John’s high school has a senior class tradition for the first day of school where the girls wear black dresses and leis and the boys wear Hawaiian shirts. To give them a festive send-off and allllll the photo opps, I joined forces with a few other lacrosse moms to pull off a fabulous luau breakfast! This was something I’d been envisioning since we put in the pool John’s freshman year and it turned out even better than I think I even imagined. A HUGE heartfelt thank you goes out to Sister for being at my house before the sun – while moving – to capture these memories.
In the blink of an eye, here we are! It was an honor and a pleasure to host this for John and friends and friends of friends. We didn’t have a guest list, but instead let the kids invite the friends and friends of friends. We also included parents and had a wonderful turn out of about 60!
In the space between the porch and cabana, we strung up a massive balloon garland. I already knew I wanted the 2024 marquee letters for his grad party, so I got them early thinking I can use them all year for various events and festivities. It turned out to be a favorite photo spot for friends, families and all the athletes!
We kept the menu simple, doing a lot of a few things, making sure everything could be enjoyed easily and standing up, and also having options for the kids to grab on their way out to school. Chick-fil-A chicken minis were the primary food staple and we went through hundreds!
I already had much of the decor, but will include links to things new and old at the end of the post!
Most of these kids just drink water, but we also made a cute little bubble tea bar. It was a hit with the girls!
After the kids had eaten we moved the letters to the end of the pool for some big group shots!
Sister got all the varieties – girls and moms, boys and girls, boys and moms, girls…
And just like that, they were off on their last first day of school!
With the kids away, it was time for the moms to play. We swapped out the tea for juices and popped the bubbles!
Sources
- Balloon arch kit (we used two)
- Marquee Numbers: Two, Zero, Four (I did 3 foot)
- White Duct Tape for Marquee Numbers (assemble with hot glue, used to reinforce)
- White full tablecloth for folding table (looks so much nicer when you don’t see the legs!)
- Scalloped blue oil cloth tablecloth for folding table
- Palm tablecloths on food table
- Plates
- Napkins
- Clear cups with lids
- Bubble / smoothie straws
- Boba pearls
- Umbrella Straws
- Flamingo float
- Pineapple float
- Flamingo stakes
- Tiki umbrella (similar; mine is old)
Thanks to this crew for making it all happen. We have SO MANY plans to celebrate all the things this year!
Here’s to the class of 2024!!!
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Wow Amanda, you and the other Moms did an incredible job of the senior first day of school breakfast! All of the seniors looked great and its fun seeing them so full of fun and excitement as they celebrate this milestone in their life. Everything was so beautiful and thought out.
Yesterday while my husband was having oral surgery, I was talking to one of the hygienists in the dental office and she was having an emotional rough time because she was getting ready to bring her freshman daughter to college this coming weekend. She said her younger son was having a hard time too and their emotions were all over the place. I told her I had been in her shoes once and knew how she felt. I hope John and all his classmates will savor and treasure every moment of their senior year.
This looks perfect! Thanks for inspiring me to do a senior breakfast next year!
What a lovely idea and so well executed. I hope your sis isn’t moving too far away.
What a beautiful gathering! Sister did a fabulous job and my favorite is the photo of John heading out. 😭❤️😭 Congratulations, Amanda. Your celebration was perfectly executed. 🤗 I love the number lights and LONG tablecloth to cover the table legs! 🙌🌺🌸🌺🥂🍩🍩🍩🍩🧇🧇🧇👏 Jane 🌴
Wow Amanda, just WOW!!!!!!!! This is incredible!!!! You are so gifted at entertaining!!!!
XOXO,
Lindsey
Wow! Awesome breakfast for the kids! Can you share how/why you used the duct tape? Thanks so much!
Sure – the numbers come flat and are the size of an envelope. The recommend hot glue to assemble. We used the white duct tape for extra security on top of the glue – I plan to use these all year!
Thank you! I love how detailed you are and thank you for always sharing your talents with us!
Did you order the 3 ft or 4 ft numbers?
3 foot – I should have said that!