The band on my big night.

It was so worth all our effort. The venue a big hit - so many of the guests loved being in such a great space there are few who have been inside such an incredible use of so much space. In a couple of months my friends M&J will be renovating and creating two more indoor terraces and using some beautiful and enormous french doors that they obtained off a European Chateau on the warehouse. But that doesn't mean it takes any gloss off the fact that I got to have my party at unique venue.

All up there were about 60 people. I was one staff member down, but had some very helpful family and friends were there to assist P prepare the Chinese food which went down very well in these cool little boxes. In fact the food went down too well as so many people decided to have seconds that by the time the stragglers came to have some food they ended up missing out. My uncle (a chef) thought we had catered for 100 people - but what can I say they were a hungry hoard.

I believe it was because we didn't get around to putting out as much hot food as we would have liked, it was that staff member whose boyfriend rang an hour before she was to arrive and tell us about the "accident".

I have to say in my experience I have never in some 5-6 years of working in the hospitality industry been unfortunate enough to experience an "accident" on the way to work on a Saturday night. Maybe I am being a tad ungenerous but puhhlease Saturday night an hour before the time your to start work and your boyfriend rings for you!

Anyway back to the party which went on despite the absence of a staff member. The cosmos, wine, champagne and beers also went down well. There were quite a few nursing a hangover the next day, me included.

The 80’s theme dressing. I did make it optional so I would say only about 8 people all up came dressed but it was very well done by those eight and most of them "show ponies" who didn't mind making themselves the centre of attention. Two notable mentions, one friend raided her mother’s wardrobe and wore her long sleeved, dropped waisted, high neck (a la Princess Di) gold lame number complete with Alice head band, another friend came in her very own Country Road stirrup pants and bat winged brindle leather jacket and big hair. They were 80’s classics right down to the handbag complete with 80’s tampon.

Some of the quotes guests made to me at various stages of the night:

With cosmopolitan in hand: "I feel like I am on the set of Sex and the City"

In front of the band: "I feel like I am in the middle of a foreign movie set it’s so surreal with the lighting of the band and in this warehouse"

From a friend who thought I might be trying to fob a talentless family member on them: "When you told me your sister was singing I thought it might be a bit of a worry, but she is fantastic!"

Basically the feedback was very good, but never having hosted terribly many of my own parties maybe that’s what hosts get from kindly guests.

I decided to throw myself into enjoying the evening and moved around to all guests with drink in hand at all times. I didn’t want to stand around and be sombre and sensible. Later in the evening after my sister finished her set and the band started to move into serious muso jamming mode, I moved the contingent I knew would be into dancing back upstairs and we cranked up the 80’s tunes.

There was much crazy dancing recalling our best 80’s moves, limbo and then some skipping – yes skipping you know "Fish, fish come into my dish."

Of course there was also many more drinks, some darts (yes a real dart board - to bring back memories of my misspent youth in London pubs i am fairly handy with a dart) and by now drunken chit chat until about 2am when the last of the revellers departed and P and I retired to our cosy bed under our canopied bedroom in the middle of the warehouse.

It was the most fun, to have new friends, family and my very oldest friends (20 years) throw themselves into the revelry I could not have asked for a better way to celebrate.