Ritzy's: The Best Speakeasy In Town

Once again I've been gone a while so - Happy Easter, RIP Margaret Thatcher and happy 18th birthday to me. After months of waiting to finally turn the desirable age, Friday saw me officially become an adult and what better way to celebrate than turning my house into a swanky speakeasy to celebrate the end of my own prohibition?

The entire first week of the Easter holidays was dedicated to transforming the house into the best (and, erm, only) damn speakeasy in town. I'd already sent out the invitations weeks beforehand, revealing the password and setting the 1920s tone, so then the decor just had to match up...

The eBay-found Gramaphone

The tin 'Gin Bath' (sourced through a a second hand site online) full of ice which brimmed fuller of alcohol as more people arrived

We collected about 40 empty wine bottles from the restaurant I work in, scrubbed the labels off and stuck our own on to evoke the Speakeasy feel. Most were crammed into the kitchen windowsill with candles stuck in - all of the light came from either candles or smaller side lights.

The cover up for the Speakeasy (featuring my cousin and her boyfriend)... Our washing machine happened to break a few weeks ago, so every cloud...

My lovely Nan and I in front of the sign my Dad made and the prohibition punch 'Shinin' Moon' next to it. (if you can't tell, Pinterest inspired a LOT of this party)

Flappers! Myself, Ellie, Amy and Rhiannon (note the candle-wielding wine bottles in the windowsill)

Motherrrrrr

We also did a load of 'Wanted' posters of the guests coming - possibly a bit Western, but y'know, Al Capone and all that. All in all an amazing night if I do say so myself, unfortunately I played the classic 18 year old a bit too well and can't remember most of the night. But from the photos I must say it looks good. It went on til 4am (not that I would know as I was carried to bed far earlier on) and everyone left seeming to wish it was still the 20s.

If you're thinking of having a similar themed do, you can get some great decorations/inspiration here: http://www.partydelights.co.uk/themes/1920s-party-supplies.aspx

http://pinterest.com/rionadoherty/roaring-20s-speakeasy-great-gatsby-party/

Some of the girls struggled to find a decent flapper headband, so instead of paying a stupid amount for a very poor quality one online, why not make your own? After trawling online for ages, my mum made both of ours with a metre of thick bead-embellished ribbon from a haberdashery in town, a feather and a button for about £5 each.

Hopefully Ritzy's will be opening for business again soon for an event I can actually remember...

Bises,

Riona