A pair of sisters successfully transformed the family home into a five-star restaurant to celebrate their parents' wedding anniversary.
Janie Baillie from Nova Scotia, Canada, teamed up with her sister Jean Craig to put on a "fine-dining" experience to mark their mom and dad's 34th wedding anniversary after discovering their parents were planning on having a quiet night in.
Yet even with the best will in the world, sometimes life can simply get in the way. That proved to be the case for Janie and Jean's parents.
"My dad is a lobster fisherman and had been on the water all day, so they figured they'd just have a night in to celebrate their anniversary," Janie told Newsweek.
However, the sisters were determined to mark the occasion so decided if their parents did not want to go out to a restaurant, they would bring the restaurant to them. The result was 'Chez Craig,' a five-star, "fine dining" experience brought to their folks from the comfort of their home.
"We created the menu and everything the day before and had everything all planned out," Janie said. "My parents knew we were making them supper but they didn't have any idea the extent we had gone to."
The menu included a starter of roasted beet and goat-cheese salad, followed by an appetizer of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and a main of lobster ravioli, using lobster from their dad's catch earlier that morning. It was finished off with apple crisp for dessert.
But while the food won rave reviews, the highlight came courtesy of Janie's sister, Jean, who got dressed up with a bald cap and mustache to serve their parents.
"My family is super close and we're all pretty fun loving and crazy, hence the effort that we put into the whole thing and the silly costume my sister put on," Janie said. "My parents are super deserving and we had so much fun putting it all together for them! They said it was their best anniversary yet."
Eager to share a glimpse of the "silly chaotic" fun of the evening's festivities with followers on social media, Janie uploaded a clip featuring some of the highlights to TikTok.
The video has already been watched 3.1 million times, with viewers full of praise for the sisters' efforts. "This is the cutest thing ever," one fan wrote, with another commenting: "What a memorable anniversary, you can tell this home is filled with love."
Janie is elated at the response to the video. "We had such a blast putting everything together that night and my parents were so appreciative of all the work we put into it," she said. "I really hope it inspires others to do the same."
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