50° Birthmas party

Having a birthday on 29 December is not particularly lucky: the period is one in which, as children, you stay with your family, celebrating Christmas and the New Year, perhaps away from home and everyday friends. However, at the age of 50, maybe things change, especially if a loving wife decides to take matters into her own hands and contact Simonetta Rota – more than events to organise a spectacular party for her husband.
Therefore, in a case like this, the goal was not just to come up with a big birthday party, but also to make the occasion a sort of chance to “make up for” the many birthdays not celebrated in the past. In a nutshell… a party that would live long in the memory. Obviously, it would have to be a surprise and involve the friends of a lifetime, who were now scattered all over Europe.
The solution for all of this to happen was to create a veritable mini portal through which to manage all communication and participations to the event, providing practical information to guests and keeping them updated at all times. In addition, once the event ended, said portal became a space to view photos and video galleries, all of which were password protected to keep the beautiful and moving memories private.
The careful choice of location also helped to ensure the perfect outcome of the event: the Hotel Splendide Royal, fairy tale-like as it overlooks the shores of the lake and, at the same time, equipped with all the comforts of a modern luxury hotel. The setting with a thousand Christmas lights and candles emphasised the beauty of the location and welcomed all the guests from everywhere with an embrace. Around the 20-metre imperial table, laid for the occasion in pure shades of white, gathered companions dating back to college, comrades who shared many outings and faithful, ever-present friends… While, in the meantime, the wife gave her husband a beautiful dinner jacket, dressed the children for a grand gala and headed to the restaurant booked for dinner.
The rest was an unforgettable birthday, the surprise was a complete success, there was laughter, emotions, memories of the past, fun, tears of joy and many feelings of gratitude. Along with the notes of opera pieces so beloved by the guest of honour.

BRIEF: To celebrate your husband’s 50th birthday with a surprise party, the theme and colours of which should also be reminiscent of the Christmas season, both unforgettable and overflowing with emotion.

CHALLENGE: Many aspects needed to be taken care of for a “Birthmas party” of this magnitude, starting from the very idea of combining a 50th birthday party with the colours and atmosphere of Christmas and the New Year. From a more “practical” point of view, however, the careful and detailed organisation had to take into account friends arriving from all over Europe; a gala dinner catering for all tastes and needs; photos and videos to leave indelible memories; music, emotion, entertainment. Without giving away any clues right up to the last moment.