I think your plans sound great! I can't think of anything to add, except that if you are serving alcohol, I'd pick something tropical fruity.

Sounds wonderful. Can I come? :-)

How about getting an orchid for your mom's hair (worn over her ear). Be careful - traditionally, the ear you wear it on indicates whether you're available or "taken"! A real orchid would be lovely and not at all tacky.

You could grill some pineapple. Brush with a mixture of brown sugar and butter and grill, being careful not to burn it. Very yummy, especially if you top with vanilla ice cream. But you've already got dessert covered (yum), so probably don't need that. But I would try to get some pineapple in there somehow.

With watermelon, I like to toss it with shredded mint and feta cheese. It is so good.

Have fun!

Suzieque

Thank you for your suggestions.

I bought a lei for each person, a special one for my mom, and a few hula hoops. I know my nieces and nephew and their mom will love the hula hoops. We're also planning a water balloon toss. There will be only 8 of us and my mom is strong and in very good health, exercises almost every day, and stays very active, so I want to create a fun festive day.

We did not buy any luau decorations (yet). We're reluctant to spend money on decorations that we may not use again. So, without the luau decorations, it's hard to create a "Hawaii" theme that I am going for.

We have a nice backyard with lots of potential to create a luau atmosphere, but it would take some money.

I'm seeking suggestions for non-tacky backyard decorations to create a luau look without spending a small fortune. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Well, I'm pretty shopped out now and have plenty of decorations. But feel free to post for future reference or anyone else who checks in. :-)