Party planning often starts with the venue, and Farmer Mike’s U Pick in Bonita Springs had plenty to offer for the outdoor-loving Adams family to celebrate their youngest son, Cru’s, first birthday. “Both of my children love being outdoors,” Cru’s mom, Shawna, says. The farm is popular for its seasonal festivals, sunflower fields and fall corn maze, and Shawna loves how her boys can explore there and have fun while learning about sustainability, gardening and healthy eating.
The Naples mom called on Kylie Schmucker, from Southwest Florida’s Curated by Kylie Event Co., to create a classic barn-inspired bash at the farm in January, when the kids could pick berries, go on hay rides and play on the inflatable slide. The site already provided plenty of bucolic charm—with its market, tractors and rows of plantings—and Kylie carried the rustic vibes into the party’s pavilion area.
Courtesy Making Memories Portraits
Farmer Mike’s U Pick of Bonita Springs provides the perfect backdrop for a bucolic bash.
First, Kylie set a farmhouse-style table with 20 place settings, classic white Chiavari chairs and a red-and-white gingham runner. Meri Meri paper plates shaped like barns and animal-printed paper cups created a playful look against the palette of farmhouse reds, whites and earth tones. The event planner pulled from her arsenal of props for pieces like the barn backdrop—a darling photo-op with its border of tan, blue and cow-printed balloons from Cape Coral’s Bubbly & Company. “I like to layer the existing spaces,” she says.
Interactivity—a.k.a. keeping kids happy and engaged—was the name of the game for all the fun extras. Mini bales of hay topped with horses, cows and ducks created the centerpiece and doubled as analog toys for tykes at the table. “I wanted there always to be something to keep the kids’ attention, whether it was a play area or the place settings,” Kylie says.
Straw farmer hats with blue and red trim hung on the back of each chair for kids to don as they went through the day. They filled up on snacks at the ‘Farmer Cru’s Market’ station, stocked with gluten-free veggies, fruit, juice boxes and other healthy treats. “It was easily the most popular part of the party,” Kylie says.
Courtesy Making Memories Portraits
Say Yeehaw! Straw hats play triple duty as decor, costuming and take-home gifts.
Another big hit was the Fort Myers’ MB3 Productions artist who painted farm animals onto little faces. Nearby, a bookshelf was stocked with plush farm animals, so each kiddo could pick a stuffed friend to take home. For the herd’s feed, there was barbecue catered by Mission BBQ—the national chain that donates part of its proceeds to military organizations. Kylie’s sister company, Curated Cocktails, served the parents hard seltzers and mimosas. “I wanted to make sure the adults were just as happy as the kids,” the planner says.
Keeping dietary sensitivities in mind, Kylie ensured the sweets by Smallcakes Fort Myers—the lauded chain featured on three seasons of Cupcake Wars—were gluten-free. No one felt left out when it came time to cut the cow-printed cake.
Courtesy Making Memories Portraits
Smallcakes Fort Myers did the veggie-themed cupcakes and cow-print cake. Cape Coral’s Bubbly & Company brought in the balloons.
After having their fill, kids burnt up the energy in the ‘Cru’s Barnyard Fun’ ball pit, brought in by Cape Coral-based Little Sweet P. “The kids left the party happy and exhausted,” Kylie says with a laugh. What more could a parent want?