40 minutes from Paris proper sits a beautiful chateau,  where I was lucky enough to organise a birthday celebration party for a dear friend . Chateau Anet   is a museum that has been preserved beautifully while also being restored with the modern day conveniences party hosts require. And this old world, modern beauty was home for a recent 40^th birthday party in Paris that we produced.

The property was originally built for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II. The French Renaissance architecture is absolutely stunning while the interiors are grand and the huge garden was perfect for our cocktail hour outside. Chateau Anet wasn’t just special is style to this birthday girl, as luck would have it, the family hosting the fete owns the chateau. So it had extra special meaning for the birthday celebration. And since the hosts were the owners, we had the opportunity to take our time with the décor and installation to ensure everything was exactly to their liking.

Since the venue is so elegant and majestic, I needed to find a theme that had glamorous touches to it.

My client loves James Bond movies so we thought of this theme because it fit perfectly with the property and the client.

This home was made for having guests so they already had all the tables, incredible époque chairs and silverware. The family is used to entertaining large groups so we were able to use their gorgeous tableware, some dating back to the 1900s and the crystal glasses by Saint Louis. The menu was based on a very elegant classical French menu elaborated by the family chef. A highlight was a cheese soufflé that had everyone talking by the end of the night. Then, when it was time for dessert, we went with a fun and festive birthday cake. Our client loves all things Hello Kitty. So when we decided on a huge cake it was not difficult to guess what it would be.

For entertainment, we booked Johnny and the Walkers, an amazing acapella group to entertain guests during cocktails. Then an incredible band and DJ got guests dancing all night long.

When dancing was done, we offered guests a lantern release in the garden. Guests used lighters to raise their lanterns as Botticelli music played in the background. It was such a magical moment!

With many guests coming from Paris, we offered valet in addition to vianos for those guests who preferred to drink and still return home safely at the even of the evening. This was a lovely touch when it was time to say good night.

It was wonderful to work with my client since we were already great friends.

Most of the guests were dear friends, so when the cake came out, I got to celebrate too. At the end of the evening I joined the dance floor and enjoyed my time with them. That made it so special to me. Knowing my clients well helps me to read their personalities. In this case, I knew exactly what the guest of honor wanted. It was such a delight to reflect her fun personality into her party. And what a fun birthday party in Paris it was!

A special thanks to my creative team who participated in this birthday party in Paris: Venue: Chateau Anet, Event Planner: Alejandra Poupel Events, Florist: Pascal Mutel, Band: Charlys Angels, Cake: Elizabeth Cake Emporium, Crystal: Saint Louis