3 Party Ideas We’re Stealing from Busy Philipps’ 40th Birthday Bash

“I decided I wanted to throw myself a destination wedding,” Busy Philipps announced in an Instagram post on Monday. But this wasn’t your average marriage ceremony—it was a celebration of the actress and author’s 40th birthday. Held at Flora Farms in Cabo, Mexico, it looked to be as great of a time as you’d expect. “This was, without question, one of the greatest, most fun, and beautiful nights of my life,” she added.

While most celebrities opt to keep the details of their parties top secret, Philipps was too excited not to share the setup with her followers. And we’re so glad she did. Her vibrant fiesta was full of bright ideas—literally and figuratively—we want to steal for gatherings of our own. Here are three details worth celebrating. 

 

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Here are some details from my 40th! ? A lot of the design of the party originated from the invitations that @andreaghickey designed for me many months ago. I found Andrea because one of my favorite follows on social meeds @bobbyfinger shouted her out after the Buzzfeed layoffs where she had worked as an illustrator and I thought, “well this is perfect; maybe she would like to illustrate my invites while she finds another big job!” And she did! I had the idea that since it was a wedding to myself, the invites could be wedding like but a little f*cked up, I wanted all my favorite things wrapped up in flowers and vines and Andrea nailed it(scroll to the last pic for the invite)! Then we found @amyabbottevents who is based in Cabo (maybe @itsmeraypadilla found her? Probably he did ?) and after a five minute call, she totally understood my vibe and made it all happen in the easiest way ever. I basically just wanted it to be an explosion of color, like what I feel like on the inside, I guess? Oh! A huge shout out to DJ Alex from Cabo! He was amazing and even played a Tori Amos remix of Raspberry Swirl for me, (probs against his better judgement?) No one stopped dancing the whole night.? The menu @florafarms put together was incredible (the potatoes❤️?) and if you haven’t been there I highly recommend it, it’s so insanely magical. And a huge thank you goes to @itsmeraypadilla and Marc, who figured out logistics so I wouldn’t have to. ????????

A post shared by Busy Philipps (@busyphilipps) on Jun 24, 2019 at 3:46pm PDT

Personalize Your Party Favors

No one can forget who they came to honor when your face is literally everywhere. Phillips tasked artist and former Buzzfeed illustrator Andrea Hickey with the invitations, which, given the theme, were modeled after traditional wedding invites. “I wanted all my favorite things wrapped up in flowers and vines and Andrea nailed it,” Phillips wrote. The playful, hand-drawn border incorporates everything from nachos to portraits of her husband and kids, who can also be found on custom maracas at the tables. Details from the invite were translated to the menus and take-home tote bags, too.

Be as Colorful as You Want

If your heart is leading you in the direction of the rainbow or Barbie pink, go for it! The only real parameters Phillips gave her event planner, Amy Abbot, were that there should be an explosion of color. A canopy of pink, blue, and yellow streams (with peonies and Busy-themed papel picado banners to match) achieved just that. 

Pick a Venue That Gets Your Palate 

Flora Farms, Philipps’ venue of choice, whipped together a delicious-looking menu for the occasion. Guests enjoyed fruit-infused cocktails and drinks from the tequila and mezcal station to start, followed by an eclectic mix of roasted chicken and fish, corn on the cob, and banana cream pie in jars. Lesson learned: Your birthday dinner doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to feel like you. 

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