Celebrating a milestone birthday is equal parts brilliant and stressful, right? On the one hand, it’s a party you’ll never forget (and all of your friends are obliged to turn UP) and on the other, the pressure of hosting something truly special can easily lead to overwhelm.
I experienced this mere weeks ago when hosting my 30th birthday. I’d spent months debating what the best way to celebrate was – a holiday? A big family party? A spa staycation? I looked back over the milestone birthdays of my youth and recalled my abysmal attempts at hosting big parties and how I’d spent most of the night stressing over whether everyone else was enjoying themselves. Not this year, I thought, this birthday is all about minimum stress, maximum fun.
With that in mind, I went about planning the ultimate girls day out and if I do say so myself, I succeeded. From thinking up unique gifts that memorialise the event, to finding affordable alternatives for catering – this is your ultimate guide to celebrating a milestone birthday.
Gift yourself to a bespoke nude from Davinia Watson
Starting with the most important, of course, your gift to you! There’s something about turning 30 that makes you view birthday gifts in a whole new light. At 18 I wanted a tattoo, at 21 I wanted jewellery I could keep forever (and immediately lost, of course) but for my 30th I wanted something that could memorialise me as I am now. Something that felt meaningful outside of just keeping it, that I could look back on and not just remember my life now but also how I felt about the word. Cue lightbulb moment: a nude portrait.
Before you back away slowly from the laptop, bear with me here. Self-portraits don’t have to be self-indulgent, even if you’ve got your tits out. For me, it was about memorialising my body in all its misshapen glory, but beyond that it was a symbol of confidence and acceptance. I spent my early 20s conscious of every roll or stretch mark, and the latter half practicing ALL the self-help tools to reframe the way I saw myself. And guess what? It worked! Don’t get me wrong, I’m self-aware enough to know I have the benefit of thin privilege, but on the spectrum of self-acceptance I went from 2 to 10 over the years and that is certainly something to celebrate.
If you’re keen to try it yourself, I’d recommend artist Davinia Watson. Her work is a celebration of resilience and self-love, starting nude portraits after her own courageous journey undergoing a preventative double mastectomy after being diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene mutation. When I met Davinia to chat about my painting, she exudes warmth and makes you feel immensely comfortable – it’s a good job, because you’ll be sending her naked pictures a few hours later! But seriously, you don’t have to pose naked for a good nude portrait, just take some shots of yourself in the post you want, and her creative vision will do the rest.
Truly, there’s no one I’d feel safer with – and the artistry speaks for itself! FEE DETAIL HERE
Rent a luxury Airbnb for all your friends to stay
Okay, I know we’re bordering on hen-do territory here, but again – bear with me! Think back to your teen years and one thing stands out about any night out you ever went on: the girls sleepover after. Swapping makeup as you get ready together - the resident air wrap owner roped into curling everyone’s hair – coming home altogether ready to scran a McDonalds, and the best part… debriefing in the morning. Let’s be honest, it’s the best part of a night out!
Renting an Airbnb then is the perfect solution, especially if you’re living in London where extra bedrooms aren’t exactly aplenty. Of course, Airbnb has a strict no parties rule, so make sure you keep all the party activities to outside the house – but how about a paint and sip in a fancy dining room, followed by a pre-getting ready takeaway and then pre-drinks in a living room so lavish you can even get your Instagram pics in?
You could also venture to the countryside, renting one of Airbnb's incredibly luxurious castle or mansion options for a real home away from home experience.
Set up a home spa day with Urban
Since you've got the luxury Airbnb anyway, why not host a spa day for your girls? I had two incredible therapists perform massages and facials for guests at my 30th and it was the perfect start to a long day of partying. Urban is at at-home service where you can book spa services from massages to waxes to nail appointments and vitamin drips. And trust me, the services are LUXE. The express massage, for example, costs only £45 but last 50 whole minutes!
Therapists will arrive with all of the equipment they need, setting up in an open space in your home that you can arrange as you wish. Your therapist will also be in touch beforehand to make sure you're prepared for their visit.
My massage was by far the best I've ever had, with the therapist also providing ambient music and warm essential oils, as well as a range of techniques including cupping. Guests spoke incredibly highly of their facials, in which all Elemis products were used, with everyone finishing their service with smiles that lasted hours.
Hire your party décor from Elizabeth James events
Let’s talk décor. A milestone birthday commands a glamorous backdrop, of course. What else are you meant to pose in front of on your birthday other than a giant sequin wall with a balloon arch and huge light up numbers?!
No one does it quite like Elizabeth James, who offer everything from flower walls to custom neon signs to all-in-one packages. The colour options are inspired, offering an elevated look that screams luxury. The most important part though? The efficiency of the service. Staff will arrive to set up your décor before your party, and you’ll have it for 24 hours, then they’ll come to collect it. It’s a speedy service, with my package set up in less than an hour and taken down in half that time – but you wouldn’t know it for how glamorous the set up looked. Truly, it elevates even the simplest backdrop, and their customer service is second to none.
