a very good good friday

a few days after st. patrick’s day, brittany and i started a new email thread to discuss plans for our next dinner party. that turned into 44 emails back and forth, not to mention dozens of texts and several little planning meetings. this wednesday we met at my house to decorate and on thursday had an epic night (until 2:45am!) of baking at brittany’s. and then, oh then!, on good friday we hosted our much anticipated easter dinner party - and it truly was splendid.

 
brittany made those napkins! and i blew out and decorated those name place eggs, then put in a surprise!

i should have gotten a close-up for those deviled eggs – i piped in the filling and they looked so pretty!

i was outrageously proud of my hot cross buns, the customary good friday food. i learned a lot of neat facts about the tradition of hot cross buns and so i shared them while everyone tasted.

can you spot the bunny ears burrowed into brittany’s incredibly yummy salad?

while we ate our main course, i had everyone go around and crack their egg and read what was inside. i had collected interesting facts about good friday and easter traditions. we learned where the easter bunny came from, how many jellybeans americans consume each year, and how good friday is commemorated in different cultures and congregations. the last egg was empty to remind us of christ’s empty tomb.
 
i loved how my festive coconut macaroon nests and chocolate dipped peeps turned out, and brittany’s carrot cake and strawberry tartlets were incredible.
 
in addition to the dessert table, we also had a candy table. isn’t easter candy truly the best?

okay, i have a problem. somehow i end up awkwardly squatting in a weirdly created front row of group pictures. honestly, i don’t know how it always happens or why i don’t insist that it stop happening. sorry for the awkward posing. we had such a stellar group of people at this dinner party!

and after dessert we dyed easter eggs together. there were some masterpieces!

at our last dinner party, we insisted that no one help us clean up. this time, having stayed up until 3am baking the night before, we buckled under the pressure when several guests suggested chipping in.
and so we had a pretty sweet cleaning up party to round out the night.

the universe conspired to bring brittany and i together as dinner party throwing co-hostesses,
don’t you think?

i’m learning good lessons from being a hostess.

what a good good friday. i loved that night. it was so wonderful and lovely. it started off a weekend full of really fully celebrating easter.