My very first year in business, I got a call from now-longtime client, Mimi, ONE WEEK (!) before her daughter, Sally’s 30th birthday party at the Chicago Athletic Association‘s bar and restaurant, Cindy’s Rooftop. Mimi lives in Ohio, and Sally lived with her husband, Javi, in Chicago. If there’s one thing you need to know about Mimi and her family, they LOVE to throw a great party. With T Minus one week to go, during the tail end of Chicago’s busy event season (October), Mimi needed help finding a photographer, DJ, photo booth, and live entertainment for the party.

The day of the party, Sally and her VIPs enjoyed hair and makeup services from Bianca Sansosti Artistry at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. The challenge working at Cindy’s is the limited setup time- since Cindy’s is a restaurant during normal business hours, our team had one hour (or, rather, 45 minutes) to be completely set and stationed to welcome guests as the elevator brought them up. This included moving tables, unloading DJ equipment, dropping linens, placing throws and pillows and hanging an eight foot banner above Cindy’s built in bar- all while being six months pregnant with my oldest, Kurt. Hello Darling added touches of hot pink and gold linens, lush flowers and cozy lounge settings to give the space a feminine touch. Needless to say, we made the magic happen!

Boasting one of the BEST views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, guests strolled inside and out of Cindy’s, enjoying the party atmosphere inside and quieter conversations outside on the balcony. Entertainment Unlimited brought marquee letters for the fire pit, spelling #SALBABE, Sally’s childhood nickname. Guests snacked on a pretty-in-pink, three tier cake from Cake Chicago, posed in a hot pink sequin photo booth from Shutterbooth, sipped on cotton candy cocktails and marveled at the eight foot tall donut wall. Guests took home t-shirts, party cups, stunner shades and chocolate bars with Sally’s face. Okyne Medialab kept the dance floor packed, and Sally’s mom, Mimi, surprised her by flying in MJXpressions, a Michael Jackson impersonator. After getting everyone up and dancing the Thriller, Mimi wasn’t done yet- Winnie the Pooh, one of Sally’s favorite childhood characters, also stopped by to say hi.

Sally’s 30th birthday was one for the books! I was glad to be a part of it!

Photographer: Carasco Photography