Holy Guacamole: A 30th Birthday Fiesta

When one of my closest friends, Emily, asked me to help out with her 30th birthday party, I jumped at the chance. I love when I can make a friend's day extra special.

Can you believe this theme started with Chipotle? Emily knew she wanted to keep the food part simple and loves a good burrito bowl, so Chipotle catering to the rescue! With the menu set, the theme came quickly: Holy Guacamole! Emily is 30.

There are so many ways you can go with a fiesta theme, but with all of the fun cactus party inspiration out there, I thought it would be the perfect way to go with all of the party decorations. One of my favorite party supply go-to companies, Oriental Trading, has the perfect cactus party collection. This served as the inspiration for the party color pallet of green, light pink, dark pink, and yellow.

Next, I turned to one of my favorite party printable designers, Meghan of Elva M. Design Studio to create a custom set of goodies to go perfectly with the theme. I've had so much fun working with Meghan in past on some fun events like my Totally Tubular 1980s 30th Birthday party, a Girls Gone Glamping party, and a lakeside bachelorette party. She always comes up with the perfect coordinating designs and this time was no different! 

Buffet Style

Because the catering was going to be served buffet style, and quite frankly, took up a lot of space, it made sense to keep it confined to the kitchen. The party was hosted at Emily's home and she's got a super cute island and storage space built right into the kitchen. Using the island, I set up a station with cactus dinner plates and cactus dinner napkins, and added a few of the signs from the printable collection from Elva M. Design Studio. I love that Meghan's 4x6 signs are designed to fit right into the $.99 Ikea Tolsby frames. Don't live near an Ikea? You can grab them on Amazon, too.

Once the gorging on Chipotle was over, there was also, of course, birthday cake. I grabbed some light pink square dessert plates from my local Dollar Tree, but you can also order something similar on Oriental Trading. The light pink plates are a perfect compliment to the cocktail napkins. As a bonus, Chipotle catering came with the cutest little matchboxes.

To finish off the island,  I created a DIY  banner using printable pennants and a mixture of Dollar Tree tassel banners. I purchased two banners, one with green tassels and the other with pink, white, and rose gold and mixed them together to create a color scheme that matched the theme! The banners come with string and you can add on the pennants with mini-clothespins. This was the perfect station for guests to grab and go! 

Table Setting

To keep the table festive, but functional for hungry party-goers, I used a white tablecloth that I had on hand, however, you can buy a similar one on Amazon. Next, I layered on a Mexican blanket that we bought on vacation in Tulum a few years ago. Blankets can make a great table accent and are easy to throw in the wash after the party. These also double as a yoga blanket, too! So many uses, right? This was a great way to add in some of the yellow color to the party. If you're not headed to Mexico anytime soon, a look-alike is available on Amazon.

To add an easy centerpiece, I used paper fans from the Oriental Trading cactus collection. Paper fans can make for great backdrops. I've used them for a Thanksgiving Leftover Station and the 80s party, and they also make great table decor. 

If you're an avid reader of the blog, you also know I am a super fan of Dollar Tree. For this party, I used five clear glass circular vases, some white pebbles, and an array of faux succulents to create arrangements to place around the house. All of these supplies can be found at DT. Two of them made the main table and others were placed throughout the house as subtle accents. 

Additional Decor

Emily's fireplace also became a great focal point for party decor. I added another DIY banner to the mirror and placed an array of printables on the mantel. Pinterest has some great freebie options in the cactus and succulent department. The big 30 balloons were from Sprinkles and Confetti along with another fun balloon you'll see below! If you don't need the balloons to float, I recommend using a good old fashioned air pump (like from an air mattress) to blow them up. Saves you money and they make a great photo prop later in the night, too.

Keep your eye out for other cactus finds. I found some super cute potted mini cacti at Dollar Tree that were already potted. They were perfect to place around the party space.

I also found some metal cacti for $4.88 each in Walmart stores. With cactus decor so on trend, it's pretty much everywhere these days, so you never know what you'll stumble upon. Keep your eye out and grab a deal when you see one!

Finally, I made some fun boho tassel art. It seemed like a must for this southwestern fiesta! You can read the full tutorial on how to make your own here.

The Bar

Now, to the really good stuff -- the bar! I decorated the bar area with a hot pink tablecloth. To add a little interest, I used green posterboard from Dollar Tree to freehand some cacti. To add a "pot" and "sand" to them, I used some kraft cardstock. I promise, I am no fancy artist. Plus, the average cactus is a little wonky anyway! You can use sewing pins or safety pins to attach them to the tablecloth without causing any damage.

For this fiesta, Emily served up classic margaritas with fresh limes and salt rims. Using my Cricut, I created some party straws to go along with the theme. I used three shades of green cardstock to cut out mini cacti to add to an assortment of pink paper straws. Then, I mixed in some straws with flags designed by Elva M. Design. 

For your non-margarita lovers, you can find an array of festive box wines at Trader Joe's. Can you also spot the other fun Sprinkles & Confetti balloon?! I mean, who doesn't love a giant margarita balloon?

A good time was had by all, especially the fabulous birthday girl! 

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