30th Birthday Dinner

30th Birthday Dinner: we decorated with white and purple, had a beautiful dinner party and money tree to celebrate our birthday girl.

This weekend a dear best friend turned 30 and we threw a pretty 30th Birthday Dinner party to celebrate an new decade and a new chapter. Milestone birthdays are special and it’s always great to celebrate with an intimate dinner party. It was such a fun way to surprise our guest of honor.

Celebrating At Home

I love celebrating a special 30th birthday celebration like this in my own home, where you can decorate ahead of time, and linger into the night. The best 30th birthday venues are somewhere everyone feels comfortable, but that also have a sense of occasion for an important milestone. The important things for us were to gather the birthday girls group of close friends and have a great time together. We made things a little fancy with decor and a dress code. A surprise party in the comfort of home with closest friends around the dinner table was a really lovely way to celebrate.

Party Decorations

We used lots of white, ruffles, doilies and a little purple for our 30th birthday party theme for the party decor. We were inspired by the birthday girl’s favorite color palette. On the front table, I added a picture of our guest of honor Connie, along with some candy and a beautiful bouquet of Queen Anne’s Lace.

I also used my chalk board and added some paper doily bunting and a birthday greeting, as a great way to set the tone as guests arrived.

The dining room was all dressed up for the party. We hung beautiful paper lanterns and a few DIY paper doily balls. They looked so pretty with the chandelier.

The Table

The table was set for 10, with a simple white table cloth. I used my pretty purple wine glasses to add a little colour.

I love how these pretty lacy metal candle holders looked with all the other lacy details, and how their round shape echoed the paper lanterns hanging above.

The focal point white flowers were more of the Queen Anne’s Lace, in three containers down the centre of the table.

I used simple white cloth napkins, and white plates made for perfect pairings at the place settings. The cutest detail for this special occasion were these pretty individual domed dessert holders.

We served homemade shortbread cookies in them. I loved how the cookies, stacked and tied into little bundles with baker’s twine, added another small pop of purple to the table. It was all so pretty, and the best part was that they were delicious.

Birthday Girl Chair Decoration

Another fun detail, was decorating the birthday girls chair. I made a simple rosette with paper doilies and tied on some ruffles and ribbon.

Appetizers In The Garden

We started the evening outside with some delicious appetizers. It’s always nice to build a little movement into your evening and starting out in the garden before heading inside is always a good choice.

We tried this yummy corn dip recipe from Inspired by Charm. Everyone loved it.

I served a simple purple punch of grape juice and ginger ale with vodka on the side for those who wanted to make it a little special. 😉

30th Birthday Dinner Ideas

Dinner was delicious we served a dinner salad with roasted potatoes, along with grilled flank steak and flattened chicken. Get the recipe for the flattened chicken here.  It’s the perfect summer dinner menu.

Dinner Menu:

• Salad with Roasted Potatoes
• Grilled Flank Steak
• Flattened Chicken

Money Tree

Since our birthday girl was travelling for the next year, we had the good idea to make a money tree in lieu of gifts. Guests brought $10 bills (they’re kind of purple here in Canada so they fit our colour scheme perfectly), and tied them on with these little ribbons and paper clips. It was a real blessing to Connie, and just one of the creative ideas that she really loved.

Dessert

You can’t have a birthday party without birthday cake. And what’s better than only serving cake? Creating an entire dessert table! I had so much fun putting together a purple themed dessert table. Click here to see all the details of the beautiful dessert table.

More Fun 30th Birthday Party Ideas

Our intimate dinner party was so fun, but another great option would be to book a room at your favorite restaurant, you might even look for somewhere with live music and a dance floor, or a rooftop bar with a happy hour to get the party started.

If you’re looking for more at-home party ideas try a board game night, online cooking classes with friends, or an online mixology classes. If you’re into a themed birthday party how about a murder mystery party, great gatsby, wine tasting party. Escape rooms also make a fun theme. Another idea for a good time would be to book a spa day. And a unique way to celebrate, not for the faint of heart, is a big group camping trip. Turning 30 is a big deal so how ever you choose to celebrate the birthday boy or girl, I hope you have a wonderful time and make lots of memories together.

More Blog Inspiration

You might also like our Toast Party here.

Also check out our Beer and Rootbeer Tasting Party here.

You might also enjoy our Favourite Things Birthday Party here.