Nora Ephron + Nancy Meyers 30th Birthday Dinner

In my 20s, I often watched both Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers movies to escape to an aesthetically pleasing place and dream about what life could be like in my 30s. So when my 30th birthday rolled around I knew a “Nora + Nancy Night” would be the perfect theme for my birthday dinner party!

In doing my research (aka re-watching all my favorite Nora & Nancy films like You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, The Holiday, It’s Complicated, Parent Trap and Something’s Gotta Give) I noticed several themes that I wanted to capture at my gathering. Most of Nora Ephron’s films tend to feel nostalgic with her use of patterns, books, vintage lamps and eclectic style, while most of Nancy Meyers films tend to feel timeless with her use of neutral colors, greenery, natural linens and bowls of fruits. Both ladies have the incredible talent of making sure everywhere your eye lands has something beautiful and intentional to see. This helps create a very relaxed and lived-in feel to their films that was fun to replicate at a dinner party!

In addition to using these elements, I also made bookmark place cards (inspired by both You’ve Got Mail and Something’s Gotta Give), served a menu featuring food + drinks inspired by various Nora & Nancy films (generously cooked by my incredible roommates!), encouraged guests to dress in outfits inspired by the films, and made a custom Nora + Nancy playlist (one for dinner and one for dancing) because honestly the soundtracks to all of these ladies films really complete the movie! And to take things even further I decorated one bench in a warm When Harry Met Sally color palette and one in a cool Something’s Gotta Give color palette, had a You’ve Got Mail themed lounge area with books, mailing supplies and fresh daisies, and an It’s Complicated dance floor complete with a black paned window, neutral lamp, wooden rolling pin, fresh garden style flowers and, of course, bowls of fruit.

While this wasn’t an “official” At The Lane gathering, it is one of my favorite gatherings I’ve ever thrown. I felt so celebrated and loved and completely filled up surrounded by the best of friends, delicious food, good music and a very aesthetically pleasing atmosphere!