Springtime might not usually a time for families to gather, but this year I had the opportunity to invite family to town and organize a gathering for my daughter’s First Communion. Although I love organizing simple at-home parties for my children, such as when we did a Moana party and an Academy Awards party, I haven’t organized parties for bigger groups this year. Today on Theresa’s Reviews, I’m sharing how I kept things simple for this springtime family celebration!

How To Have A Simple Springtime Family Celebration

Although most people have large family gatherings at their home for a First Communion party, we had only three guests attending, which made it easy to plan. These same tips would be helpful for any size group.

Keeping Our Outfit Choices Simple

Even though the First Communion dress was a larger decision, everyone else kept their outfit choices simple by wearing clothing they already owned. My younger daughter has owned this adorable Feltman Brothers dress for a year, and she looked wonderful for the special occasion. Without even coordinating our outfits, we all ended up wearing blue, which looked nice, and took little effort on our behalf.

Dining Out As A Celebration

Having a party at home would have meant more prep time and clean up afterwards. Instead, we dined out for a few special meals.

The first was a delicious crab cake sandwich. In Maryland, you have to try the crab at certain restaurants, and this was the right place to go. To try this dish, read about delicious places to eat crab in 12 Best Local Maryland Dishes.

Next we had the major celebratory meal at a Japanese Steak and Seafood house. Watching the chef cook the meal in front of us offered entertainment and made eating a fun event.

Our final meal out was brunch. I went with something I’ve never had before, a breakfast pizza. You simply drizzle it was maple syrup for a unique and delicious meal.

Driving In One Vehicle

Taking one car made our celebratory weekend simple. It was nice to be able to pick up family members and bring them to restaurants because we could catch up more driving together.

To fit all seven of us, we took the 2018 Toyota Sienna. This minivan could fit eight, and was comfortable with seven. Everyone had plenty of leg room.

My daughter’s favorite feature was the Blu-Ray system, which she used to play Moana during every drive we took this past week. When you are trying to catch up with family, it is nice to have a distraction for the children. She also liked how spacious the car was because she finds it fun to sit in the third row during our morning commutes, which were much easier with a movie in during the drive.

While big celebrations can be a stressful time, following these three tips helped make it a much easier weekend! Some things can always go wrong last minute, but it’s helpful to have your family’s clothes already chosen, restaurant meals planned, and a vehicle that can fit all the guests.

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Let’s Chat!

How do you keep your family celebrations simple? Share your ideas in the comments!

Disclosure: I received a free item, but it in no way influenced my opinion.