Desert Disco 30th at The Pond Estate
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Ever since I celebrated my 28th birthday at home, panini style, I made a promise to myself that when it came time to celebrate my 30th I would do it BIG. And when contemplating where I wanted to host this big extravaganza there was really only one destination I had in mind - PALM SPRINGS.
I’ve always had this vision of bringing some of my favorite people together to celebrate a birthday in Palm Springs and 30 seemed like the appropriate age to make that dream a reality.
Since moving home to Chicago after living in the desert for nearly 5 years, Palm Springs has always felt like my second home. To be frank, I almost feel more at home in Palm Springs than I do in Chicago. So getting the chance to bring my Chicago gal pals to the desert to meet my desert peeps and give them the grand tour - well there’s honestly nothing more than I could have asked for for my birthday.
My love language is giving gifts - more specifically it’s being able to spoil my friends & plan epic trips. So I knew when I asked my gals to book a flight to Palm Springs for my Desert Disco 30th - I HAD to go big.
It’s funny, when it came to planning this birthday party I have to admit, I WAS CLUELESS. I think the last event I planned was Mom’s Weekend for my sorority in college lolz. So when it got down to figuring out costs, timelines, how many bottles of wine/liquor I need to get at Costco (shout out to my gal @pinkbodyspa for lending me her card haha) - I WAS LIKE WHAT THE HECK I’M WINGING IT.
Thank GOD for all the kind souls (@bloomsby.emily & @kellygolightly - I’m looking at you two) who didn’t laugh at me when I asked dumb event planning questions & helped me bring this disco dance party to life.
I want this blog post to be a road map for anyone else planning a birthday / bachelorette / event / etc. party in Palm Springs. I hope that by sharing the incredible vendors we worked with that it helps you get a jump start on planning an ICONIC (and hopefully stress free) event!
THE THEME
At first this was a STRUGGLEEEEE. I was toying with the idea of doing a Golden Girls themed party but I wanted it to be more GLAM. Then I was thinking Great Gatsby but it didn’t feel like a winner. And then out of no where I saw a photo of a group of women with their disco pants and platform heels and I was like DISCO. But then I thought, how can I make this Palm Springs…BOOM DESERT DISCO WAS BORN HAHA.
I was explaining the theme as “ABBA meets Coachella” when my friends asked me what to wear and I have to say EVERYONE understood the assignment.
I made a mood board on Pinterest, sent out save the dates (LOVE Paperless Post’s online card options) and we were off to the races!
THE VENUE
Believe me when I tell you, my jaw hit the floor when I drove through the gate at The Pond Estate. This expansive estate is absolutely breathtaking and one of those legendary Palm Springs properties that locals speak about in hushed tones. You know what I mean…”Oh the Pond Estate? I’ve always wanted to see that property!”
The property is tucked back into the mountains in south Palm Springs and is INCREDIBLY private. Sitting on 12+ acres the estate, with its 11 bedrooms and 19 bathrooms, is the perfect destination for groups of friends, families, or even small scale retreats.
Plus it has quite literally anything you could possibly need for a stay in the desert. Outdoor pool, al-fresco kitchen and bar, large terrace with loungers and a tennis court. Heck there’s even climate-controlled garages with space for 11 cars, and stables that are available on request (no horses or fancy cars for us on this trip lol).
And while it’s impossible to narrow down my list of the things I loved about The Pond Estate, I have to say that the property’s desert landscaping & mountain views were quite possibly the thing I looked forward to taking in the most each and every morning. I loved getting up early, making coffee and sitting outside listening to the birds, walking around the property and just admiring the beauty (wow I just sounded like Linda there haha).
Scroll through some of these photos to get a taste of what I’m talking about.
Let me back up really quick though for context. The gals and I were lucky to partner with Poppy for this trip. And for those of you who are unfamiliar, Poppy is a boutique, family-owned real estate firm offering design-focused, experience-driven, full service vacation rental properties.
They have more than 130 properties in the Greater Palm Springs area (including some of the most iconic estates in the area). Their properties focus on experiential travel and cater to travelers who are looking for elevated spaces and bespoke experiences.
