Hello Everyone!
Todays post is about my Birthday Celebration. The entire Who, Where, What, Why, and How kinda ShaaBang and the idea came from all your direct messages on Instagram. Before I jump in to the post, I just wanted to thank everyone for making my night so special. Especially my family who went “above and beyond” making all of my party dreams come true and exceeding my expectations. I doubt that I would have made it without any of you. Much, Much Love and Much Thanks.
Now let’s get into the party details!
INVITATION
Due to time or lack of it, I made a private Facebook invitation. My dad asked me to keep the party small because getting everyone to the top of the Power & Light building was no easy task. My brother was the door person. He had to navigate the building and use a key fob to make the elevators work. So, party goers can’t just come and go as they please. I set up three times for arrivals to help keep the numbers smaller. The second elevator is original to the building and holds maybe 5 people, if that. Parking downtown can be an issue especially when it’s the same night that Jimmy Buffet is performing at the Sprint Center. So, my brother came up with parking options and one was parking on the route of the streetcar. You could park further from the Power & Light Entertainment District but have a free ride to and from your car.
VENUE:
I scored big being able to use this venue. My dad has a friend that actually lives in the apartments connected to the Old Power & Light Building. He reserved the top deck for my party at no cost whatsoever (s/o Pratik). I remember seeing The Power & Light Building for the first time in April. I was completely speechless because the view was so unbelievable. Never in my life, have I seen Kansas City so stunning. Not to mention being able to watch the sunset over the Missouri River and glisten on the skyscrapers-it was pure magic. If the sky is clear, you can even see all the way to the Chief’s and Royal’s stadiums. My dear friend, Quincy said it best “Isn’t it crazy that we have lived our whole life here and I have never seen Kansas City from this view?” Amen, Sister.
Now for the actual room that you can reserve… I am at a loss for words. It is Gatsby inspired with gold accents, black art deco wallpaper, marble floors, and minimalist art features. Even the bathroom is stunning. My friend Rose took photos in it, if that tells you anything. We did not have to decorate the room very much at all because it was already #goals. Going all the way to the top floor is like you are traveling back in time because you actually have to take a very small, older elevator up two floors to reach the 32 floor of the iconic Power & Light Building. I felt like I walked into a party that Gatsby would of thrown.
*Venue also comes with a security guard that looks like the Rock. He wears sunglasses at night and says minimal words…but is very nice.
DECOR
If you choose to rent this space out, you can actually change the lights that are on the outside of the Power & Light building for all Kansas City to see that night. For my birthday night, everything was lit up pink and I love it because it matched my dress. When decorating this venue, remember you have to lug everything up to the 32nd floor. I went with simple decorations. Packed in large trash bags to carry them up to the space, I had 10 gold balloons and 5 pink ones. We tied them to the stairs and in clusters on the bar and donut table. Very inexpensive decor pieces but they worked well because it helped lower the high ceilings. My mom did get me the traditional gold number 21 balloons for photos. She also picked up a six pack of battery tea lights that had gold glitter on the outside of them. We had clear glass tea light holders at home, so no extra expense there. The tea lights were placed along the bar along with my untraditional birthday cake my mom constructed from alcohol. She used 2 cardboard cake plates from Party City and 2 round, cardboard boxes with lids from Hobby Lobby, some gold spray paint, and my favorite chocolates. The cake was stacked so it came apart, and all fit into a suitcase so we could wheel it up to the top of the Power & Light building.
OUTFIT
My pink and gold sequin dress is from For Love & Lemons. My mom actually found it on Free People’s website on sale with additional 25% off. We couldn’t pass this deal up! It worked perfectly for the party and was not itchy from the sequins at all. I highly recommend something like this if you are wanting to go out because it is easy to walk in due to the leg split. The sequins were pink on the top and the underside of the sequin was gold. When, you ran your hand through it the light danced in it and the sequins made patterns.
Disclaimer** people will try to draw things with the sequins on your dress…beware.
My heels are just from DSW and they are the brand Mix no. 6. They are a great basic heel, but you do have to break them in. I bought these heels the day before my party and oh my gosh, my feet are still in pain from wearing them. Lesson learned… break in heels before wearing for six hours straight. I was wanting a clear heel shoe but went with the basic design of these because I knew I would get more wear. I wore small pink rhinestone earrings that are Betsy Johnson. I wanted my dress to be the show stopper and the accessories to be more low-key neutral accessories. Also, I stacked some Forever 21 iridescent rings on my finger. You can’t beat Forever 21 for inexpensive accessories.
FOOD
I don’t know about you, but I have been eyeing mini donuts as party appetizers all over the place. I can testify, that they live up to the hype. We picked up mini doughnuts from Donutology in Westport. They were extremely affordable and absolutely delicious. They even spelled out words for me in donuts. I had a mini donut bar instead of a birthday cake or dessert area.
For other snacks, my family picked up some sushi and other trays at Sams Club and then we made a nacho bar. Chips and Gauc are what I crave all day long, they had to have their moment. My party was from 9:00-Midnight so snacks were what I wanted to serve. My mom also made a pink Moscato punch and served it with pink striped straws. It was easy and a hit.
Recipe:
1 bottle of Barefoot Moscato wine, 1 Container of Simply Lemonade Raspberry, and 1/2 2-Liter of Sprite. She bought a bag of frozen raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries to float in the punch and keep it cool. Delicious!
PARTY FAVOR
Leaving parties with a small gift is the best because you are physically taking a piece of the party home with you. I absolutely love when people do this, because it’s a simple way to say “Thank you” and allows the receiver to hold on to something memorable. For my party favor, my mom and I bought little bottles of champagne, pink straws, and ordered labels that had a thank you on them. Originally, the plan was to put the label stickers straight onto the bottles, but we had to rethink our strategy. What we ended up doing was cutting gold glitter paper a little bit larger than the label. We tied the pink ribbon on the bottles, attached the greeting, and stuck a straw in each one.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to throw an inexpensive birthday, bachelorette party, or bridal shower. Honestly, it isn’t about the dress, the decorations, or even the venue. It is about who you celebrate with. They are the ones that bring out the best in you. So much love in one room on my birthday. It was unforgettable. Cheers to your future celebrations! May you be surrounded with LOVE!
by Twofold Media 
