Sadiechella Article by: Mark Kurian Photography by : Kyle Devesty
Imagination meets inspiration in one mother’s quest to throw her daughter an epic 7th birthday bash. Lifestyle blogger and entrepreneur, Maria Molino, brought the spirit of Coachella to her New Jersey backyard for “Sadiechella”, a celebration for her daughter, Sadie Snow on the day of her “golden birthday”, August 7th, 2021. A growing theme, “Kidchella” parties have become quite popular for young children’s birthdays. However, rarely are they executed with such attention detail. Maria, a former boutique owner and the Women’s Lifestyle Editor at BHL Media explained: I’ve been trying too create magical days for both my kids each year since they blessed me as their mama. From Toy Story to Snow White to Harry Potter, I’ve strived to transport them to their wildest dreams with every party. This year, after sharing some ideas with Sadie, and hearing her request a pool party, we decided to go with a Coachella theme.
Magical is an understatement. With the help of her close friend, Alkmini O’Brien, fellow entrepreneur and the owner of the event planning company For the Love of Details, Maria was able to bring the essence of Coachella to life, for Sadiechella. From it’s conception almost 6 months beforehand to the day of the party, Maria & Alkmini worked tirelessly side by side to ensure every detail of Maria’s vision for Sadie’s day came to life. “We wanted to get a Ferris wheel, but decided to spare my lawn the assault, and me the fight with my husband, but everything else we were able to see into fruition. Although secretly I’m still kind of bummed we couldn’t get one.” As incredible as a ferris wheel would have been, the party didn’t miss it, and neither did the 50+ guests.
It all started with a logo and an invitation. Styled like a VIP event ticket, the invitation was designed by Katie Rotio, of Katherine Elizabeth Invites. Together with Maria & Alkmini, Katie was able to create a template for the entire party. From the color scheme to the signage and VIP passes, everything was married back to that original invitation. As guests walked up the long tree lined drive to the house, tickets in hand, their first glimpse of what they were about to experience was a display of 5 foot floral letters spelling out “#SADIECHELLA”, reminiscent of REVOLVE’s Coachella parties. Upon arriving at the courtyard they were greeted by a VIP Check-In counter where Maria’s niece “checked” kids in, asking them who could swim and who could not and wristbanding them according for the on duty lifeguard. After they were tagged as swimmers/non-swimmers, each child was handed a VIP guest pass and swag bag and directed to the backyard.
Rounding the corner of the house and to the backyard guests were met with a sea of close to 10 thousand brightly colored balloons by NJ balloon company, Loona Balloon. Various sizes of balloons adorned the facade of the pool house, the back veranda, and the tops of various vendor vehicles. Also decked out in balloons was an all white castle bounce house from Endiy shop. Striking a brilliant contrast in the vibrant backyard display. Loona Balloon added an extra touch in the form of an 8ft balloon peace sign with balloon daisies, which stood as the backdrop for the “Kids’ VIP Area”, along with teepees and a pallet picnic table with floor cushion seating.
Rounding the corner of the house and to the backyard guests were met with a sea of close to 10 thousand brightly colored balloons
From there, the balloon covered veranda offered refuge for the adults as their own VIP area. Immediately to the side of the veranda stood a candy cart holding party favors in the form of branded customized tumblers & swag bags by Shop Sammy, and candy board boxes from SugarBoards by JJ. Kids and parents gathered around to pick their tumblers while local DJ Brian Za played from the balcony above. Across the pool from the VIP area stood the main party display which included a 6ft Ferris wheel from Big Mama’s Party Rentals, a custom neon SADIECHELLA sign from Shop Narwhal, and two candy carts: one acting as a towel bar, and the other a branded sunscreen bar. In the middle of it all perched in front of the Ferris Wheel and backlit by the neon sign stood a three tier custom cake, by The Vintage Cake
On the opposite end of the pool float filled pool from the Kids’ VIP area Maria had an array of vendor vehicles offering food & dessert. Maria explained “Sadie wanted tacos and ice cream. So I went to my husband’s family’s BBQ restaurant for the tacos, because they are out of this world. For the ice cream, I decided to go for gelato and make it more fun. Alkmini recommended Dolce & Gelato who have these incredible carts that they use. They had the added bonus of offering espresso and cute little waffles on sticks. We thought it was perfect!”
from there, the balloon covered veranda offered refuge for the adults as their own VIP area.
On the opposite end of the pool float filled pool from the Kids’ VIP area Maria had an array of vendor vehicles offering food & dessert. Maria explained “Sadie wanted tacos and ice cream. So I went to my husband’s family’s BBQ restaurant for the tacos, because they are out of this world. For the ice cream, I decided to go for gelato and make it more fun. Alkmini recommended Dolce & Gelato who have these incredible carts that they use. They had the added bonus of offering espresso and cute little waffles on sticks. We thought it was perfect!” Also displayed with their amazing gelato, were custom cookies by Archingles Bakery. For drinks, Alkmini connected Maria with Drinks with Daisy, an adorable retro traveling tap. They provided custom mocktails, the ideal choice for a sea of kids. Next to it was a small hydration station with flavored waters to help beat the heat. The food was personal, as it came from Maria’s husband, Anthony’s, restaurant Surf BBQ. “Sadie was adamant that she wanted tacos. So we knew it had to be from Surf. They did such an amazing job. They had staff on site to make tacos as people wanted them, to ensure they were fresh,” Maria told us. With amazing salsas, and toppings, it really was a crowd and pleaser. They also brought mac n’ cheese for the kids who weren’t quite into having tacos. Maria hadn’t stopped there. She also had a photo booth for the guests to take snaps in, with a branded SADIECHELLA frame around the strips. The photo booth, however, wasn’t just any photo booth, it was inside a vintage 1970’s Volkswagen Bus, named Poppy, from VW Booth Bus. The adults and children flocked to it. To top the entire event off, Maria had her close friends, Broadway stars, Orfeh and Andy Karl, in attendance. They met while Orfeh and Andy were on Broadway, in Pretty Woman the Musical, which Maria worked on, handling social media for the show. When it came time to sing happy birthday to the birthday girl, it was Orfeh who led the way. From conception to execution, the entire event was above and beyond what any 7 year old would expect, and far beyond what most mothers would think up. With an amazing list of vendors and the help of an amazing party planner, Maria threw the party of the year, and we cannot wait to see what she dreams up next!
To top the entire event off, Maria had her close friends, Broadway stars, Orfeh and Andy Karl, in attendance.
Please check out all the amazing companies that made this a magical day www.fortheloveofdetails.com www.loonaballoon.com www.drinkswithdaisy.com www.dolceandgelato.com www.theendiyshop.com www.archingleskitchen.com www.dreamitballoonco.com www.katherineelizabethevents.com www.shopsammynj.com www.thevintagecake.com www.njfacepainting.com www.vwboothbus.com www.industrysalonredbank.com www.bigmamaspartyrentals.com Shop.prettyconnected.com www.iloveredbank.com