Blowing out the candles is no longer the main event at birthday parties. Today, guests are getting in on the action more and more with clever interactive elements like song-inspired Mad Libs and D.I.Y. favors and treats. But the host is still the star of the shindig and is represented through personalized decor pieces and intricate invites, over-the-top themes (Pop Art is predominant, especially among teens), and unique craft cocktails and food and drink pairings.
A DJ spun in front of a dance floor that featured the birthday girl’s personal logo at a sweet sixteen party produced by Magnolia Bluebird Design & Events. Warhol-style graphics, props, custom throw pillows, and comic-art-inspired decor punched up the white lounge furniture at the Musikfest Café at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Photo: Courtesy of Rodney Bailey
The teenage guests designed and signed their own spin-art pieces, which were framed to create a personalized custom work of art for the birthday girl at the Pop Art party produced by Magnolia Bluebird.
Photo: Courtesy of Rodney Bailey
A hot chocolate to-go wall featuring custom mugs, gourmet marshmallows, and milk chocolate hot cocoa allowed partygoers to leave the sweet sixteen with a sweet treat.
Photo: Courtesy of Rodney Bailey
Magnolia Bluebird created walls of cotton candy served on LED glow sticks for the Pop Art-theme sweet sixteen party. “It smelled like a Katy Perry concert when you walked in the door,” says Danielle Couick, principal of the Columbia, Maryland-based event planning company.
Photo: Courtesy of Rodney Bailey
Another sweet sixteen was produced by the JDK Group in April 2014. The company's producer and designer David Everett created a flowing champagne fountain displayed in front of a greenery backdrop with a custom monogram for the party’s step-and-repeat.
Photo: Courtesy of Leslie Gilbert Photography
The sweet sixteen had an array of desserts, including a made-to-order gelato bar. Everett suspended the centerpiece—a five-foot custom-designed cake by the House of Clarendon.
Photo: Courtesy of Leslie Gilbert Photography
A caricature artist added a traditional element to the punk-meets-Great Gatsby theme of the JDK Group-produced event.
Photo: Courtesy of Leslie Gilbert Photography
At the sweet sixteen party, guests grabbed pails of fries to dip in toppings, such as sriracha, ketchup, truffle aioli, Meyer lemon horseradish, bacon mayonnaise, and vinegar, which were served in paint cans and spray bottles hanging from chains. An artist created an abstract painting behind the station.
Photo: Courtesy of Leslie Gilbert Photography
At the same sweet sixteen, a custom-designed raw bar with assorted sushi push pops caught the attention of the younger crowd and provided an innovative twist on the standard hors d’oeuvre.
Photo: Courtesy of Leslie Gilbert Photography
For an older crowd, Radio Milano in Houston offers an interactive option for birthday parties—a craft cocktail training class where attendees shake things up using an array of ingredients. During the hour-and-a-half lesson, the bartender demonstrates how to make each cocktail, and partygoers get to taste what they've learned. Pricing starts at $30 per person; food, upgraded liquor, and a reception are available for additional fees.
Photo: Courtesy of Radio Milano
For an outdoor party, the team at Tastings, a catering company that serves New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, recommends offering lunch in elegant to-go bento boxes. At an event at the Glasshouses in New York in February, guests dined on a classic mesclun salad with button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and herb vinaigrette; seared arctic char with baby potatoes; and assorted macarons and canele for dessert, all presented in a three-tier translucent container.
Photo: Alan Shapiro
Guests chose cards with quirky sayings and filled in the blanks at a party at the Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, in June 2014, which was produced by TCG Events. Afterwards, the cards and party photos were complied into a memorable coffee table book for the host.
Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Chesson
Pancetta-wrapped peaches with a basil pancake were paired with wheat beer in mini mugs at a Tastings-catered event held at a private residence on Staten Island in New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Tastings
For a 40th birthday bash in France, the designers of Ladyfingers Letterpress made a one-of-a-kind laser-cut invite that could be assembled into a real paper airplane. The invites also included a map of Paris, complete with markers identifying landmarks, such as Chanel headquarters, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. “Invitations offer a sneak peek of what’s to come,” says Sarah Schwartz, editor in chief of Stationery Trends magazine and editor of the Paper Chronicles, who sees a trend towards more personalization and away from cookie-cutter cards.
Photo: Ladyfingers Letterpress
Hosts are making wishes with crazy candles like firecrackers, sparklers, and the musical flower buds ($6.95) from U.S. Candle Company. Once the candle is lit, the large center flame lights 14 small candles, which are attached to each petal. The candle then “blooms,” starts to spin, and plays the “Happy Birthday” song.
Photo: Courtesy of Keystone Candle
For a milestone birthday dinner, designer Nichole Michel of New Haven, Connecticut-based Coral Pheasant Stationery created a stationery suite with an architectural typeface that paralleled the strong lines of the arched casemates of the party venue, Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island. Fun facts about the year the birthday boy was born were used to create trivia cards and coordinating coasters.
Photo: SHS
