75th Birthday Barn Party

by Elizabeth

75th birthday barn party for retired farmer~

Question...

Having party for 100+ in country barn. Need decorating ideas for centerpieces, possibly using shelled corn, wheat or sunflowers. Also, 3 restored John Deere tractors from his farm will be randomly placed in the barn. How can we decorate tractors to make them stand out, possibly drape strings of white Christmas lights, etc. Needs to be kept simple and inexpensive! Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Answer...

Hi Elizabeth,

Oh I do love a good barn party! And it's really easy to decorate because you can use all the elements of nature.

A very simple centerpiece would be a mason jar with flowers in it. Tie some raffia around the top of the jar for an added touch. Battery operated twinkle lights in the jar would be fun as well.

If you want to go more elaborate, use a piece of florist foam and add all the elements that you mentioned above. Start with your flowers and then fill in with the corn and other elements. Any foam that is peaking through can be covered with Spanish moss.

For some more ideas on centerpieces, check out these pages...
Sunflower Centerpieces and Learn How To Make Your Own Centerpieces.

As far as the tractors and how to highlight them, how about spotlights in front of them. People also love trivial bits of info so why not make large plagues out of thick poster board describing the tractor. You could talk about the year the tractor was made and what was going on in history at that time.

Adding balloons to the tractors would also draw attention to them. And balloons are a very cheap way to decorate for any event. You can purchase a small helium tank and balloons your self and save a ton of money. You could even use them in your centerpieces.

I made a really fun cake for my Dad a few years back that would go great for this theme. It really is a must see. Everyone loved it and they are all still talking about it. Check it out here.

And be sure and look at my John Deere Party Page for even more ideas.

I hope that your 75th Birthday Barn Party is a huge success! Feel free to use the contact form if you need any more help.

The Decorating Diva