We love keeping in touch with all of our past couples so we were delighted when Christina and Akinyele asked us to plan their daughter Gabrielle’s first birthday party! We had planned their July 27th wedding back in 2009 at Pantagis Renaissance and had such a blast- (click here to check it out!) They now reside in Texas where Akinyele is a doctor in a hospital and Christina is a nurse, however they wanted to plan the party in Northern NJ (where they grew up), so their close family and friends could attend. We were thrilled to be on board, and after tossing around some potential ideas for themes, we decided on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse since this is one of Gabrielle’s favorite television shows. The fun was on and the planning began!!
After visiting several locations, Soroya confirmed the party at Space Odyssey in Englewood, NJ. The gorgeous décor of the main event space, coupled with their large entertainment area filled with a train, bowling, laser tag and video games made it the ideal place for the entire family to have a great time to celebrate.
The invitations were exclusive VIP Clubhouse access tickets created by our design team that were a huge hit with all who received them. The ticket style invite was created to set the tone for this fun filled event.
Christina and Akinyele wanted to incorporate a bouncy house in with all of the fun, so we made it happen and added a custom banner that read, “Welcome to Gabby’s Club House!”. We brought in square tables with hot pink linens along with black chivari chairs as chandeliers hung above each table. The children’s table was positioned in the center of the room so they would be in the center of all of the action. We created a lounge area around the clubhouse so adults could relax and watch the kids (and some adults too!) in the bounce house.
Our design team created vibrantly colored lollipop centerpieces in red pails. The candies were a great touch to the room, and everyone enjoyed the lollipops at the end of the event. They were placed on mirrors on top of pedestals and surrounded by pink crystals to make them pop. Brightly colored balloons were also strategically placed around the room. Beautiful framed pictures of the birthday girl and her parents, taken by Mark Cunningham were also displayed throughout.
Fun food display cards with creative names from the clubhouse show were placed in front of the various food stations. Our couple also wanted to incorporate a few other fun food options so we brought in a hot dog stand, popcorn cart and cotton candy machine to add to the event.
The children were delighted to find official Mickey ears at each of their place settings on top of a Clubhouse place mat. They also received lunch boxes that held Clubhouse activity sheets, a pack of crayons, along with a drink and snack. They enjoyed eating them before the party even ended.
Confectionery Designs made an amazing cake (both to look at and to eat) in the shape of the clubhouse. The top layer was vanilla with mocha filling and the bottom layer was chocolate with cannolli filling. There were also red velvet cupcakes in liners decorated with the characters with Mickey and Minnie ring toppers on a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cupcake stand and an adorable smash cake.
The festive Mickey’s Clubhouse CD was playing throughout the event so all of the children could hear some of their favorite tunes. A face painter was on hand to decorate faces with everything from butterflies to dragons. Minnie Mouse herself also made a grand entrance and even got the adults up on their feet to dance. Akinyele joined in on the fun and did the limbo with Minnie.
Overall, the event was a huge success. Thanks to Christina and Akinyele for allowing us to be involved with such a special and fun event! We loved celebrating Gabby’s 1st birthday!
Best Wishes,
Soroya and The Finishing Touch
Special Thanks:
Elvira Grau, Diana Kim and the entire staff at Space Odyssey
Stephanie from Confectionery Designs
David Toth of David Toth Photography
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