Turning 30 is a big milestone in one’s life. I’m not one to get caught up on age, but I am one to use it as a cause for celebration.
The #tbt trend was the main inspiration for my party because I wanted to pay homage to my birth year, which, I must admit, is now considered retro. Considering that I am also a fanatic of taking pictures and using Instagram filters, using the Polaroid was the element I played around with and used it as the design for my invitation.

The Polaroid essence ended up being the main decor element of my party. What better way to display 30 years of memorable times (and your awkward teenage years) than with a Polaroid-inspired photo gallery suspended by floating balloons. My guests loved looking through each picture as they reminisced on our memories and laughed at my 1996 grunge phase.

Since I’m always on a budget and since I’m always feeling crafty, I created my own Polaroid photos by printing some of my favourite pictures in a 4×4 glossy print at Walmart (I love their Photo Centre App). I chose 30 of my most favourite photos and glued them on a big white bristle board from the Dollar Store. Along with a pack of white balloons, the materials for this decoration cost me a total of $15.00
After writing a snippy caption under each photo, I cut around the edge leaving enough space to create a white border. Remember to leave more space at the top of the photo so you can punch a hole for the ribbons. Just a heads up that although this a budget-friendly decor idea, the most expensive element was the helium for the balloons. It cost about $1.00 per balloon, so $30.00 just to get my balloons filled.



What #tbt isn’t complete without a little shout-out? Using a black bristle board and some chalk, I easily created my own “A Look Back at 1985” board.


And now fr the fun part: the outfit. I wanted it to be feminine and playful, think flower crowns and ballerina skirt.


Yes, my top says “29ish“. But who’s counting?
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