As my 29th birthday was approaching I began to obsess over how I should celebrate the last birthday of my 20's... and that my dear is how I decided to throw myself a 20's themed birthday party! I love to dress up and I equally love themed parties so it was a match made in birthday party heaven!
On my invitations I wrote:
Kassandra's roaring 20's are almost over!
So let's celebrate with food and wine,
and party like it's 1929!
Girls come dressed as a flapper.
Men please look dapper.
And just encase anyone was confused on what to wear I hinted:
Please dress for the occasion.
Think Boardwalk Empire, The Great Gatsby, Flappers and Gangsters.
Surprisingly everyone dressed up and more importantly everyone looked great and had an awesome time. There was a whole lot of sequins, fringe and headbands for the ladies and the guys pulled out all the stops with suspenders, bow ties, vests and fedoras.
My hubby had a difficult time trying to tie his bow tie. Of course we were running (fashionably) late for the party so he tried to tie his bow tie on our party bus which for obvious reasons didn't work out very well. I give him an A for effort though because he spent about half an hour practicing the bow tie method on his leg in hopes of figuring it out to then tie on his neck... let's just say that it worked well on his leg but that didn't transfer to his neck. Luckily I bought a last minute back up bow tie that just clipped on. It wasn't as cute but it was better than having him walk around the party with a bow tie on his thigh!
The venue I chose for my 1920's themed birthday party was a Speakeasy Lounge in Hollywood called the Next Door Lounge. I stumbled upon this awesome location cruising around on Yelp one day. Not only did they have great reviews but their decor, staff attire and secret password gave my party an authentic prohibition vibe. Guests were greeted by two dapper doormen in black suits and fedoras and upon saying the special password associated with my party my guests were given free access and escorted to our table. Several of my guests commented on this special and memorable touch.
The waitresses were very friendly, attentive and decked out in flapper dresses complete with a sequin headband and feather. Come to think of it, all the staff members were extremely nice and dressed to the nines! I was surprised at how easy it was to make the reservation for my party. I called and spoke with a gentleman named Sam who took down my name and credit card info to hold our table. There would be a $200 charge if I did not cancel our party and no one showed up but there was no minimum required or deposit which is very refreshing for Hollywood!
The decor inside the Next Door Lounge is totally what I imagined a 1920's speakeasy to look like. A large room features black and white photographs hanging against exposed brick walls and is filled with rich dark woods, high leather back chairs and sofas. However, the focal point of the room is a gorgeous chandelier that hangs high above the bar.
The Next Door Lounge even had some specialty cocktails that embodied my visions of 1920's glam. My favorite was the Debutante which is served in a vintage style coupe glass. It seriously has to be the best tasting cocktail I have ever enjoyed. It is the perfect blend of Vodka, Fresh Strawberry, Lime Juice, Rosemary Simple Syrup & Honey.
My Mother-in-Law and I definitely got the shimmery dress memo! She is wearing a black and nude Sue Wong dress that is loaded with art deco style beading and finished with feather trim at the bottom. I am wearing a nude mesh dress with intricate beading, sequins and beaded fringe by Jovani, style #1380. It was purchased from Neiman Marcus but can be found at various online boutiques as well. I bought these rhinestone shoes from the Aldo Outlet the day before my party for $12!!!! They were a full size too small but since they were the last size Aldo had and went perfectly with my dress I squished my fat foot into them! I was pretty shocked when I wore them pretty much all night without dying. (I did take them off on the way home.)
I made my flapper headband myself with a hot glue gun and materials that I bought from Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Store. The materials cost me about $30 but similar headbands were selling for $80 and up on etsy so I decided to try this myself. It took me all of 10 minutes to make and I was extremely happy with how it turned out!
I ordered my cake from Gelson's the day before my party. I don't really like cake so I put this off and almost ended up without a birthday cake. Most bakeries want you to order a few days in advance but I promised to keep my design simple and they promised to have it done in time. Basically my birthday cake was just a two tiered round cake with a black band around the top layer and a row of iridescent white gumballs around the bottom layer to create a pearl effect. Upon arriving at the Next Door Lounge they took and stored my birthday cake for me. I had placed the white feather and two fresh roses in the bag with my cake but forgot to instruct them what to do with them. I was beyond pleasantly surprised when my cake came out topped off with my roses, feather and lit candles. To top off my excitement there was no cake cutting fee which most venues stick you with.
Overall, I had a great time at my 29th birthday party and highly recommend this theme to anyone! It works especially well for someone in their 20's or 30's. It was a blast to see everyone in their Great Gatsby styled outfits and I love all the pictures we got of everyone dressed up. I feel like I could not have picked a better venue if I tried and I am actually totally OK with being 29. I was freaking out the few days leading up to my party but now I feel fine. Come and talk to me after my 30th birthday and I might be singing a different tune. Hahaha.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!
Please leave any questions or comments you may have down below.
Also, since my shirt had sheer lace in the back I decided to go bra-less. It doesn't get much comfier than that folks! Target has a great selection of sticky bras and pasties for such times!
