Space
This summer my boyfriend, Mark, turned eighteen. He was going off to University in the autumn so I decided to throw him a birthday party with the most outrageous theme I could think of: Outer Space.
Mark emailed all our friends an animated invitation a week before the party. A little alien in a space suit walked across the computer screen then held up a big sign with alien writing on it. Beneath the squiggly lines was the real party information.
Mark and I met the DJ at the large banquet hall we had rented for the evening. We hung sheets of plastic in the doorway of the hall so you had to walk through them to get inside or outside. The DJ brought a small dry ice smoke machine that we set up on a little lip above the doorway so it would blow cold steam on anyone who passed beneath.
We rented some set decorations from a local prop rental house and transformed the hall into a moonscape. Stars were projected on the ceiling by a specialized projector. Laser light was synchronized to the new age space music, and flashed around the room like red and green neon. Coloured strobe lights hung from the ceiling over the dance floor, making everything look even more strange and 'out of this worldy'.
Mark's friend had made a dozen strange shaped lamps out of small battery powered lamps to put on the tables. [3142:Black table cloths ]had been spattered and painted with glow in the dark paint and could be seen best if the light on the table was off. Sheets of black cloth were hung to create a few dark and secluded spaces. I planned to lure Mark into one later on.
Mark and I had a ball taking edible ingredients and adding dye, grape juice or mixing foods to create tasty, but alien looking food of every description. The eating utensils and cups were temperature sensitive coloured plastic.
Between the curtains of black cloth we hung sheets of plastic. Onto these we had glued gummy aliens and worms, chocolate coins and sheets of fruit leather with confectioner's edible cement. We planned to freak out our friends by looking as if we were eating the decorations off the walls. As soon as they figured out not everything was what it seemed to be, they would probably start trying to eat just about everything!
Guests started arriving and I could tell by the looks on their faces they were amazed by what they saw. The D.J. was incredible! There were some people in regular clothes, but most had come in costume. Between songs the DJ used synthesizers to create strange sounds from space rockets to the cries of alien beasts. He was the best party DJ I have ever heard.
Due to the darkness and special lighting effects, I knew it was going to be hard to get any really good pictures to remember the evening by, so I made this awesome picture for Mark at the spin art table with glow in the dark paint; it looked great under the black light.
The "Incredibly edible" wall was, as hoped, a success. Everyone danced and partied until early in the morning. It was the most awesome 18th birthday party I've ever been too!
