I threw myself a 30th birthday party as big as a wedding (and even wore white). So why did I almost cancel?

I threw myself a 30th birthday party as big as a wedding (and even wore white). So why did I almost cancel? By Olivia Petter For The Daily Mail Published: 07:02 EDT, 30 August 2024 | Updated: 07:04 EDT, 30 August 2024 e-mail 2 View comments ‘I still haven’t decided what I’m wearing to my wedding,’ I lamented to a friend as we sunbathed in the park. ‘Your what?’ she replied, hand on my arm with concern.

Realising what I’d said, I replied: ‘Oh dear, it’s going to my head a little, isn’t it?’ Because there was no wedding. Nor was there an engagement, let alone a groom. Hell, there wasn’t even a boyfriend.

But there was a 30th birthday party, which I’d planned with the grandeur of a wedding. Last year, aged 29, as more of my friends were throwing lavish parties to mark their married status, I felt a twinge of jealousy. I wanted to be celebrated, to enjoy a big party surrounded by my loved ones, even if I wasn’t going to make it down the aisle any time soon.

So in honour of my 30th birthday, I decided to throw one showstopper of an event with all of the pomp and pageantry reserved for brides and grooms. It would last an entire weekend. There would be speeches.

A sit-down dinner. Cocktails, canapés, and an enormous cake. I’d even wear white.

Olivia Petter invited 50 people to her elaborate 30th birthday do. She says: 'What are single people left with? Which occasions warrant the same degree of celebration as weddings? When do we get our chance to shi.