A few months ago I had the pleasure of throwing a birthday for a very close friend turning 30. Yes, it was a big one! She said she wanted something quaint – a few balloons, a cake, a few friends. But that’s just not my style. I’m a ‘go big or go home’ kind of gal. I figured the way to start the party off right was to hang a giant birthday banner above the stoop of her apartment building. I did some research and basically found that the sky is the limit when it comes to creating your own custom banners. They come in all sorts of sizes, themes, colors… I wanted to get an abnormally large one for the entire neighborhood to see. I knew she’d love it.

My next task was deciding what I wanted it to look like – respectful and simple or delightfully tacky and loud? Of course I went with delightfully tacky and loud. I was going to design it like she was a kid again. Sparkles, glitter, tiaras, balloons – you name it, I would put it on there. This banner was going to be the king of all banners and this birthday was going to be one she never forgot!

I was a little nervous about how this was all going to work. I had to do it secretly, and I was afraid the cost and trouble was not going to be worth it. But it turns out, making banners is extremely easy and pain free. I worked with the banner place and they were so helpful – throwing out ideas, telling me what wouldn’t work and what would be amazing. The cost was very reasonable and fit into my almost non-existent birthday budget. They had it done within the week and shipped to my house so not to divulge the secret. Bright pink, glitter, tiaras, princesses, and cupcakes – the banner was perfect!

The day of her birthday I got there early and while she was in her apartment I began to hang this large, heavy banner on her building door. Let me tell you – this wasn’t easy. The hardest part of this entire process was getting the banner up by myself! I should have probably thought of that and brought reinforcements, but as it stood I was there alone, with a banner and a mini ladder trying to scotch tape this sucker onto her brick building door. I was almost there when the wind blew and one side of the banner came down, wrapped around my waist, threw my balance off and wham! I was on the floor wrapped in my own birthday banner. As if that wasn’t enough, who was suddenly standing above me? That’s right – the birthday girl. We had a good hearty laugh over my failed attempt to be coy, and ended up hanging the banner in the hallway by her apartment door. She loved it, the guests loved it, and the party went on without any trouble. In fact, she was even happy that I went against her wishes and threw a big bash instead of the quaint little gathering she had originally asked for – thank goodness for birthday banners! And let’s just say, watching her friend fall from a ladder wrapped in an oversized bright pink vinyl banner definitely made it a birthday she did not forget.