There are birthdays — and then there are birthdays that deserve a little extra magic.
For my 40th, I knew I didn’t want a traditional birthday party. I wanted an intimate girls’ night that felt beautiful and elevated, but also whimsical, unexpected and genuinely fun. The idea eventually became Written in the Stars, a celestial-inspired dinner party filled with lavender and deep purple, touches of gold, tarot cards, candlelight, cocktails, a fortune teller and a late-night ice cream and churro cart.
In other words: if a sophisticated dinner party and a mystical girls’ night had a very glamorous baby, this would be it.
And I absolutely loved how it came together.
Creating the Written in the Stars Theme
The vision started with the color palette: lavender, deep purple, blush and gold.
I wanted celestial without going too dark or literal. Rather than covering everything in navy and black, I leaned into softer shades of purple and pink and then grounded them with deeper plum tones and metallic gold.
From there, I layered in moons, stars, constellations and tarot-inspired details throughout the party.
The trick was not making every single item “themed.” The celestial pieces were mixed among beautiful linens, flowers, glassware and candles, which kept the overall look feeling more like an elevated dinner party than a themed birthday party.
And then there were the balloons.
The Celestial Balloon Installation by Balloon Babe
One of the biggest visual elements of the entire party was the incredible installation from Balloon Babe.
We used different shades of lavender and deep purple mixed with metallic gold balloons, plus oversized clear orb balloons that almost looked like floating planets. Gold stars were woven throughout the installation, and the large metallic crescent moon brought the entire celestial concept together.
What I especially loved was how the balloons framed the space rather than simply creating one traditional photo backdrop.
They extended around the dining area and windows, so you could see them behind the table from multiple angles. That made the entire dinner feel immersive — and created the most gorgeous backdrop for photos throughout the evening.
At the entrance, we paired another balloon moment with my Written in the Stars welcome sign and oversized crescent moon balloon. It immediately told guests what kind of evening they were walking into.
For a highly themed event, I think having one or two dramatic installations like this makes a much bigger impact than trying to put themed décor absolutely everywhere.
Partner spotlight: Balloon Babe
Balloon Babe brought the celestial concept to life with a custom installation featuring lavender, purple, metallic gold and clear balloons, plus moon and star details. The balloons became one of the defining design elements of the entire party.
Building the Celestial Tablescape
The table was the heart of the party, and I wanted it to feel lush, romantic and magical once everyone sat down for dinner.
I started with beautiful Solino Home linens in a soft lilac tone.
The linen gave me exactly the foundation I wanted: feminine and colorful without overpowering everything else on the table. I then layered a rich purple runner down the center to create contrast and bring in that deeper mystical color.
This is one of my favorite tricks when creating a tablescape: layer two tones of the same color family rather than trying to match everything perfectly. The lilac and deeper purple together created so much more dimension.
From there, I added gold.
Gold compote vessels held loose, garden-style arrangements filled with pink, lavender, burgundy, cream and greenery. Gold rechargeable table lamps created little pools of warm light throughout the table, while glass hurricanes filled with white candles added another layer of glow.
Once the sun started going down, the combination was absolutely gorgeous.
Partner spotlight: Solino Home
The Solino Home linens were such an important part of creating the soft, elevated foundation for the table. Their lilac color worked beautifully with the deeper purple runner and gold accents and gave the entire setup that relaxed-but-luxurious linen look I wanted.
They’re also the kind of entertaining pieces I love because they aren’t limited to one party theme. I can easily see these being reused for spring entertaining, Easter, a bridal shower, girls’ night or another dinner party.
The Place Settings
The place settings were intentionally simple because there was already so much happening down the center of the table.
I used crisp white dinnerware edged in gold with gold flatware and soft lilac napkins.
On top of each napkin was a custom Written in the Stars menu designed in the same deep celestial tones as the party invitation.
My favorite detail, though, may have been the personalized mirrored gold star at each place setting. Each guest’s name was engraved onto a star and tied with a tiny blue ribbon.
It functioned as a place card, party detail and little keepsake all at once.
I also scattered gold moons and stars and tarot cards along the purple runner. They were inexpensive details compared with some of the larger party elements, but they helped carry the theme all the way down the table.
That’s something I always recommend when planning a themed event: choose a few tiny motifs and repeat them.
Here, it was stars + moons + tarot imagery.
They appeared on the invitations, menus, table, welcome signage, balloons and even the cocktails, making the whole party feel cohesive without requiring every item to match.
