A Knights of the Realm Birthday
Apple of My Eye Photography
I knew the first time we took my son to Medieval Times that I was destined to plan a party for him around the theme. He was totally enamored. He wanted his picture with Princess Catalina and asked every time we drove by the castle if he could go visit. This was a wonderful opportunity to bring some of that pageantry to our home and have some outlandish fun!
I love to set the scene before guests even walk in the front door, so I always start the design with the front yard. We lined the walkway with spikes and chains. I built a castle bridge out of wood planks that I stained and braced and attached them with drawbridge chains to the front door, then added a massive crest on the front door.
I doubt people even noticed all of that, though, because the real stars were Sir Barchan of Dinglebury and Sir Robin Knox of the Highlands - two of the Knights of Revel Grove, formerly of the Maryland Renaissance Festival. They greeted our guests as they arrived and a herald announced each guest in a most auspicious manner - rightly embarrassing some of our teenagers!
In the foyer, I set up a fun photo op area, complete with a refurbished throne, suit of armor and a portcullis (yes, I had to look that up) which we made out of duct tape and attached carefully to the ceiling.
The “throne” was found in the basement of an antique store. When I first saw it, it had a broken leg, springs flying everywhere, and only half of a seat foundation that seemed to be from a different chair. It was a total mess and if you tried to sit in it, the chair completely fell over. The store thought we were nuts for wanting it and so they sold it to us for $12! My father quite brilliantly repaired the broken leg, added a seat base, refinished it, and then I made a seat cushion out of some scrap fabric!
We added a longsword, a suit of armor that we found on Facebook Marketplace, and had a fun little photo op spot for the kids!
The Cake
For this party, I knew I wanted to make a castle cake, but not the traditional princess castle. Instead I wanted something more medieval. I love turrets and bridges, so I designed this cake to have a bridge to the fateful tower! A big isomalt moat was also a must! Almost entirely edible, the cake display included about 300 or so rocks that I hand-rolled out of fondant. I really wanted a piece with interesting angles that would be a challenge for me to achieve.
I found a wonderful backdrop and faux torch flames that I used to surround the cake which I served on adorable shield plates purchased from Meri Meri.
The Entertainment
We have gone to the Renaissance Festival in Maryland for years. It’s one of my husband’s favorite pastimes and when it came to finding entertainment for our party, he took a chance and reached out to Sir Barchan who had performed as a Knight of Revel Grove for years. Sir Barchan was incredibly gracious in agreeing to come to our party and made enthusiastic recommendations. He brought his friend, Sir Robin, and they had a tournament challenge in our own backyard!
Sir Barchan brought a chainmail coif and shirt that the kids had a blast trying on. Both knights were wonderful with our guests, answered unlimited questions from and spent lots of time with the children.
The Food & Decor
Knowing that the tournament was going to be in the backyard, we spent a lot of time decorating the deck area. My husband was placed in charge of building a castle gate at the base of the stairs. He constructed it out of cardboard cement forms & wood 2x4s which we decorated with castle-themed plastic wall wrap, foam swords and shields.
I designed a number of heraldic coats of arms which I painstakingly cut out of felt with my Cricut Explore and hung from the deck area as adornment. It was a labor intensive process, but this action shot with the crowd made it all worth it!
We happened to have a new freezer delivered shortly before the party and I couldn’t help but use the opportunity to make a turret out of it for the kids to use during their own sword fights. They also tested their skill at archery and axe throwing.
The Knighting Ceremony
At the end of the party, Sir Robin knighted the birthday boy in a special celebration and all the kids were gifted with either a wooden sword and shield or a floral crown as parting favors.
**Note: This party occurred pre-Covid
Photography courtesy of Apple of My Eye Photography