Let me tell you – this party theme was one of the most fun to plan, and I mean it. There was a lot of back and forth on the concept at first. Initially we settled on a red carpet theme, calling it ‘dressed to the NINEs’, but I wasn’t convinced that it was right. During a visit to HomeGoods one night I came across a platter on clearance and thought, this is it. This is the theme. I showed that platter to Lily and offered the idea of switching to more of a music theme, like red carpet but musical.. almost like the Grammy’s.
I always give her freedom to search our themes on Pinterest for things that stand out to her. After she started searching Grammy’s the results shifted her view and she tossed out the idea of a ‘rock star’ theme. Which eventually morphed into more of a concert vibe. Ultimately we landed on a world tour, Lily’s 9th World Tour to be exact. She was particular about wanting a concert, tour aesthetic. I immediately started brainstorming the vision and pulled together this design below.
Set up
When we have hosted events before, there was a pretty standard plan of attack. I knew what did and didn’t work for our parties. The new house has a floor plan that flows very well throughout giving me a lot of options.
The party had a few ‘moving parts’ if you will and I wanted to keep them on the same level of the house, but make sure they were easily distinguishable. We had hair and makeup (library), merchandise (formal dining room) concessions (kitchen/homework room) and main stage (family room) which were labeled as such. All within steps of each other.
The front door opened up to a pink ‘red’ carpet with a walk of stars leading to a sign directing you to each of the spaces we had set up.
Hair and makeup
It’s no surprise that we directed the girls into hair and makeup upon arrival. The natural order of things. I set up a mirror, bright colored clip-in extensions, and neon glitter for them to get ready. With some assistance we were able to get everyone concert ready. While they were waiting their turn, we set up a ‘karaoke sign up sheet’ allowing them to pick which songs they’d like to sing and who they planned to sign with.
Merchandise
I wanted to give the party a concert/world tour feel and what is more iconic than merch. The guests were handed VIP all access passes on a beaded lanyard. I designed them and had them printed, then stuck them on clearance lanyards from Michael’s. We had a variety of neon trucker hats, bracelets, concert tees, and microphones filled with candy.
The concert tees doubled as a party activity for entertainment. My original plan was to iron patches onto denim button downs (a less expensive alternative to jean jackets) but a delay in shipping made that impossible. Because I already had the patches, I decided to shift the focus to colorful tees instead and kept the same plan. After they chose patches and letters to suit them we helped iron them on.
We gifted all of the girls a purple collapsible crate (which I grabbed while Joann’s was closing for $2 each) to keep their merch in. I added a clear tag with ‘thank you’ and filled them with custom confetti from Festive Fetti.
Concessions
Our homework room, which is located off the kitchen, has a table around 9 feet long making it the perfect place to setup. I used the sideboard as the cake/treat table and served food out of the nearby kitchen. We’ve been ordering pizza for the kids parties for a while now and it’s been the easiest way to go. Paired with fruit, veggies, and chips – you’re good to go!
In place of a traditional cake this year I decided to take a chance on a ‘cotton candy cake’ which is exactly what you think. The layers of cotton candy are setup, sliced, and served like a cake. I added standard cupcakes, custom cookies, and more of the candy microphones to finish it off.
Main Stage
Now for the main event – the karaoke. For Lily’s birthday we gifted her a pretty legit karaoke machine knowing that outside of the party, she would use it for fun with her brother and friends. When it was time we made an announcement and everyone gathered in the family room. I had already pre-added all of the requested songs to the queue and let it go. They took turns singing all of their favorite songs. We picked up blow up guitars and the girls had so much fun pretending to be in the band.
I’m so lucky to have created a lot of relationships with small shops that bring my visions and plans to life. Without them much of this would not be possible. I turn to them each year as my brain starts pulling things together and they help to make it all happen. Miranda, Brenda, Amy, and Tiffany.. I couldn’t do what I do without you.
Vendors
Custom tags – Chalk Designs by Me
Confetti – Festive Fetti
Felt garlands – Pearl and Jane
Paper plates – Kailo Chic
Inflatables – Zurchers
Marquee letters – Imprsv
Fringe backdrop – Luck Party Goods
Cotton candy cake – Rockin Cotton Candy Co
Musical straws – Amazon
Guitar guestbook – Occasional Paper Cuts
Disco ball toppers – The Toppery Co.
Balloon garland – Amazon
Clip-in extensions – Amazon
Candy microphones – Amazon
Collapsible crate – Joanns
Guitar trays – Amazon
For more details be sure to stop by my IG, you can also shop links on LTK. Check out some of our previous birthday party themes here, here, and here.
