Geeks vs. Hipsters
July 11, 2013
Makenzie was turning 16…and she is a true hipster in every sense. That got our team to thinking…about the “eternal battle waged between geeks and hipsters over irony versus earnestness” and what a fun event theme that would be! And let’s just say that this had to be one of the most fun events EVER because it was so detail rich and we got the chance to really pioneer some interesting accents! We started by doing ALOT of research….
Because there wasn’t much out there for our newly developed theme, Jody created a custom invitation for our client Makenzie. A pocket protector with die cut wayfairer glasses and a “notebook paper” inspired invite tucked inside.
A location was secured, tents were ordered, and then the planning fun began…THE DETAILS! We based our details on the “Commandments of Hipster” and the “Geek Code” and utilized excerpts from these lists on all of the papergoods and signage. From stickers for glassine doughnut bags and miniature pizza boxes, to beverage stations and geek gear, we stuck to the “rules” and had an amazing time weaving throughout the event.
Guests were instructed to come full-on hipster, or geek out, and then were greeted by a table filled with accessories- wayfairer glasses, nerd goggles with washi tape on the bridge, an assortment of hipster bowties, and a rad selection of mustaches. JPC Staffers were also outfitted with customized t-shirts screenprinted by a variety of Etsy dealers.
Rules of Hipster #4: Never actually refer to yourself as hipster. If you are one, everyone will already know.
Rules of Hipster #2: In Skinny jeans you will live. Fashion secretly rules the hipster world.
The tents were decked out with trendy 36″ balloons and a ribbon wall entrance we created based upon a color palette of Makenzie’s favorite colors- lime green, gray and cyan.
Trendy linens were of course a must for our hipster birthday girl who loves CHEVRON, so we turned to our friends at Over The Top and LinenHero for runners and table coverings. Our floral team, Garnish Event Design, created table accents of white hydrangeas, hanging green amaranthus, and granny smith green apples in modern white glass vessels and accented with modern lime green and white lanterns. Seating was kept to a minimum because these kids wanted to DANCE!
Geek Code #43: Geekdom is a nation with open borders.
Because hipsters are ultra-cool, we designed a lounge area under the tent with our white leather couches, accent pillows and florals, complete with a custom made felt circle garland by Etsy dealer Benzie. We kept the back wall of the second tent open to the lighted landscaping to create a lush atmosphere.
Rules of Hipster #11: Wear black glasses regardless of if you need them to see or not.
When Makenzie’s guests entered the tent it was a hip vibe of textures, patterns, colorful accents, globe lights, chinese lanterns and FUN!
Our next portion of planning focused on cuisine and beverage. Here we wanted teen friendly food presented in unique and enjoyable ways befitting our theme, and featuring some of Makenzie’s favorites. JPC staff members butler passed Southern fried chicken sliders on brioche buns with honey mustard and house bread ‘n butter pickles, house parmesan kettle chips in dotted paper cones with chef crafted dips, chicken and waffle bites on crystal forks with maple whipped creme, and chicago style mini hot dogs.
Rules of Hipster #8: You must have facial hair.
Our favorite food of the night was Chef Rohn’s artisan flatbread squares {in teen friendly flavors} presented in cool new miniature pizza boxes with custom “It’s Hip to Be Square” labels.
For the sweeter side…Chef Rohn crafted artisan doughnuts hand dipped in milk chocolate and powdered with confectioners sugar and presented in glassine bags with custom hipster and geek labels. JPC staff butler passed the bagged doughnuts in fryer baskets for a unique touch.
Rules of Hipster #3: Nothing is hipster unless you take a picture of it.
Mocktails were our next stop as our team wanted to make the beverages an extra special part of the event. The plan to create a teenager’s dream bar was implemented and creative mocktail recipes and cocktail glasses were sourced. A bar menu with specialty cocktail names was created in our chalkboard papergoods theme, and the kids had such a fun time with this. It was truly one of the highlights of the event- JPC bartenders and all.
A Hipster Hydration station of Sixteen “Sangria” and strawberry infused water was also available with washi tape garnished cups and a mixture of colorful paper straws from Sweet Lulu’s.
As a guest favor, we did fall back on the popular candy station…but only because Makenzie is SUCH a candy lover- especially Jolly Ranchers, Sour Patch and Gumballs. So this was an appropriate reflection of her and added some real color to the eventscape with a geometric backdrop from Over The Top. To trend things up, an Ombre naked style lemon cake with blueberry lemon curd was created by Chef Rohn and displayed on a jadite cake stand, along with mustache decorated sugar cookies by Jody that Makenzie requested.
Geek Code #73: The classic connotation of nerdiness- the bowtie- is a sartorial statement of confidence and attention to detail.
We unveiled the Sweet 16 car that Makenzie’s parents gifted to her and she cut her ombre cake… then guests had a GREAT time dancing to the talent of DJ Robert Pfeifer of Pifemaster Productions throughout the evening from a customized playlist of Makenzie’s selections. DJ Bob also played some great games that the teens really enjoyed and I-tunes gift cards were given to the winners.
Guests could “Get Your Geek On S’More” at the after party bonfire complete with Chef Rohn’s hand-crafted marshmallows in vanilla, toasted almond and strawberry flavors with house made graham crackers- all packaged up in a fun chalkboard presentation created by Jody.
The JPC Staff had a great time creating this special event and celebrating with Makenzie and her family! The Geek versus Hipster battle is still going in our office!
Geek Code #81: Geeks rule the world because their brains have more capacity.
Event Credits:
Full Event Planning: Jody Wimer, CEO/Creative Director
Cuisine: JPC Event Group
Floral/Decor/Lighting: Garnish Event Design/ a division of JPC Event Group
Papergoods design: Jody Wimer, CEO/Creative Director
Linens: Over The Top, LinenHero
Printing: Print Center
Staff T-Shirts: Etsy Sellers- FunHouse T-Shirts, 785 Tees, ArtisanTees
Felt Garland: Etsy Seller Benti
DJ: Pifemaster Productions
Tent and Stage rental: KenMac
Chairs, tables, tent heaters and other equipment: JPC Event Group