Hawaiian accessories.

For entertainment, we rented a Hawaiian band and a hula dancer. They really added to the Hawaiian feel and vibe of the entire day.

We love DIY projects because they are cheaper than pre-made items and we just like making things. It was a lot of work, but we were lucky to have a lot of help from our family and friends!