10 Commandments of Throwing Your 35th Birthday Party

My pretty friend Tanya Moreno – de la Paz just turned 35! And after waking up to chug a liter of water and down two Tylenols, it dawned on me that maybe headaches could measure how much fun a celebration is. Now that I think about it, she got the formula (if there ever is) to a fun bash.

1. Close a bar.

Yes, a house party is always good but when you close a bar (or in this case Paseo 59c) you don’t have to think of preparing and cleaning up after.

2. Invite people you really love.

I think hosting in a bar automatically gives you an estimate of how many you can actually invite. No one is happy in an overcrowded space.

3. Hire a DJ.

Seriously, a DJ sets the mood of the party. If he senses it’s getting a bit slow, he pumps up the music and vice versa. A little dancing does a lot for the vibe, too. Tanya hired Javi Vargas and she wanted him to play happy songs everyone knew the words to from the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. Her guests were a mix of old and young so she wanted to make sure they could all relate to the music.

4. Make sure they served good pass-arounds.

At some point, I noticed there’s no more food to be had. Food fueled our drink consumption so an open bar was a good idea. Tanya’s food theme was pintxos, inspired from a recent trip to Spain. She also had a Bellota Jamon, which she hand-carried from Madrid just to serve at the party. It was wiped out in 2 hours!

5. Introduce a play of words that will help your guest know what your party will be about.

For Tanya, she used the phrase: “Let the fun beGIN!” It was actually used by some as a hashtag. That made it easy to look at photos for those who probably forgot what happened by the end of the night.

6. Hire a photographer.

It’s always good to get someone who will document the night for you.

7. Surprise your guests with something unexpected.

Music, food and drinks are always key ingredients for a great party but a fun, little gesture kicks it up a notch. During the party, Tanya’s husband projected a slideshow of photos of all her guests to show the history of their friendships. He purposely chose funny and candid pictures so they were all surprised when they saw old photos of themselves. It brought back a lot of good memories!

8. Give a dress code.

Girls always need one. No one wants to be over or underdressed! In this case, we were asked to dress fun and fab. Interestingly enough, that would be the two adjectives I would use to best describe the night.

9. Give creative giveaways.

A party doesn’t have to end when the night is over. Taking home a little token from a party helps you look back at the night that was. Since the party was Gin-inspired, she made sure everyone had a drink in hand and gave little hangover cures as giveaways. It was a small packet with paracetamol and a pack of gum to help ease our headaches the next day.

10. Lastly, text your guest.

Tell them you appreciate them spending your birthday with you.

We love you, Tanya, happy birthday!