1930’s Theme Birthday Party Ideas

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When my husband turned 35, we celebrated in style – 1930’s style! This would make for a fun new years eve party as well! #nye #party #birthday #partydecor #partyideas #newyears

I had so much fun planning this 1930’s party for my husband’s 35th birthday. It was a long time in the works, but it really was super simple to pull off!! I’ve got a banner below of some of the supplies I used, so make use of this simple shopping list if you feel like duplicating!

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I find it so rare an occasion to dress up anymore; between young kids and finances and busy schedules, my “dress up” for the odd date night more or less consists of a clean shirt and tacking on jewelry for a change. I LOVED the idea of hosting an adults only dress up party, so the 1930’s seemed a super fun concept!

Now, the idea of the party was the year 1935, to match his birthday number. It isn’t necessarily that easy to specify the year in the theme though, so a bit of the 1920’s snuck in. I figured that made it easy for the guests, and all decades bleed into the next, right?

Party like it's 1929!! So much fun hosting a period-themed birthday party! #nye #newyearsparty Click To Tweet

I ordered my dress on Amazon, as did my beautiful mama, pictured with me above! I did pay a ~~decent~~ hefty price for my dress, but while period style, it is easily a black dress I can pull off another time and get more use out of it. My mom ordered hers online and got a steal!

For the food setting, I pulled out a linen tablecloth to add a vintage feel. There was a cheese plate, cheese dips with crackers, crostinis, and caprese skewers featuring cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves drizzled with a balsamic glaze. We also had plenty of apple slices and grapes for light refreshment.

The 1930’s party fare continued with a two relish trays, deviled eggs, ramaki, and my ever popular stuffed mushrooms. We included a Caesar salad to lighten it up. I also nabbed a bunch of plastic champagne glasses to use for shrimp cocktail.

Ok, I think they might be margarita glasses….but whatever! I DID score a full set of classic short champagne glasses at goodwill. My husband has drooled over my grandmother’s set for years, and I was thrilled to nab him his own set for less than $20!

So, fun fact! The photo of 1930’s starlets Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in the photo above was a table number at our wedding! I am a sucker for old films, and we chose a classic celebrity “couple” to grace each table at our wedding. Jeanette and Nelson happen to be two of my favorites.

Others included Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, and Lucy and Desi Arnaz. I pulled a few old ones out and used them as decor for the party. My mother also printed up a bunch of other classic stars, which we stuck to the cabinets for added decor.

Aww, my handsome man! There really wasn’t a lot involved in this party set up, outside of the food! A few tablecloths, some sparkly door drapings, and classic cocktails! You could totally nab some personalized cocktail napkins to go with the decor! I also purchased some fun photo props, like pearl strands, trilbys, and fascinators!

We had a blast, and he was super surprised. I let the guests know ahead of time so that they could dress to match the occasion. Everyone turned out in their best post-prohibition era get up!

You can easily pull off this style of party on a budget. The older birthday decorations at your local Party City will add that glam gold/silver/black look, and the door decorations are low cost and pretty! Check your local goodwill for glassware and plate options, as well as even table linens!

For cocktails, go old school! I had champagne, wine, and classic Old Fashioned and Manhattan cocktails. Post prohibition, baby!