If you follow me on Instagram, you know it was my 30th Birthday last week! I have known for a LONG time exactly what kind of celebration I wanted! I have always been a fan of the 20s; The music, style and atmosphere all spoke to me. It was the time of prohibition (and coincidentally the time the US saw the largest spike in alcohol consumption)! So for my 30th birthday, I decided we would all have a “roarin” good time and Kiss the 20s Goodbye!
First and foremost, I wanted to set the mood. I dictated that everyone needed to show up in their 20s best and sent out the invites well in advance so everyone had plenty of time to prepare! I also set up a Facebook Event page and posted outfit ideas and places to get costumes at a great price!
Once that was done, I moved on to decor. I decided I wanted to stick to the black and gold color palette. I purchased black table clothes for all the tables as well as gold table runners for contrast. I got the table runners for a STEAL and still have some left over! I will link those HERE! I also collected a bunch of empty wine bottles and spray painted them a beautiful metallic gold. I purchased some big white ostrich feathers to fill them and used some faux pearls to drape around the bottles. I then grabbed some simple glass tea light candles to scatter around. I also grabbed some gold fringe to use as a selfie station, and I am so happy I did! My friends were crazy appreciative too!
The biggest statement we made was actually with Christmas lights! I felt like the heavy overhead lighting in our event space was too much, so my husband grabbed his ladder and some Command Hooks and strung lights back and forth across the ceiling in the space. They looked SO magical and really made a difference. I used some fishing line to tie balloons from the lights to really increase the party effect.
Third, I thought about the food and drinks. I knew of course there had to be PLENTY of champagne, but I wanted to provide some other options as well. I made up a huge dispenser of one of my favorite classic cocktails (The Hemingway) and we set out a large bourbon bar for the gentleman featuring about 7 different varieties as well as any mixer you could think of. That one went over VERY well.
PS. When providing alcohol, always be a good host and make sure there is plenty of water on hand too! I like to make sure everyone drinks a bottle before they leave and make sure a ride is provided when needed!
As far as the food went, I wanted the party to keep going, so I opted for heavy hors d’oeuvres over a sit down meal. I had my husband swing by our closest Trader Joes (which is 3.5 hours away) on his way home from a business trip and raid their freezer section! We had potstickers, feta and caramelized onion bites, quiches, and about 10 other similar items. My uncle also smoked a nice boston butt for us and we set out some rolls and sauces to pair it with.
Finally, you can’t have a good Gatsby party without music! I spent a few days working on the perfect party playlist that featured a combination of classic 20s swing, soundtracks from The Great Gatsby and Chicago as well as modern swing music (more popular in Europe right now). This was such a fun playlist to dance the night away to! I’ve linked my Spotify playlist HERE.
Once all the work was done, it was time to party! I was a bit nervous as to how my guests would take the dressing up part (especially the men), but they all got in to it 120%. Th theme is fun and different and makes everyone in attendance feel special, not just the birthday girl. The party went on for over 6 hours and we had a blast every second of it! If you are wondering what kind of party to throw, definitely give the Gatsby style a chance! Your guests are sure to love it!
