My 26th Birthday Brunch Tablescape!

For my 26th Birthday, I wanted to celebrate with friends in a way that brought us together and didn’t compel us all to spend a ton of money (and gas/Metro worries!) on an experience dining out together. Given my newfound passion and 2025 goal of hosting more at home, I opted to host a simple 26th Birthday Brunch at my apartment with an elaborate tablescape to celebrate. That way, my love for hosting and bringing people together worry-free and *of course* celebrating another trip around the sun was the reason for us all coming together. Overall, my 26th Birthday Brunch was a lovely time that my friends and I all spent together and I am so grateful that I decided to host my celebratory occasion with friends within the comfort of my own home!

At the same time, I want to mention that so many people choose to celebrate their Birthdays with friends, whether it be on a trip, dinner/brunch on the town, or a unique experience such as Tea on the Town (see more on my friend Briana’s Birthday experience there and my fully transparent review on the experience here). Just know that whatever you choose to do for your birthday should be right for you, however that may look.

While I won’t spend too much time sharing much about the menu for my 26th Birthday Brunch (and hence don’t have any photos of the food either – LOLLL!), I will share a few details of what I chose. I opted to go for a simple menu that required less preparation on anyone’s parts. I had two celebratory dinners on the town with family members and was a bit tired from those late nights with 9-5 work days and wanted something on the simpler side. For the menu, I went with a nice bagel display with plain and everything bagels as well as plain and strawberry cream cheeses to choose from alongside a blueberry and cantaloupe with a few sprinkles of fresh mint fruit salad. For drinks, I had coffee/tea, Mimosas (alongside orange juice only for those who don’t drink), and water to keep us all hydrated. For dessert, we had Georgetown Cupcake which was my biggest splurge! I pick up a dozen Georgetown Cupcakes every year for my Birthday in lieu of a cake and have found it to be the best and most special way to commemorate another trip around the sun.

*Disclaimer: Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of my links, then I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no extra cost to you. Additionally, this post is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own.*

For more preppy style & grand millennial home content, check out my Preppy Fashion & Grand Millennial Home page.

& NOW for my tablescape details…

China – I used dinner plates that I *surprise* normally use around my house for meals and dressed them up with bread plates, and tea cup/saucers that are from my Great-Grandmother, Nana Martha Seaton’s, China collection! I inherited my Nana Martha Seaton’s China collection a few years ago and am proud to have currently used and will continue to use her gorgeous collection for years and generations to come.

Water Cups – My water cups are from Kate Spade and I’ve had them for a few years via a FabFitFun box when I was a member.

Wine Flutes – For a table of 6, I opted to mix and match given what I have! For the wine flutes on the sides, I used my newly purchased Kate Spade X Target wine flutes that happen to be plastic and are SO FUN! As for the heads of the table, I used my gold wine flutes that I got earlier this year at Target and regularly use for lazy wine nights/dinners in.

Tablecloths and Napkins – I have been on THE HUNT for some elegant cloth napkins for hosting! When the Kate Spade X Target collection launched, I snagged some of the 4-pack cloth napkins sets for hosting purposes. They are uniquely embroidered and ADORABLE!! I got the matching table runner from the Kate Spade X Target collection and paired it with an aqua sheer thrifted curtain that I repurposed as a tablecloth.

Party Poppers – I wanted to invest in something unique for my 26th Birthday Brunch Tablescape. I actually got these party poppers first when visioning for my tablescape! On an April solo date to my happy place aka Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, I popped into Boxwood – a gorgeous boutique on King Street focused on home and hosting goods – and happened to chat about my 26th Birthday Brunch with the lady working there (whose name I wish I remembered!). She graciously showed me a few things storefront to get my inspiration going to which these beautiful party poppers were then shown to me. I *knew* that they would be the perfect touch to my tablescape and am SO excited that I got them, after memories of using party poppers as a kid during the holidays. Needless to say, they were a hit at the table!!

Flowers – Last but not least, my Papa graciously gifted me a bouquet of flowers that coincidentally paired SO well with my tablescape. I put them in my Lilly Pulitzer-inspired painted vase that I thrifted from Goodwill a couple of years ago for the perfect finishing tablescape touch.