I cannot BELIEVE how elaborate my 30th birthday party turned out to be. It started simple, with a ‘Roaring 20’s’ Theme, to celebrate the passing of my 20’s and beginning of my 30’s.

But before I knew it, the party snowballed into an EXTRAVAGANZA complete with photographers, a live band, swanky venue, and luxury costumes.

Let me explain. 

Y’all know, I love a good theme. If the theme is extravagant, such as the ‘Roaring 20’s’, then my party HAS to be extravagant.

My first focus in planning this party was securing a venue. I visited The Eberly, Arlo Grey, and a few other hot spots around town before settling on Perfect Strangers at Hotel Zaza.

The restaurant was perfect for my theme, moody and well decorated, but not too crowded. The restaurant provided wait staff, passed hor’s d’oeuvres, a fully stocked bar, and plenty of additional help on our party day!

After I secured the venue for my date, I went into full-on party planning mode. This meant designing and ordering the cake, picking out my dresses, choosing decor, and hiring entertainment. Unfortunately, my most luxurious party dress began falling apart the moment I got it, and required multiple rounds of repairs.

I was lucky enough to not run into trouble with the other aspects of my party, however. The cake from Sugar Shaker Bakery was an absolute SHOWSTOPPER.

The band played jazz covers of my favorite hits all night long. The decor was chosen and prepared way in advance, leaving for a streamlined set-up. 

Our last step before the party was to prepare all of our day-of documents for the event. This included task lists, a VERY detailed schedule, contact sheets, and more. It can be overwhelming to prepare for your big day. I probably wouldn’t have gotten through it without my assistant, Zoe.

I am well aware that most people don’t have the luxury of a dedicated assistant to keep them on-track and organized, and I get asked about my party planning process ALL THE TIME! I finally decided to use all of my knowledge and experience party planning to assemble a comprehensive party planning guide to help demystify even my most extravagant party. It comes out soon, so be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for all the latest updates.