Aloha! Today’s first party feature really has me missing one of my favorite places on earth… Adrienne from Cherish Paperie did such a great job on this fun Hawaiian Luau themed birthday party for her daughter, Kenna!

The focal point of the party was the AMAZING Tropical Birthday Cake by Cupcakes Couture, which was topped with gorgeous sugar hibiscus flowers and cleverly adorned with “hula girl attire”! Party guests were treated to fun Luau themed activities like a tropical dress up contest, hula hoop relay, lei making, and a hula performance with lessons! And – with the birthday girl’s mom being a stationery designer – of course there were tons of great tropical themed paper details, including cute little food flags, water bottle labels, popcorn cones, and more.

Read on for lots more festive party pics + creative details…Mahalo!

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Adrienne…

It all started with the cake. The birthday girl really wanted a multi-tier cake for her birthday. So we went in search for awesome ideas and got in touch with Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach to see what they could come up with. What they designed was breathtaking! Not only was the cake adorned with a hula girl’s get-up, it was also topped with beautiful sugar hibiscus flowers. The colors chosen for the cake were rich and vibrant to match the invitations that Cherish Paperie designed. We wanted something in “girl” colors that were also tropical and vibrant, but that we hadn’t really seen for a tropical luau before. Krista Mason did a wonderful job capturing the fun of the day!

The cake served as the focal point for the whole theme. The colors of the cake were brought to every other element of the party including the party’s paper goods. The food and dessert labels, kids table décor, signs for activities and party favors all coordinated with matching hibiscus flowers and colors by Cherish Paperie. The food and dessert table was lined with Aloha themed cookies also from Cupcakes Couture. The centerpiece for the table was, of course, the gorgeous cake. The kids snacked on fresh fruit, mini Hawaiian pizzas, pigs in a blanket, festive multicolor of goldfish and popcorn cones filled with pirates booty.

A table skirt from Party City was used as the backdrop/banner for the food and dessert table, and the windows and walls were adorned with large paper flowers and sticker clings from the 99 cent store to carry the festive vibe thought the rooms.

The guests were greeted at the door and welcomed with an aloha feel as soon as they came in and were invited to hula hoop in the backyard. All around the room were beautiful hibiscus flowers and decorations making the whole party feel as if it were an island getaway. The relaxed atmosphere and inviting décor were perfect for a pre-teen’s party.

Different game “stations” were distributed thought the house and yard. Each activity station was staged at different parts of the home and patio so that each child could participate in the activities as they pleased. A hula hoop contest, tropical dress up relay race and a table set up for making Leis. Girls chose their favorite flowers and beads to lace onto a string. Once the girls were fitted with their party leis they started their fun by indulging in some delicious food and drink. Once their bellies were full it was time for some hula dancing!

The most exciting part of the party was watching TUPUA Productions perform the hula. There was a “emcee” who explained each dance we learned along with a little bit of history. He also played the drums and guitar and Uke, while a female dancer performed each move and helped the girls to learn everything. We received a performance and a couple of hula lessons in various dance styles, and were able to perform the hula a few times until we were confident in our hula skills. The birthday girl was even able to do a solo act for the crowd. After all of the energy spent hula dancing we came in for some yummy cake and presents. Each girl left with a cake pop favor courtesy of Cupcakes Couture.

So many elements of the party came from inspiration that I found at HWTM, including the popcorn cones that we filled with pirates booty and décor ideas for the banner and favor tags, and I was so glad to have such a wonderful resource to help plan my little girl’s special day.