Milestone Birthday Celebration

In less than 48 hours, I will enter a new decade: my 40s! My husband -- with some help from my parents -- threw me a very festive 40th Birthday Party this past Saturday night to help me celebrate with friends and family. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the celebration.

Here are just a few highlights:

Michele's Birthday Extravaganza

May 5th, 2018

The Food: As it was Cinco de Mayo, guests feasted on Mexican food from one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants: Zama. From chips, salsa and guacamole to shrimp and chicken fajitas, there was plenty to eat all evening long.

The Desserts: Since everyone knows I have a major sweet tooth, there were desserts a plenty at the party, including:

• Strawberry and caramel cupcakes from Piece of Cake.
• Macaroons and custom created cookies -- in the shapes of dresses, shoes and purses -- from Henri's Bakery.
• A custom created cake, complete with a little pug on top, from Sugar Benders Bakery.

The Decor: We didn't go crazy with the decor, and just kept it simple. We had flowers from Petals a Florist and pink balloons inside and out. We also had custom created napkins reading:

Forty & Fabulous

Happy Birthday, Michele

#Cheersto40Years

With my sisters, Laura (far left) and Gail (far right).

The Music: Guests listened to 1980s music throughout the night, and left with Back to the Future (my favorite movie) goodie bags filled with candy and little tokens like Garbage Pail Kids (a staple of my childhood), mini Funko Pop toys from movies I love (Guardians of the Galaxy, Wall-E, etc.) and even tiny OPI nail polishes.

The Outfit: I searched and searched for the perfect dress to wear to the party, and finally settled on this pink Alice + Olivia lace dress. (I definitely wanted pink to match the overall color of the night.) I paired the dress with Christian Louboutin peep-toe pumps, which perfectly matched the exact shade of the dress, and Kendra Scott earrings.

Dress: Alice + Olivia Zula Lace V-Neck Party Dress

Buy the dress at these retailers:

• Alice + Olivia Website
• Neiman Marcus
• Revolve Clothing
• Saks
• ShopBop

The dress runs a little large; I'm wearing a size two for reference.

Here are a few other photos from the party. It's definitely a night I will remember forever!