A Fortune Teller for the Ultimate Mystical Girls’ Night
If you’re throwing a party called Written in the Stars, you clearly need someone to tell you what exactly those stars have written.
Our fortune teller was one of the most fun elements of the evening.
We created a dedicated reading area surrounded by flowers, candles, celestial décor and the balloon installation. Guests could sit down individually for a reading throughout the party.
It gave everyone something to do, but it also created conversation for the rest of the night.
And I think that’s one of the most overlooked parts of planning an adult party: give guests an experience, not just dinner.
Whether it’s a fortune teller, wine tasting, floral arranging, charm bar or another interactive element, having an activity instantly makes a girls’ night more memorable.
Celestial Cocktails
No celestial dinner party is complete without a signature cocktail, and for this one I wanted something that felt feminine, floral and a little magical — but still sophisticated enough for a 40th birthday dinner.
We served the Written in the Stars, made with Empress Gin, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, lavender, fresh lemon and Champagne.
Empress Gin was such a natural fit for the theme because of its beautiful botanical character and purple-toned color, while St-Germain added a delicate elderflower note. Lavender continued the floral element, fresh lemon kept everything bright, and a Champagne topper made it feel appropriately celebratory.
For the blog, I’d describe the recipe as:
Written in the Stars
- Empress Gin
- St-Germain elderflower liqueur
- Lavender
- Fresh lemon juice
- Champagne to finish
We served it in lavender coupe glasses with the celestial cocktail stirrers you can see in the photos. I loved that the cocktail didn’t just taste good—it actually looked like part of the tablescape.
It’s a perfect example of one of my favorite entertaining tricks: once you’ve chosen a party theme, carry it into one or two unexpected places. The cocktail glass and celestial stirrer reinforced the Written in the Stars concept without requiring another piece of décor.
Midnight Ice Cream & Churros with Piccolina
And then came dessert.
Instead of ending the evening with a traditional birthday cake, I wanted dessert to feel like another experience.
Enter Piccolina’s ice cream and churro cart.
The cart itself was adorable, but we customized it for the party with a large celestial Ice Cream with Churros sign featuring the same moon, stars and tarot imagery used throughout the rest of the event.
Guests could choose their ice cream and toppings, and the setup included jars filled with everything from sprinkles and candy pieces to cookie crumbs and other treats.
And yes — there were churros.
Warm churros + ice cream + a toppings bar at the end of a dinner party is extremely hard to beat.
We even added custom Lauren’s 40th Birthday details to the dessert cups, which made the experience feel completely integrated into the party rather than like a vendor who had simply arrived at the end of the night.
Partner spotlight: Piccolina
Piccolina created such a fun, interactive dessert moment for the party with their ice cream and churro cart. Guests could customize their desserts with toppings, and it became both dessert and entertainment.
For anyone planning a milestone birthday, shower, wedding event or girls’ night, this is exactly the kind of party detail people remember because it’s something they actually get to experience.
And from a hostess perspective? I loved not having to plate or serve dessert.
That’s a win.
My Formula for an Elevated Theme Party
Looking back at the night, I think the reason the theme worked was that I didn’t try to make everything celestial.
Instead, I used a simple formula:
Beautiful dinner party foundation + dramatic statement décor + small themed details + one memorable activity + one memorable food experience.
For Written in the Stars, that looked like:
Beautiful linens and florals formed the foundation.
Balloon Babe created the dramatic visual moment.
Menus, tarot cards, stars and moons carried the theme through the smaller details.
The fortune teller became the interactive experience.
And Piccolina created the surprise late-night dessert moment.
Together, they made the evening feel completely immersive without crossing over into costume-party territory.
click the mood board to shop items
Tips for Recreating a Written in the Stars Party
f you’re planning your own celestial birthday, mystical girls’ night or milestone dinner, you don’t have to recreate every detail.
Choose the pieces that will give you the most impact.
My essentials would be:
- Choose a sophisticated celestial palette. Lavender, plum, blush and gold feels feminine and celebratory while still giving you the mystical effect.
- Invest in one major visual moment. For me, that was the balloon installation.
- Use beautiful linens as your foundation. Solino Home’s lilac linens instantly established the color palette before I added a single decoration.
- Repeat two or three motifs. Stars, moons and tarot cards appeared throughout my party.
- Use lots of candlelight. The table lamps and candles completely changed the mood as evening arrived.
- Give guests something to experience. The fortune teller was far more memorable than simply adding more décor.
- Make dessert part of the entertainment. Piccolina’s cart gave guests another surprise after dinner rather than simply putting a cake on the table.
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