As you guys may know, my 31st birthday was a few months ago and I hosted a 'tropical themed' birthday party at my house. I throw a party almost every year for my birthday because I really enjoy the whole process. I love to host my friends and family and celebrate my birthday with them; it makes my birthday so much more enjoyable and special. There are a few tips that I like to follow to guarantee a successful night and avoid getting stressed and overwhelmed which can happen sometimes.

1. Avoid stress by hiring a party planner you trust

I always hire a party planner to help me out when throwing a party because it takes away so much stress off my plate and gives me more time to think about the personal touches I'd like to add to the party, which make so much difference to me! "Lets Sparkle" are my favorite party planners because I feel like they understand my taste and what I like and they always manage to get it exactly right which is so important.

2. Choosing the right Theme

The theme for my party was "tropical". Choosing a theme first is so important because it will help you to then choose a corresponding design as well as food, music and even your outfit. Not choosing a theme will leave you stuck and overwhelmed with your choices because there is so much out there to choose from so its always better to narrow it down.

Food:

Since my theme was tropical, I went for sushi as my choice of food for the night. I chose Ovo Bar to handle the catering and they did an amazing job. We had a sushi bar and canapés which the guests really loved. I did a tasting before my party, which I recommend everyone to do when choosing a catering service.

Music:

Going with my tropical theme, I set the mood at the beginning of the night with some live music which was a really great way to start and gave a really nice vibe as guests where arriving. Later on in the night was when the DJ started. I chose DJ Hesh to play at my party. He's a good friend of mine and an amazing DJ that I trust. It was so important to me that my party had the best fresh, new music playing so I made sure to make that happen!

Outfit:

I chose to go for a colorful, fun dress for my party to match the tropical summery theme. My dress was custom made by Amgad Al Adab, an amazing designer and a good friend of mine. You always want to feel and look your best during your party so make sure to choose something to wear that makes you feel comfortable and beautiful.

As for my make up and hair, Coiffeur 17 hooked me up with a gorgeous hairstyle and Yasmin Othman did a beautiful make up look on me! I always recommend going to someone for hair and make up that you are familiar with and have tried before. If not, then make sure you do a trial look before your party just to make sure you are happy and comfortable with everything before the day.

By Yalda Golsharifi