Nat and I have been itching to throw a party lately and felt the upcoming Sex and the City movie was the perfect reason to celebrate!  When you first decide to throw a party (especially with someone else) the first thing you want to do is sit down and talk about the theme so everyone is on the same page.  The last thing you want are tacky plastic tablecloths showing up at your glamorous event.  Luckily, Natalie and I have been down this road more than once so we tend be on the same page on just about everything.   

We have watched Sex and the City since the beginning, and all of our friends have enjoyed and been influenced by the dramatic characters of the series and first movie.  We thought it would be fun to celebrate the latest movie installment with a Sex and the City style party.  In honor of the movie’s Abu Dhabi setting, we went with an Arabian theme and served lavish Middle Eastern cuisine.  The food was simple yet mature, and enlightened our guests to a truly powerful cuisine that has probably not been experienced enough among our peers. 

We staged the party at Natalie’s Uptown high rise apartment, where we filled the ceiling with white paper lanterns and placed turquoise and gold candle-holders on anything that would sit still long enough.

Crystal strands hung from the centerpieces with the blatant juxtaposition of modest sand and brilliant diamonds gracing the tabletop. 

We also covered the living room floor in pillows to help our guests relax while we played episodes of our favorite four ladies causing trouble in the HBO series and first movie.

To really help the theme come full circle, we asked all of our guests to wear their most fashion-forward attire.  This is Julie and Dani.  They wore real outfits from the Middle East!  They were stunning…as usual!

Staying true to Sex and the City, we served Cosmopolitans as well as a signature cocktail, Arabian Nights, based on the new movie.  Looks like Sherri, Erin, and Lecia enjoyed their movie-inspired cocktails! 

The glamorous details of this event united the upscale modern lifestyle of the ladies of Sex and the City with the over-the-top extravagance of the city of Abu Dhabi, not only in our décor, but in the food and attire of our guests as well.

This is our handsome, youngest brother, Chris.  He so kindly worked the bar for the evening, and stayed very busy hand-mixing every cocktail!

Look at him work!  He is hired for every party from here on out!

Hilaree and Daon taking a night away from the husbands and babies for some Sex and the City fun!  So cute and we loved the outfits!

So behind all of the smiles, fun, and cocktails, there was actually a lot of work that went into this party.  But don’t worry, it was really pretty easy…and we’re going to show you exactly how it was done. 

Centerpieces

branches (about 36 inches high)
shimmery champagne or gold spray paint
styrofoam
8-inch or larger vases
sand
crystal strands

Spray the branches with spray paint and allow to dry for 24 hours.  Cut pieces of styrofoam and fill the bottom of the vase(s) to help stabilize the branches.  Push the branch into the styrofoam and continue filling the vase with pieces of styrofoam until the vase/branch feels secure.  Fill the vase with sand to cover the styrofoam.  Hang crystal strands from branches.  Add loose crystals to top of sand (optional).  The crystals were purchased from Koyal Wholesale.

Paper Lanterns & Décor

The large paper lanterns were a Martha Stewart speciality purchased at Michael’s.  They come in a package of three different shapes and sizes, and are very easy to put together.  They do NOT come with string though so plan to pick that up so you don’t have to make an extra trip like we had to!  Whoops!  Thanks Craig!

We bought a wide array of turquoise and gold candle-holders to place around the room.  They are pretty inexpensive and add so much to the theme!  Most of the candle-holders were purchased at Luna Bazaar.

We bought 5 decorative pillows in our color scheme and tossed them on the floor around the sofa so everyone could get comfortable.  It really helped to pull our theme through the entire room.

Cocktails

The cocktails were a huge hit!  The Arabian Nights was the favorite of the evening, and we totally ran out of it by the end of the night!

Arabian Nights

1.5 ounces blue caracao
1.5 ounces vodka
4 ounces lemonade

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake a few times and pour into a tall glass filled with ice. 

Classic Cosmo

1.5 ounces vodka
1.5 ounces triple sec
3-4 ounces cranberry juice

Pour all ingredients into a cockatil shaker with ice.  Shake a few times and strain into a martini glass.  Top with the squeeze of one lime wedge and garnish with a lemon twist.

This is the little card we framed and put next to Chris (the bartender) so everyone would know what the drink choices were.

Stay tuned because our next two posts are going to cover the food at the party.  You will NOT want to miss them!

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