Find out more about Elizabeth James Events here. And if you want to push the boat out and hire a band or DJ, their partner company Tailored Entertainment offers great packages – between them they’re a one stop shop for the ideal party set up!
Go for pre-drinks at a unique activity bar like Hijingo
If you’re looking for something different to do on the day, either as part of a string of celebrations or a pre to the main event, Hijingo is the ultimate shout to get everyone amped up and in the party mood.
Futuristic bingo, Hijingo has an A.I. host who hilariously walks you through two games of bingo with the chance to win fun prizes from a robot hoover to a holiday abroad! There’s also cash prices, with up to £500 on offer. It’s a sensory experience you’ll never forget, and even walking in you can’t help but catch onto the upbeat atmosphere where everyone is up for a laugh – and winning!
Hijingo host shows every night from Tuesday through to Saturday, as well as themed events like Y2K Bingo and bottomless brunch experiences on the weekend. Trust us, the food alone is worth going for – a delicious selection of bites from mushroom arancini to popcorn chicken, I’d go back just to scoff down their pork belly sticks!
Host a paint and sip over lunch
As wholesome as it gets, despite the endless prosecco, a paint and sip exercise is the sweetest way to start off celebrations and ease everyone into a night of debauchery. You can order Paint and Sip sets for as little as £16 on Amazon, but if the budget allows you may want to order your equipment separately. Remember, you’ll need canvases with easels, paintbrushes and pots, plus paints of course. Purchase a throwaway tablecloth and some placemats that guests don’t have to worry about spilling on, then be sure to dress the table with snacks and Prosecco.
Encourage your guests to paint something on theme for your birthday, or even inspired by you, and then they’ll also get a keepsake to take home with them that forever evokes memories of the best birthday they ever attended!
For easy catering, try Pret Platters
Catering has always been my biggest hurdle when it comes to hosting. It’s by far one of the most important parts, but there’s so much to consider. First of all, dietary requirements – is there any female friendship group that doesn’t have at least ten different requirements from vegan to gluten-free to allergen free? Then there might be multiple times throughout your event when guests will want food, especially if you’re drinking, so how much should you provide? And most importantly – it all comes down to budget. So many catering options are incredibly expensive, which might be fine for some, but you want to know you’re getting quality food people will remember if you’re paying a pretty penny.
Enter my lightbulb moment: Pret Platters. I was hosting a day event for my 30th, so I wanted guests to be able to arrive to lunch, snack throughout the day, and of course have some sweet treats for afters. Pret is perfect for this. They have breakfast, lunch and sweet platters for any dietary requirement – starting at just £35 for a lunch platter that feeds five. Their bundles start at £115 and serve 10 – working out at £11.50 per person with a huge range of delicious goodies available!
I ended up going for a bit of everything: their classic sandwiches, chicken salad platter, hummus and falafel mezze, birchers and pastel de natas. It was truly a dream – and the easiest set up possible. You can order platters online and pick them up at your local Pret or have them delivered!
Order a personalised cake from Hummingbird Bakery
Nothing says milestone birthday like you’re very own Hummingbird Bakery cake, currently reigning on Instagram as the coolest bakery in London. Famous for their American style cupcakes and desserts, they offer personalisation on all cakes and last year celebrated 20 incredible years in the business.
From children’s birthday cakes to rainbow cakes, thank you gifts to engagement cakes, there’s a treat for every occasion – with a a full range of baked treats and desserts including cupcakes, layer cakes, brownies, cookies, pies and cheesecakes.
I ordered the red velvet cake from their Valentine’s Day collection, purely because of the adorable heart shape, and had my birthday theme iced on top. Truly, I’ve never tasted anything like it – my guests say they’ll be dreaming of it for years!
Those living outside of London can discover baking at home with the bestselling cookbooks or at home decorating kits. Guests can even visit the head bakery in Spitalfields to watch the resident bakers create and decorate the signature bakes. The Hummingbird Bakery treats are available for delivery across London or collection in-store. Same day delivery available via Deliveroo. Decorating kits available for delivery nationwide.
And for the morning after, a Greggs delivery is a must
What kind of host would you be if not for providing a hangover cure for your guests? Enter Greggs – the ultimate breakfast choice for the morning after a major celebration. Their extensive breakfast menu is available until 11am and includes meat and vegetarian rolls, hash browns, and pastries (bakes are available all day for those needing their go-to Greggs fix).
I had a selection of breakfast rolls available for guests, arriving first thing as we all woke up, with much-needed coffees available too. You can order via Just Eat and UberEats or use their click and collect service.
Frankly, it was one of my favourite moments of the weekend – is anything ever as fun as debriefing the night before with hordes of delicious food around you? These are the small touches that you might forget in the haste of planning a major event but always go down a storm with guests.
Set out a polaroid camera for instant memories
One of my favourite last-minute additions to my birthday was getting an Instax camera to put out on the drinks table, ready for guests to capture the cutest polaroids to remember the day. At the end of my birthday, I had about 40 polaroids of the most hilarious moments, all ready for framing or popping in a memory book – so much better than taking them on someone’s phone that you won’t see till days later, or worse, forget about right after!