My 28th Pajama Jammy Jam + 5 Tips For Planning A PJ Party

This past Thursday I celebrated my 28th birthday with a luxe Pajama Jammy Jam at the The Carlton Hotel here in NYC. I invited a few of my good friends to come by, enjoy good food & cocktails and to partake in ABC’s #TGIT lineup (y’all know I love some Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder on a Thursday night).

I put the PJ party together because I wanted to do something fun and low-key for my birthday this year. Now that I’m a mom and an entrepreneur, the prospect of partying at some chic downtown club in heels all night simply isn’t as appealing as it used to be. I’m way too tired lol.

I wanted to do something that would include some of my favorite activities and my favorite people. Live-tweeting #TGIT’s epic winter return made total sense.

I also wanted to do something that would allow me to incorporate my daughter. Hence the Pajama Jammy Jam came to life.

Pajama parties are a great idea for special occasions like your birthday or even a bridal shower. You can also plan one around a fun girls’ night in for Valentine’s Day, for example. So here’s how I put my birthday shindig together and 5 tips for planning a luxe PJ Party of your own:

1. Pick an awesome location.

Because I didn’t want to have to worry about extensive decorating and post-party clean-up, I opted to have the party at a luxury hotel suite.  I hosted my party in the Broadway Diva Suite at the Carlton Hotel here in NYC.

It’s absolutely beautiful, already decorated, spacious with lots of seating and I knew it would make for awesome pictures. Also, it was so “me” – loved it! *cues Beyonce’s “I’m a diva” track*

You may opt for your own home or the home of a friend who has a really awesome apartment. Wherever you plan to have it, make sure there’s enough space for all of your guests to move freely and for you to shake a tail feather.

2. Serve great food.

The type of food you serve really depends on the mood, the theme and your budget. I set an economical budget for my party but I had very little time to plan so I sprung for light bites from caterers in the area where my hotel was situated. Cocktail patties (because I love a good Jamaican beef patty), chicken wings and snacks were my party bites. If you have more sophisticated tastes, you might spring for catering service. Or if you’re more of a DIY kinda girl, you can opt to cook your own party food.

3. Ask friends to pitch in.

This is especially important if it’s your birthday or special occasion. Don’t be shy about asking your friends to bring a bottle of their favorite liquor, cake, desserts or anything else that will round out the party.

I happen to be lucky enough to have amazing friends who volunteered to bring various things to the party but if they didn’t I just asked and they obliged. Since I sprang for the hotel room, it was a HUGE help having my friends bring stuff to contribute. Don’t be shy, people are always willing to contribute.

4. Have fun activities planned.

In addition to live-tweeting and screening the #TGIT shows, I also had lots of fun activities planned before and during the party. I asked everyone to wear PJs which made for fun photo opps.

I brought paper crowns and Mardi Gras beads for people to wear. I snapped group photos with my Fujifilm Instax Mini and even taped a bootleg rendition of Beyonce’s 7/11 video complete with bathroom/blowdryer tomfoolery with my friends. Really, it’s all about celebrating and having fun.

5. Add a personal touch

Prior to my PJ party, I was introduced to this sweetheart named Koffi Singleton who owns and operates Koffi’s Jello Bar. Koffi makes super chic custom jello shots and jello shot bars that she sets up at live events. Having jello shots with my picture on it made the night SO special.

It was a nice touch of personalization. I also created my own hashtag #LBSYearof28 and had special gift bags for my guests. Creating a hashtag is something you can easily do to make the night memorable and so you can go back and see all the snapshots from your party in one place.

I had such a blast at my Pajama Jammy Jam. Special thanks to my lovely guests Jess, Danielle, Ty, Kela, Deena, Jasmine, Jessica, Michelle, Deneesha, Seto, Koffi, Afia, Whitney, Jumi, Mommy and Cadence (aka #babybrownsugar). And to all my friends who couldn’t make it and to you guys my readers for following our shenanigans on social media and wishing me a Happy Birthday – I love and appreciate you!

Feel free to email me if you’re planning a PJ party and you need some more tips. I’ve got plenty. Have you ever planned a PJ party? Thinking of planning one? Leave me a comment!