A Seine-sational Celebration!

Last weekend, we had a belated, "Seine-sational" celebration for Michelle and Skee on the Seine {A-ha, corny play on words, I know...} with all of their Paris friends. The night turned out even better than I planned, and we pulled off the surprise pretty well. A night to remember for all, I think!

Nick and I had been brainstorming ideas of what we could do for a shower/celebration for them since the fall. After deciding on a different idea, one day Nick suggested the possibility of renting a private boat on the Seine for an evening. I went straight to work contacting dozens of companies. Our idea was to rent a boat with captain, but be able to bring our own drinks and food on board. Turns out this is more challenging than you might think; most companies want you to pay for dinner through them in addition to the cost of renting the boat. When I found Paris Canal, I was thrilled. After some price negotiation {in French, I'm proud to say!} and commitments from a handful of friends, we booked the boat, and the real planning began!

Skee and Michelle knew we were going to do something to celebrate with our small group of ex-pat friends, but that was all they knew. When I found out the boat could accommodate more people for the same total cost {thus, lowering the cost per person}, I decided to invite some of their other friends and Michelle's classmates. We kept these new additions a surprise, though.

After weeks of craft and food planning, it all came together perfectly. Everyone chipped in with food and drinks, I hosted a little craft night beforehand, and I had so much help with people volunteering tablecloths, speakers, set-up etc. I forgot how much work planning a wedding is, and while this was no where near wedding-level planning, it brought back some fond memories. I was nervous how it would all come together, only having access to the boat 2 hours before the party started, but I think everyone agreed, it came together perfectly!

Nick met Skee and Michelle at the metro around 8, who just thought we were going to dinner and out with a small group of friends, to lead them to their real destination of the night. When they arrived to the boat and were greeted by about 30 friends, their reactions made everything worthwhile!

The night passed quickly--eating, chatting, enjoying the sights on our 2.5 hour river cruise, games, toasts, and of course, some dancing. It seemed 1am rolled around just minutes after we had arrived!

After the shoe game, cake cutting got a little crazy! ;)

We are lucky to have a talented array of friends here in Paris, David and Ray both set up GoPros to document our river cruise. Check it out here! David also compiled a short video of the evening; such a great way to remember the night!

Speaking of talented friends, Bobbie, of Bertie's Cupcakery, offered to make a cake for the celebration as soon as I mentioned I was planning something. It was stunning and so delicious! {Although, I'm not sure I could take the stress of cake deliveries on a regular basis...the 5 min drive between her shop and the boat with the cake in my lap was stressful enough!}

     A wonderful night, filled with wonderful friends. We are happy Skee and Michelle had such a good time and are happy we were able to throw them a celebration that everyone seemed to really enjoy.

     A lot of people asked me afterward for information regarding the boat rental {including some native French people}, as they didn't know it was possible to rent a private boat without committing to dinner and drinks. The party ran from 8pm-1am, including a 2.5 hour cruise on the river. The rest of the time, the boat was docked in front of Musee d'Orsay. When you think about paying 15-20E for a one hour cruise packed with tourists, this really was a deal! Just a few more euros more {especially if you can get a large group}, you get an entire boat for 5 hours and can bring your refreshments! We rented "La Canotier", but they also have some larger boats for rent.

Paris Canal (ask for Tiffany)

Bassin de la Villette

21 quai de la Loire

75019 Paris

+33 (0)1 42 40 96 97