When it came to hosting a little 30th soiree with some of my close friends, I knew it would be the perfect spot because this property was MADE for entertaining. I mean half the novelty for any of your guests is just simply being able to say that you’re going to a dinner party at The Pond Estate haha. There are so many locations to choose from - where you can have an alfresco dinner, throw a little pool party or even a Desert Disco like me.
THE CREW
I have to give a shoutout to all my gals who flew in from Chicago to help me celebrate & capture the most beautiful content from our weekend in Palm Springs. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to have these amazing women in my life. This group of gals are shining examples of what it looks like to surround yourself with supportive, kind, incredibly talented humans.
If you want to see even more photos from this epic Desert Disco make sure you’re following Ali Stone, Lindsey Simon, Lexi Janis, Rachel Bunting and Brittany Annen.
ANDDDDDD to all my desert pals who donned their best disco attire and came by to celebrate - YOU GUYS ARE TRULY THE BEST. I just feel so lucky that during my time living in Palm Springs I was surrounded by such amazing humans who welcomed me into their friend groups and homes and made living so far from family and friends so much easier.
THE DECOR
If you are searching for the most iconic balloon garlands for your next event, look no further than Sara at The Balloon Casita. She is an absolute ANGEL and a truly talented artist that you NEED to work with. Sara and her team showed up the morning of the party with a U-haul FILLED with balloons & wooden backdrops that she assembled day of. When I tell you my mind was blown my friends…you have no idea. PLUS she pulled this all off with less than a week’s notice…
She does everything from her signature Blissful Balloon Garlands to balloon arches, balloon bouquets and custom balloon installations all across the Coachella Valley for ANY occasion!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT HER INSTAGRAM WITH SOME OF HER LATEST CREATIONS.
THE FLORALS
I feel so incredibly lucky to call Blooms By Emily one of my dearest friends. Not only that, but I am CONSTANTLY in awe of this lady’s talent for floral design. We both were in the Journalism School at Mizzou, worked in the corporate news world and eventually left to start our own businesses (HACK YAS). I am beyond proud of all that Emily has accomplished and even more excited that I get to share her work with YOU.
Emily absolutely CRUSHED the Desert Disco theme and truly she set the color palette for the entire event. I love how she mixed dried pieces with tropicals and added in a bit of whimsy. Needless to say, my gal pal understood the assignment and I need you to hire her for your next well, ANYTHING.
Blooms By Emily is based in the Greater Los Angeles area and specializes in original arrangements, has a monthly subscription service, floral event design for dinners and parties, and full service wedding event design!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT HER INSTAGRAM WITH SOME OF HER LATEST FLORAL ARTISTRY!
THE FOOD
Narrowing down the list of my favorite places to eat in Greater Palm Springs is damn near impossible - THERE ARE SO MANY YUMMY SPOTS. But when I went on a deep dive of all my favorite restaurants to see who offered catering, I was THRILLED to find out that my favorite spot for fresh, locally sourced, delicious Mexican & Spanish cuisine offered catering.
Chúla Eatery specializes in melding the flavors of Spain and Mexico that represent owner Katherine Gonzalez family’s heritage. Their tamales are INCREDIBLE and their Huevos Rancheros is my go to brunch order.
Fun fact about how Katherine and I know each other: I covered the restaurant’s opening when I was working as an entertainment reporter in Palm Springs. It was one of my last stories I reported on before leaving and starting my own business!
Katherine brought with her an incredible team to help bring our al-fresco dinner to life. HOW STUNNING IS THIS TABLE SET UP?!?! Huge props to Katherine and Alice for having the vision to set up the dinner in this location. The blessing and the curse of having such a MASSIVE property is that there are so many places you could choose from but they picked THE PERFECT SPOT.
PS - you need to follow Alice - one of Katherine’s incredible partners in crime - they are an event curator and also specialize in floral design!
CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH CHULA FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT
AND FOLLOW THEM ON INSTAGRAM AND STOP IN FOR BREAKFAST LUNCH OR BRUNCH NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN TOWN
THE CHEESEBOARD
There is truly nothing better than an artfully designed cheeseboard. At my funeral if there are not at least 5 beautiful cheeseboards at the reception, I’m leaving….(lol). But for real. I was NOT expecting this level of artistry when Katherine told me she was bringing a gal pal to do a custom cheeseboard.
