Viva Lex Vegas
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE A STYLIST TURNING 40?! THROW A BIG 'OL PARTY!
Styling: The Festive Co
Venue: Hard Day's Night
Photography: Kate Dyer/ Urban Safari
Cake: Poppy's Pantry Adelaide
Props, Signage, Streamers: The Festive Co
Blackjack Table: Ace Nights
Glitter Bar: Glitter Me
Makeup: Emily Alver
DJ: Tennyson Events
Where do I even start?! At the beginning, I suppose! When I was choosing a theme for my fortieth (and it was always going to be a dress-up theme because..it's me), I wanted something that was easy for guests to go as OTT or low-key as they wanted.
It's the 10th Anniversary year of our wedding, so I was keen to go as a bride... and Vegas as a theme felt like the perfect fit. Fun, glitzy, EXTRA, but also, guests could just wear something sleek and sparkly if they wanted.
I was mulling it over at a Bestie dinner, and my friend Jess went, 'Oh, call it Viva Lex Vegas'.. BOOM. I love a catchy tagline.
It was locked in, and the mood boards began.
I can tell you once the Instagram and Pinterest algorithm get wind that you're searching 'vegas' themed stuff, the most hilarious and outrageous shopping suggestions start appearing in your phone. It was SO much fun, and basically, the reason I ended up with three outfits and my husband had two. LOL.
Anyhoo, let me walk you through all the fun, glitter, and disco ball madness that was my 40th.
How COOL is this venue! Hard Days Night was the perfect venue, especially for my theme! With loads of amazing art on the walls, oodles of neon signs and a burger van AND cocktail van inside, it had everything we needed to create a Vegas wonderland!
I set up a little Vegas Wedding Chapel just for photos - hilarious! I had spare "marriage certificates" so my brother/Elvis could pretend marry couples. The big heart is made of foam with little plastic bulbs pushed in, that I hand-painted. Its to replicate a really cute real Elvis chapel in Vegas. If you have a google, you'll find it.
I found the plastic pillars online and have them a bit of a cream spray, and also found that cute door on Marketplace.
THIS CAKE! I know!
It was just absolute perfection. My brief to the amazing Poppy from Poppy's Pantry was 'kitchy Vegas wedding cake in pink and red' and look at it!
I found those little Grecian cake columns on Marketplace (they have little cupids on them!) and asked Poppy if she could add another layer. Nothing is too hard for her!
I had a very, very hard time cutting it. There are photos of me looking like I was going to cry lol.
It's not a trip to Vegas without heart sunnies, am I right? My gorgeous niece helped me make these custom Viva Lex Vegas sunnies in the school hols.
Tattoo Parlour was a must - I had some custom temp tats made on etsy and bought loads of others online too.
How amazing is this wall! Hard Days Night has this gorgeous ice cream cart which we used as our desert option.
I made sprinkle 'shots' for guests to add to their icecream!
There was no way I could pass up the opportunity to use The Hangover movie as our hangover kit party favour inspiration.
I booked a Blackjack table from Ace Nights, and it was so much fun! Highly recommend. Guests absolutely loved it.
Sooo may fun costumes!
Of COURSE I was going to have a photo booth! Can you believe I found those foam letters on Marketplace!? The seller had a daughter called Lexi, and they were white so I gave them a quick roll of paint. The rest was bits and bobs leftover from the rest of the party styling. Fun and cheerful.
And while we're at it, I did a full explanation of my crazy outfit changes on my Instagram page, but they were all cheap and cheerful and so much fun. THOSE ELVIS SHOES!
The day before the party I was still deciding whether to do a 'photo board'. I wasn't planning on making one, but I knew my family wanted to see one.
So I figured, I would roll with the idea of how much I love costumes - and always have! I quickly pulled together pics of me in costume throughout the years. There were plenty.
Also, cute story about those fake roses! I made a ginormous fake rose wall for my brother's wedding 15 years ago as a backdrop for them. This was waaaay before you could easily hire them. I was ahead of my time, I know!
Anyway, I had to order hundreds upon hundreds of roses online from the US to make it, and as it turns out, there were loads of bags leftover. Which my dad tells me a week before my party! They were still in his garage, ha. Perfect! I used them to make a bunch of arrangements for the party.
The stand here is from Adelaide Party Hire, and I just used cable ties on jumbo cards as the base for the photos.
PHOTOGRAPHER APPRECIATION POST! I have to shout-out to the brilliance that is Kate from Urban Safari Photography here. Look at these gorgeous photos! I just love how she captured everyone's faces and the laughing and the mood of the night. She is also a genius at the 'extra' fun, so she made sure all the guests had a snap with the Vegas sunnies on! You'll see them below. I'm going to have them all framed up together.
Can we have a moment for the effort my friends and fam put into their outfits?! I mean, seriously. Of course my people are costume people, but they went to elite 10/10 level for this party. My friend who came as 'Cirque Du Soliel' had a professional face painter do his makeup for the night! 'Travis Barker' had seriously real-looking fake tatts applied all over his neck, The Hangover guys all appeared with baby in tow, we had a showgirl, boxers, The Cleopatra statue from Caesars Palace and so much more.
Photo from guest: The gorgeous team from Glitter Me in Adelaide came to add jewels, gems and glitter to anyone who wanted it! It fitted perfectly with our theme and they were the sweetest!
Some fun signage from the night! As made by The Festive Co.
A night to remember!