60th Birthday, Peacock Theme

A formal sweet 60th for my very deserving mother and all the planning that was involved! Here is what I did to make her Peacock themed birthday party a hit!

Style
Formal. We new early on that a formal event with a large guest list and program was the way my mother would want the evening to go! That's me and the fam!









 Budget
We looked at the 1st draft of the guest list, multiplied that by $75 a person and used that as a base. Obviously that changed once all of the final quotes were approved. We did this party for about 10k with the majority of the funds in food and venue rental.
We knew my mom wanted a party for her 60th and we knew it would be a big deal. So I got started one year early. EARLY is the only option that saves you time, money and stress. Why? Because more vendors/venues will be available on the date you want- if not all of them. If you get some decoration shipped to you in the wrong color, you have time to return it for the right one. Early bird special pricing sometimes happens. What early means to me is I get to put away just a little bit of money from every paycheck and thus not actually feel broke the whole time. 

Theme
Most people don't like themes because it narrows your options. I feel differently, I think it forces you to be more creative to make everything feel cohesive. Avoid being tacky by asking yourself, does this item or idea fall seamlessly into the event or does it stick out? There is no need to do something themey for the sake of your theme. Instead, it needs to embody a feeling....
Peacock to me says glam with a wow factor wrapped in feathers in a hue of blue, green and a hint of purple. 

Venue
For me the most important elements of a good venue are:

• an abundance of FREE & available parking
• distance from the celebrant's home & the majority of the guests if possible
• access from freeway/ease of directions
• natural lighting
• an area for pictures
• is the surrounding area residential? Will there be a noise ordinance?

We ended up at http://www.thetrinityballroom.com/ and loved it!

Food
If the venue comes with a caterer, you're good. If the venue doesn't, they will always have a list of preferred vendors. (DJs, entertainment, food, rentals, etc.) These are the folks already familiar with the venue and have done events there in the past. Also there is usually a fee to bring in someone from the outside. I checked them all out on their websites & on Yelp, then narrowed it down to 3 (more is time consuming) and started requesting quotes.

We used http://www.canyoncatering.net/ and they were amazing!

  



Also, always ask about corkage fees! It is much cheaper to provide your own alcohol if there is no fee. In this case we bought a ton of wine at Trader Joe's. Everyone was a fan.




Layout
Layouts are a must and I always start with the tables. I usually make all of my event layouts in Microsoft PowerPoint, but a regular pencil and paper does the trick too. I place everything from the bar, to the DJ, to the photo area, to the tables. The venue will have a few layouts for you to work with. In this case the bar was moveable. This layout helped me to plan out the color scheme for the tablecloths. I also wanted alternating chair sashes.  
 
Centerpieces

• Tablecloths- The caterer offered white or black cotton tablecloths which was great, but I wanted to add an overlay to that to bring the event colors into the room. I was looking into renting them or sewing them myself until I found a site that I could buy overlays for cheaper than renting, which left me enough in the budget to get chair sashes! tablelinensdirect.com 
• I found lanterns on clearance at Pier 1 imports online after weeks of searching for a tall statement centerpiece that wasn't a vase. By choosing a piece like this instead of a vase, I spent less money on trying to fill it.
• Flowers- I source all of my flowers from LA Flower Mart. The wholesale prices are amazing and there are so many different vendors to check out. I recommend doing a dry run with your actual container on hand to figure out what you want, then placing an order with a vendor for pick up on the day of the event. I basically walked around with a lantern, sticking random flowers in it. It was a blast. http://originallaflowermarket.com/ 

Souvenirs
Are the toughest part of the party planning process for me. I hate souvenirs that serve no purpose. I think back to my book themed event where I gave away bookmarks. It was perfect for the theme, inexpensive, and one thing I would have changed since most of the guests didn't read. 
In this case, I thought back to my mom. What does she like, what are her interests, what is a souvenir someone would recognize as hers? Survey says... Coffee. Done. I'll just buy some bags and fill them up with ground coffee, perfect! But wait, why is bulk coffee so expensive? There must be an easier way... enter branders.com for the win! Individually packaged with bag color options, no hassle or work. 
I made the labels myself using kraft Avery Labels from Staples. Then stuck them on with a peacock feather behind it. Woot, theme and useful favors accomplished.

 



 So determining the style, budget, theme, venue, type of food/caterer, the layout of the space, decorations & souvenirs are some of the categories I focused on to throw a great 60th Birthday Celebration for my lovely mom. Feel free to write in questions or comments below! Thanks and remember to Bea Creative!

Photos by Abe Alejandro http://abealejandrophotography.smugmug.com/