Christina Aguilera's Island Paradise Party

The songbird threw a Hawaiian-inspired birthday party for husband Jordan Bratman. Get tips and ideas on planning your own luau-themed bash!


Happy Birthday, Baby!
New York is lovely in June, but a tropical getaway it is not. So singing sensation Christina Aguilera had her work cut out for her when she decided to throw an island-style celebration in honor of husband Jordan Bratman's 30th birthday—in the middle of Manhattan. "I originally wanted the party to be thrown in Hawaii, but it was difficult to work into our schedules. So I was determined to bring Hawaii to New York," says Aguilera. The songbird enlisted the help of event planner Mark Musters to strike the perfect tropical tone at Sky Studios in New York City. "She wanted it to be really sexy and fun to capture the spirit of Hawaii," says Musters.


Island Metropolis
"Christina and I decided that we wanted Jordan and his guests to feel like they were on a forbidden island," says Musters, who has planned parties for celebrities like Russell and Kimora Simmons. To achieve that "sexy island" vibe, Aguilera and Musters collaborated on a cool color and lighting scheme in sultry shades of red and orange, two of Aguilera's favorite colors. Starting with images from vintage postcards, Musters created a range of spaces—from the main tiki lounge to the candlelit outdoor terrace complete with swimming pool and million-dollar view of the New York City skyline—within the spacious loft.


Rock-a-Hula
"Every time I sent her an idea or a sample, she’d always say: 'Is this the best there is?'" says Musters of Aguilera's hands-on approach to helping plan many of the most intricate details. "She even had the dance troupe send a video of their performance to her when she was on tour in Russia!" The best part? She pulled the whole thing off without her husband finding out. "His first words were, 'You did all this for me?'" says Aguilera of the big reveal. "But I think he was most surprised about the hula girls that we brought in from Hawaii. It was cute to see Jordy shake his booty!"


Custom Kicks
"I like to have activities at my parties and for this occasion I wanted the guests to be able to make something that they could take home with them," says Aguilera. "So I loved Mark's idea to let guests customize their own Havaiana flip flops." Partygoers went wild creating their own looks, selecting from a range of Havaiana colors and accessorizing with accents like Swarovski crystals and mini-Brazilian flags. Upstairs, cigar rollers wowed the crowd with their fancy fingerwork as they rolled out stogies.


Hawaiian Punch
"The specialty drink was called Jordy's Flirrty Dirrty—a name inspired by Aguilera's hit, "Dirrty"—made with Trump vodka, Red Bull and fresh coconut juice," says Musters. Aguilera asked that every guest entering the party be presented with a fresh flower lei and a coconut cocktail to get them into the spirit of the evening. A photo booth set up in the voodoo room ensured that the revelers could make a memory. "The photo booth was a big hit at our Japanese-themed wedding rehearsal dinner," says Aguilera. "Everyone has fun with it and


Luau Menu
In keeping with the evening's theme, the menu included lots of island party food. "We went with passed appetizers like coconut shrimp with mango salsa, grilled mahi mahi with jalapeno macadamia nut crust, and tangerine/guava-soaked chicken sticks," says Musters. "At a party like this, you want food to be available at all times for your guests to snack on." And for dessert? Aguilera wheeled out a custom-made confection for her birthday boy. "I wanted the cake to be special, so I had it decorated with an image of me dressed as a hula girl in icing and a special, private message to Jordy spelled out in Hawaiian," Aguilera says.


Family Affair
"It's really important for Jordan and I to share our love with our family and friends. It brings so much joy to me to see other people unwind and really enjoy themselves," says Aguilera of the evening's close crowd, which included Bratman's parents and Aguilera's backup dancers. "I'm super festive so I go crazy for birthdays and all the big holidays because they're such an important part of building memories. I'll bring my kids up the same way."