A Glamorous Gatsby Inspired 30th Birthday Celebration in Paris

Naelle wanted to celebrate her 30th birthday in style along the river Seine in Paris! She chose a glamorous Great Gatsby 1920’s theme, and we love what she had to say about all the planning and preparation for the event….

“I had the idea to have my party on a boat on the river Seine. I had compared many different boats, but what really helped me to decide was the fact that only a few offer real cruises on privatized boats (most other ones are just tied up at the docks for several hours.) While this is still nice, I wanted to do a real cruise past the beautiful buildings and monuments in Paris while sipping bubbly. In the end, I went with La Sans Souci, whose staff I met and felt a really great connection. We found out that we even had friends in common in high school, so it was an easy choice for me.

The boat was docked at Trocadero, right in front of the Eiffel Tower, and then set sail for 2 hours along the river, going past all the famous monuments of the city. I had a lot of out of town guests, so I was so excited to see everyone’s faces when they arrived!

The Caterer

I spent hours looking at different options – we’re in Paris after all, so there’s no shorter of food choices here. In the end, I decided to book the caterer of La Sans Souci, because I wanted people with experience in serving food on a cruise. I had a hard time choosing between the dinner and the buffet, but since I didn’t want people sitting all night long and falling asleep, I chose the buffet.

The Theme

This was a once in a lifetime party for me, so I wanted to go all out and make something glamorous! I also wanted to personalize the whole evening to feel like “me” and after spending hours on Pinterest, I chose a theme that’s vintage, chic and glamorous: “Gatsby in Paris.” The best part was that the caterer was able to match the décor with gold plates.

I wanted to do all the decoration myself, so I went to different vintage stores to pick out crystal glasses, decanters, gold frames, etc. The timing was pretty tight, but that was just part of the challenge. I wanted everything to be Gatsby-themed, and I was thrilled when my guests were as enthusiastic about it as I was. Everyone dressed up with sequins, feathers, gold accessories and pearls.

The Outfit

My outfit was as authentic as it gets – the dress was a vintage find and the sequined clutch belonged to my grandmother in the 1920s. I got my hair and makeup done at 365c, a “hair bar” in the Marais neighborhood of Paris.”

It truly was an amazing celebration – one that Naelle and her friends will never forget! And you won’t to miss a single image from Elizaveta Photography….

Vendors / Photography – Elizaveta Photography / Event Designer – Once in Paris / Location – La Sans Souci / Beauty – 365c