MamiWorks
An Aladdin / Bollywood Inspired Birthday Party
As long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with the Indian culture and Bollywood. I am not sure when my fascination started but it could have begun after watching Disney’s Aladdin when I was a young girl. Needless to say, I was super excited when Disney released the Live-Action Aladdin movie this year and even more excited to watch it with my daughters. The large dance scene in the palace was one of my favorite scenes and inspired my daughters Aladdin / Bollywood Theme 6th & 8th Birthday Party.
When it is time to plan my daughters’ birthday party, I do one party for both of them as they were born 2 years minus one day part (my little one came 1 month early…click here to read more about me). For the most part, they always agree on a theme and place which makes party planning easier than expected (for now). For their 6th and 8th birthday, my girls originally wanted a “traditional” party. By traditional I mean one at a bounce house, gymnastics facility, or cookie decorating party place. However, I like to stand out from the norm and with very little effort, I convinced them to do an Aladdin/Bollywood inspired party.
Location: Bollywood Boutique & Studio
In my search for a party venue, I came across the Bollywood Boutique & Studio located in Monroe, CT. The studio offered a 1.5 hour Bollywood party where the attendees would dress up in traditional Indian clothing & jewelry, learn Indian / Bollywood dances and get some Henna art done on them. There was also time built in for food/cake. I was immediately sold!
The owner was so easy to work with and definitely took pride in her studio and sharing her culture. My daughters, all of their friends and the moms LOVED dressing up and wearing the jewelry. Having done some research beforehand, I ordered the girls their own Maang Tikka headpiece from amazon to wear as their “birthday crown.” They also loved learning Bollywood dance which was definitely a work out. The icing on the cake was the Henna tattoo at the end.
Decorations
When it came time to think about decorations, I knew I wanted to recreate an elegant meal scene. I searched the internet and Pinterest for ideas until I found one that was fit my vision. If budget was no issue, I would have absolutely bought high end decorations… but budget was an issue, so I went the “steal” instead of “splurge” way.
The majority of decorations were purchased from Walmart or Amazon. I wanted the girls favorite color in metallic and gold. Walmart came through with the perfect iridescent disposable table cloths, gold disposable plates and silverware, napkins and picture frames. As a mom of girls who love shiny things, I then ordered gold sequined table runners to put in the center of the tables. Making the effort to save money, I used the custom painted letters to make their names that I used 2 years ago as centerpieces. My vision came to life and I was thrilled!
Goody Bags
With both of the girls in elementary school, we decided to make the birthday party all girls. The reasoning behind this was to cut down on the costs, otherwise we would have invited more than 50 kids! Ultimately, this made looking for a goody bag gift simpler since I did not have to look for unisex items. After searching google, Pinterest and Etsy, I finally found the perfect gift… a wish bracelet.
Once I decided on a wish bracelet, I needed to find the right one. Sure enough, I found a shop on Etsy called Layered and Simple that specializes in wish bracelets and customizes them! They even had a bracelet with a princess Jasmine charm and the best part was… the shop was local (because I waited to the last minute). After speaking with the owner (another pleasant and easy lady to work with) and placing my order, I headed over to Amazon to order the gift bag for it. Sticking with the theme, I chose little gold drawstring bags which completed the overall look of the party.
Food / Cake
As if I haven’t mentioned it already, simplicity and cost effectiveness was the driving factor behind my party planning process. For food, we ordered pizza and had water and juice boxes. The birthday cake was designed by my daughters. We scoured the internet and Pinterest for ideas then they designed what they wanted. Once the cake was designed and the flavors chosen, they call Nana (aka my mother) who is the family baker and placed their order. Needless to say they like to make my mom work because they know she is an amazing baker.
An Epic Aladdin / Bollywood Inspired Party
The best part of party planning is the end result and seeing how everyone reacts, especially the honorees. My girls LOVED their Aladdin / Bollywood party and that’s all that really mattered to me. However, all off the guests enjoyed the party as well and still talk about it. It was so worth stepping outside of the box to create a different and memorable event. The EPIC Aladdin / Bollywood Inspired party was definitely a success!
What makes an event memorable for you?
My name is Michelle and I am the wife of the hardest working man I know, the Mami of 3 beautiful and AMAZING girls and a Pathologists’ Assistant turned Stay at Home Mami turned Mompreneur of not one… or two… but three businesses! I am super excited to share my experiences and learn from you. As women/moms/entrepreneurs, we must stick together and support each other!
