It's a Love Story: Adult Valentine Party

I was asked to host our church adult Valentine Party...ok well actually the Elder's Quorum (the men's organization in our church) was tasked with doing it. Josh is the Elder's Quorum President...so it was basically the same thing as tasking me (the wife) to do it. I had told Josh I wasn't going to help and he and the guys just needed to do it. He said that was fine and they were just going to have a potluck dinner at the church. Wa, wa, waaa. Ugh Josh, no. Just no. We already have a potluck every 5th Sunday. I am so potlucked out that I would have no interest in even attending had that been the plan. So of course I took over.

I planned what I thought was a super fun party. However, my heart was kind of broken at the total lack of support and the fact that the day of the party I had 3-4 people cancel on me that were supposed to be bringing stuff and helping me set-up. I cried. I admit it. I sat in the passenger seat while my hubby drove and I cried. I also vowed I would never, ever host or plan another ward party. So far I have stuck to my guns...but then they got clever and called me as Cubmaster...so now I am planning activities all month long.

Anyhow...back to the Valentine Day party...it was FUN! It would have been a lot more fun had more than a handful of couples showed up, but I digress.

Here was the itinerary for the night: It was called "It's a Love Story" I had asked several different ladies before the party to pick a famous couple/love story through out time and create a centerpiece for it. The couple could be real or fiction, cartoon or not, ...anything really!! So we ended up 6 tables with super cute centerpieces.

1. Each couple was asked to come with a meal prepared for 2 in some sort of container so that you could not see what it was and so the other guest did not know who it was from. They were also asked to bring dessert for 2 in separate containers. Upon Arrival I took the meals and set them all on a table up front.

2. After all the couples were there it was time to DOUBLE DATE! Had more couple been there I would have had everyone draw names...but we had just 7 couples (plus one single who joined up with my table) So I just started with one of the couples and asked them to go up to the table and pick up a meal. After they chose, the couple that brought that meal stood up and then got the meal that the couple who chose theirs brought. Does that make sense? So now those two couples were on a double date and sat at the same table and basically exchanged meals. It was fun to see what the other couple brought and exchange meals. Let it be known that 3 couple brought Popeye's chicken haha!!

3. During our Double Dates I asked the couple to tell each other their love stories and each couple was to draw out/illustrate the other couple's love story. I supplied each couple with an extra large sheet of paper and colored pencils. This was a lot of fun! It was fun to hear the other love stories and see how they were illustrated. When the couples were done with their drawings we hung them up on a clothesline for all to see.

(note:this portion took at least an hour if not longer...a lot longer than I anticipated. So you could skip right to switching up couples and going into the dessert double dates and end there ...having a perfectly great evening)

4. Next we got in a circle and played "Never Have I Ever" Each couple got a cup of dry beans as playing tokens. We went around the circle and each couple had to say something they have never done but thought the other couple in the room had. If the other couple had done it they had to give up a bean. We went around the circle twice (but you can play this as long or as short as you want). We had the couples count their beans...the 3 couples with the most beans now earned a spot up on "stage" to play the Newlywed Game (I did not tell them before hand that is what the winners would get so some were kind of surprised but they all went up. In hindsight, with the small number of couples we had there it would have been fun to just have us all play).

5.. Next we played "The Newlywed Game". I had asked an awesome couple about a month before the party if they would be the hosts of the game and I am so glad they accepted! They were great! The winning couple got a perfect red rose and a box of chocolates...I also gave the other two couples a box of chocolates for playing as well.

6. By this time the party had run way longer than anticipated. This is where we were going to double date for dessert and then have dancing...but it ended up that some couples started leaving and cleaning up...so everyone just picked a dessert to take home. The lady there to the dance portion still played a couple of songs and a couple of us got a couple of slow dances in with out spouses and the kids from the nursery joined in. The dancing would have been so fun had we had more time and more couples but it was so nice seeing some couples dance.

**I also had a photo booth set up with some props and a selfie stick. We also had a nursery for those needing child care.

Despite wanting to cancel the whole thing and being frustrated I am glad I stuck it out. One of the husbands came up to me after with tears in his eyes and thanked me and said that they needed this date more than I would ever know. So I was humbled a bit and realized it was not about me at all and that maybe my expectations were not met but that someone's life was touched and helped by me following through.

Below are some of the Love Story Illustrations and table pics! I did a "You've Got Mail Table" and somehow didn't get a pic!

 The "Hinckley" Table...pictures and quotes from Gordon and Marjorie Hinckley

 The "I Love Lucy" table...by Brenda..the lovely lady on the left.

The "Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head" table. Which I loved! Designed by Cathy...the lovely lady in the glasses and our singleton for the night after her husband came down with the flu.

The "Teddy Bear" table by Nancy. 

Not pictured: The "Titanic: Jack and Rose" table and the "You've Got Mail" table. 

It was a really fun time! I would actually love to repeat this activity with more people in attendance.