The last few months have been consumed with my daily life responsibilities and planning an epic 10th Birthday for Caleb. If you follow me on Instagram, then you would have already seen glimpses of the event. I wanted to go through my planning process with you all here because I received such an overwhelming response.
Caleb has been playing basketball for a few years now, so the venue was my first priority. Ten is a big age in the fact that he is stepping into the double-digit sector of his young life. I wanted a basketball-themed event, but elegant. After some research, I came across Clyde Frazier’s. I made initial contact with the venue in June and saw the space in person in September to finalize the vision. I was sold, this was the space I needed for the party I wanted to have. There is a basketball court inside the restaurant!! I loved the feel of the lounge area we were given. Guests had a private entrance and a private open bar area along with our catered buffet. The service was top notch for sure. And I didn’t have to lift a finger! We also had exclusive access to the court for the duration of our party!
I needed a cake that lived up to the venue’s reputation. I’ve been following BCake NY for a while and have always admired their work. I reached out to them for the spinning basketball cake and they more than delivered. Caleb is picky with cake flavors, so we just kept it simple with vanilla & vanilla buttercream. It was a sight to see for sure. Most of the communication with BCake was done via email and the phone. I stopped by in person once, to just connect and the energy was on point. I may have mentioned this before, but I have a strong intuition about the vendors I end up choosing to work with. I know right away, who will deliver and who won’t.
Being that Caleb is a boy, I didn’t feel the need to have extreme decor. I also was so happy that the venue we chose, spoke for itself. I did envision one area for a balloon arch, that would be great for photos. Enter K&T Party Designs. The team has been working on event styling with our family for a couple of years now. They never disappoint!
It was suggested to me by my contact at the venue, to have an alternate form of entertainment for the kids. Not everyone would be inclined to be on the court for the entire night. I felt like a magician was something that Caleb and his peers have outgrown. One day, I randomly received an email for party planning (your search engines are always selling you out), and a caricature artist popped up. I loved this idea because it’s an awesome experience to have at a party and it can be a party favor for the kids and adults to take home. Mike of Draw My Party, drew all the guests in a 2.5-hour timeframe.
All in all, the last few months of anxiety and stress have been well worth it. The party was a huge success, and the only opinion that mattered was Caleb’s, and he had an absolute blast. Party planning is something I am very passionate about and good at. I would love to work with anyone of you on any events you have forthcoming in 2020! Holla at me!
All photography was done by Shanta Covington Photography.