Jessica of Board Wifey SLAYEDDDDDDDD this cheeseboard, like what on earth?!?! The color, the flowers, the way that she put dips inside of veggies. I just cannot. WOW.
If you’re looking to impress at your next dinner party or want to be the hostess with the mostess, you have GOT to hire Jessica.
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE TO CHECK OUT ALL OF HER TOTALLY CUSTOM CREATIONS
THE CAKE
What’s a birthday without a fabulous cake?! Not really a birthday in my opinion lol. I’m THRILLED that I was able to work with Erica, the owner of Desert Villa Bakery. Her cakes and cookies are one of a kind, custom made and beyond delicious.
I sent her a photo of the cake I was looking to create and she ran with it! I love how she added the disco balls to the top it was such a perfect touch.
Also, I gotta give her mad props for even being able to make this cake at all because the morning of the party she called me and told me she had a fire in her oven?!?!?! And she STILL was able to make the cake, bring it over & I can confirm - it was not only gorgeous, it was delicious.
THE LOOKS
WHERE TO BEGIN WITH THESE JULIA CLANCEY LEWKS?!?!
I have been a LONG TIME fan of Julia Clancy’s. She’s a FABULOUS British designer based in LA. I first discovered her designs in 2020 when I was looking for stylish masks and fell in love with this pink pom pom one.
Since then I’ve had my eyes on her iconic kaftans - especially these colorful Frou Frous! When I was planning this extravaganza I knew that we HAD to include her designs into our photoshoot.
You can find my kaftan here (and a shorter version here) and check out some of her other designs below!
My adopted big sister Kelly Golightly wore the Madame Mini Mint Frou Kaftan and a velvet Julia Clancey turban and I have to say, she looked INCREDIBLE. You can check out her little wrap up of the festivities here.
THE MANSERVANTS
I saved the stars of the show for last. You might have seen these handsome men in some of my photos and you might be thinking “damn, Alle has some hot guy friends” well allow me to let you in on the BEST party secret that will take your b-day, bachelorette or gal pal reunion to the next level - MANSERVANTS.
So, what the heck is a Manservant? I’m pulling this straight from their site “A gentleman sent to treat women like queens,” - SIGN ME UP.
I hired these guys for the evening to help serve drinks, take photos for my guests & generally just make sure everyone was having a good time. Mission accomplished because they were a hit. And the shots they mixed were some of the best tequila shots I’ve had in my life (and I’ve taken quite a few tequila shots in my 30 years lol).
I actually learned about Manservants through my gal pals Kelly Golightly & Ashley of Everyday Pursuits who hired them for her bachelorette party in Palm Springs. ALSO I just noticed that another gal pal Mandy had the SAME men at her recent bachelorette party which looked INCREDIBLE.
CHECK OUT THEIR PACKAGES (LOLZ) HERE! AND TO FIND A MANSERVANT NEAR YOU & BOOK CLICK HERE.
Oh and one last thing…you’ll absolutely want to follow them on Instagram.
THE TEAM
MASSIVE shoutout to my videographer extraordinaire Stefan who drove in from LA to for all intents and purposes shot a wedding style video for me to remember my 30th. I feel so BEYOND lucky to have such incredibly talented friends and creative partners and never cease to amaze me.
And speaking of amazing, a BIG BIG BIG thank you to Ali Stone & Lexi Janis for helping me capture all the incredible photos you’re seeing in this post. These ladies are MAD TALENTED and I love that they’re my friends. They busted their butts to capture everything and I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for all their help.
ALL THE DISCO DECOR THINGS
JULIA CLANCEY KAFTANS
JULIA CLANCEY TURBANS
THE GRATITUDE
I don’t think I can properly express how incredibly grateful to everyone who made this 30th birthday celebration so meaningful. From each and every vendor we worked with, to my friends who helped me celebrate, to the team at Poppy who HOOKED IT UP, this weekend was everything I could have ever hoped for and more.
And honestly, I don’t need to have another party for the rest of my life! JK JK Jk - 40 is gonna be on a yacht…who’s coming??? LOL.
I hope this post helps walk you through my Desert Disco 30th party planning process and helps you plan your perfect Palm Springs event! If I left anything out please feel free to comment below!
xx Alle
PHOTOS BY ALI STONE & LEXI JANIS
