Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. For many Americans, Cinco de Mayo means enjoying Mexican food and probably a few margaritas. Many Americans like to use this day to indulge in all of their favorite Mexican cuisines such as tacos and margaritas.

Last summer I was able to throw a Mexican themed surprise birthday for my best friend. I am so inspired that I will be recreating most of the party for this years Cinco de Mayo celebration with my friends. Keep reading to see what you need to piece together your perfect party!

The Decorations

The party took place on June 29th, and was hosted at my friend’s childhood home. Her parents were able to provide a few long folding tables for our food and two large canopies to help protect the food and guests from the late June sun.

Margarita Glasses

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Mini Piñatas
These were spray painted gold to match the theme of the party and stuffed with candy by my bestie’s nieces aka my party minions.

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Streamers
I tore 5 foot strands and tied them in the middle around my backdrop frame to create the perfect party backdrop

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Paper Fans & Poms
Using my hot glue gun I arranged then glued the fans together in a cluster which I then tied to my backdrop frame once the streamers were in place. I draped a few of the poms along the backdrop and scattered the rest around the table.

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Gold Tablecloths

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Drink Bases

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Pepper Strands

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Cactus Plants
A collection of potted plastic cactus plants with their bases sprayed gold to match the theme of the party.

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Drink Tubs

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Drink Dispensers
During the party, I had a container at each end of the main table. One filled with my favorite sangria recipe and the other with margaritas.

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Cake Stand

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Flower Pots
Sprayed gold and filled with flowers from the farmers market I had picked up that morning.

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Balloons
Gold latex balloons from Party City filled the top of the main canopy and were a big hit with the little ones.

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The Food

When planning a party of any size I have learned it is best to keep things simple where you can. Since I decided to make the decore the focus of my efforts we had the food catered in for the party. Acapulco does an amazing job of catering and has been a go-to order of mine for years. I would recommend them for any taco party, they have reasonable pricing, accommodating staff, and consistently delicious food.

The crowd favorite at this party was easily the beautiful cake made by Dulceria Bakery, located in Minneapolis. I first learned of this local gem through Instagram and after drooling over their gorgeous designs I knew that I needed an excuse to order one of their masterpieces. When the party planning began this was the first decision I made, this cake was happening!

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Rentals

As with any party I have thrown in the past few years I immediately look to Rustically Modern. They provide beautiful pieces at great rates and even offer delivery and pickup services. For this party, we rented three of the high top cocktail tables and two of the benches.

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The day was filled with fun, friends and fantastic food, and was a fiesta to remember! Special thanks to Jody, Mark, Tom, and Reba for all of your amazing help putting this day together. This was absolutely a team effort and one that I look back on fondly as the smoothest party planning I have ever been a part of. Also a big shout out to Dulceria Bakery and Rustically Modern. I know I mentioned them in the body of this post but I always admire small, independent business who are working hard every day to share their passion with others and making our community more vibrant because of their talent.