Teenager’s ‘extravagant’ $40k Swan Lake themed birthday party
Most 18th birthday parties involve a bar tab at the local pub and some drunken dancing, but this girl’s “Swan Lake” soiree is something else.
Some teenage girls may dream of growing up to be princesses, but for one 18-year-old, that dream became a reality on the night of her 18th birthday party.
Danica Carmelina, a ballerina and aspiring doctor from the Philippines, has just marked her 18th birthday with an extravagant “Swan Lake” themed party, with 170 guests.
The party set Danica’s family back more than $40,000 in a move that has been described by some as “ridiculous” and “excessive”.
Featuring two designer gowns, a five-tiered cake and wedding-style decor, Danica, who has always wanted to star in the famous ballet “Swan Lake”, spent several months planning the party, which took place in May.
A team of stylists, designers, lighting crews and even an orchestra worked to pull together the event, based on mood boards Danica had prepared earlier.
These boards demanded everything at the party needed to be “pink, feminine and extravagant”.
From the photographs released after her big day, it certainly looks like they catered to her very specific brief.
Two immaculate dresses — one for the main event and the other for the after-party — were created by a bespoke gown designer to fit the Swan Lake theme.
“We worked together to create the look,” Danica told the Mail Online.
“It cost about $11,200, and it was perfect. I’ll never wear it again, as I want it to be remembered as my birthday dress.”
Her second gown was a sleek, black number for when her older guests had departed so she and her school friends could dance the night away.
Photos of the party, taken by wedding photographers Nice Print, captured Danica performing a ballet number for guests alongside the orchestra — as well as the moment the teen opened her luxury presents.
Friends handed over gifts including Louis Vuitton bags before they were treated to a decadent buffet dinner, a series of games and a Q&A where winners were rewarded with gift vouchers to designer stores.
Danica had been planning the big day since she was a little girl and claimed her parents had always promised to throw her the party of all parties.
Her father, a civil engineer with his own business in the Philippines, was overcome with emotion on the night after seeing his daughter’s dream come true.
“We don’t really do sweet 16s here in the Philippines, and an 18th is the most important birthday because it’s when you are of legal age,” Danica told the news outlet.
“I had so much help building the party, known as a debut, and I wouldn’t change a single thing looking back on it. It was a dream come true.”
But not everyone was impressed by the extravagant celebration, with some branding it as “ridiculous”.
“This is so over the top and ridiculous .....words fail me,” one woman wrote.
How sad
— Barbara (@BJsussex) July 21, 2019
All that money could of been used to get her into a college to become a doctor or used to start her off at ballerina dance school
— westie80 (@damiewillneverb) July 21, 2019
This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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