30th Birthday Shopping List
I recently celebrated my husband’s 30th birthday with a weekend at our lake house. Today’s post will cover all things 30th birthday specific and not specific activities we planned. However, an upcoming blog post on lake weekend essentials will have more details on that! As I set out to make the milestone birthday special, I was flabbergasted by the lack of ideas online. It took me a lot of digging. Which led me to share this blog post with you in hopes that you do not have to dedicate the time and efforts during such a busy time of event planning! I have done my best to find things for the best pricing – some are even cheaper than what I paid as I was running low on time at some points!
Decor
“Cheers to 30 Years” Balloon Banner (comes with beers and extra balloons)
Large 30 Balloons – I purchased these at Party City for around $12 each.
One way to cut costs is by buying them online and having party city fill them up for half the price! Since it was only 2 balloons, I just bought them in store. However, I have purchased “Oh Boy” balloons online for a baby shower and then filled them up at Party City which was much cheaper overall due to the number of letters!
Also love these! And this set is perfect for a chica’s birthday!
Silver Curtains – These come with an adhesive on them which made them 100 times easier to hang! I love having these around even if you don’t have a specific purpose for them, because you never know when you might want a little something extra! As a teacher, I often use these to celebrate small feats in my classroom (ie: Finished publishing our first piece of first grade writing!)
*I always hang up cheap $1 plastic table cloths behind these types of curtains for a cleaner look.
Food
Cupcakes – Due to circumstances beyond their control, the bakery I was working with was unable to create the cupcakes. I went with this idea instead and my husband loved them! I simply bought plain cupcakes at the grocery store and decorated them myself. Many of the items I purchased were from Micheal’s since it was a last minute attempt, but if you are able to plan ahead the following items are much cheaper than shopping in store! Below are all the tools you would need to create these cupcakes:
Cupcakes & liners (from store or baked at home)
Decorating Icing – I used decorating icing from the bakery at the grocery store. There ARE varieties of frosting which is something I learned more recently. I have always used icing created for decorating when decorating any cupcakes.. It does cost a tad more but I have never wanted to risk it when putting in the time and effort!
Cake Decorating Tip – to create grass look. This tip is a popular one and can be used for fathers day, Easter, etc. There are a surprising number of grass cupcake ideas that I may actually try!
Golf balls : I used these sprinkles . I also read online that someone had used white gumballs.
Cake Tray – You will likely want to keep cupcakes in boxes up until the presentation. However, these trays are perfect if you want to create the number 30 as I did! I used smaller ones because they were all that was available in store – but would have opted for this size! You can also take some icing and writing “Happy Birthday Cameron” on these trays for a personal touch!
I am FAR from a pro and truth be told I would prefer to buy (not make) baked goods. So basically, if I can do it – so can you! I have had the opportunity to take a cupcake decorating class at Sweetology and learned a lot of helpful little tricks!
Pro tips:
-Keep icing chilled for best results
– Attach the decorating tips BEFORE putting the icing in the bags (seems obvious but it happens!)
– Do NOT think that ziploc bags will work for decorating. They will break and you will wish you had purchased the real deal. I speak from personal experience, and it was a truly painful lesson to learn. 🙂
-Watch a quick YouTube tutorial if you have never decorated something with icing. There are lots of little things you can do to avoid mess and work smarter not harder! 🙂
Fun Miscellaneous Items
Beer Pong Balls – Giant pack for super cheap! Perfect for a little summer fun!
Koozies – If you buy nothing else – BUY THESE! I’m pretty sure this was my husband’s favorite party item of the weekend!
30th Birthday Candles – I used these at the top of his beer cake and then grabbed them when it was time to sing!
One thing I wish I thought of was extra hanging supplies!
THIS GLASS is a must for whiskey lovers!
Beer Cake : I used: 24 pack of beer, tissue paper, cardboard, pizza pan, ribbon
Face on sticks – used for photo fun 🙂
Photo banners- I hung photos of him throughout the house for the weekend. The photo banner above the table features photos from birth to present day in timeline order.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me in the comments below, DM, etc. if you have any questions or would like further clarification on something! I am here to help and am so grateful for you following along!
