A "Super" Spectacular Mario Party

When it was time to plan a birthday party for her son, Jacob, and his friend (also named Jacob), Jen Carver knew she had to do something super. After a brainstorming session, the owner of Banner Events settled on a theme that she knew the boys would be "game" for — Mario.

"After talking to Jacob's mom, we thought the most fitting theme to celebrate the fact that our sons were both moving 'one up' a year in their ages would be allowing them to do what they love most — play video games," Jen says. To ensure this would be the ultimate Mario party, she enlisted the help of her favorite vendors and one very special guest. Scroll to see how Jen scored some serious mom points with her son on his special day.

Are You Game?

Are You Game?

Jen turned to the talented Lauren McKinsey of The Cute Printables to design the invitations and was thoroughly impressed with the final product.

"She played the game with her children so she could get the feel of the invitations and designs precisely right," Jen says. "I had told her I wanted the graphic designs to allude to Mario, without being overly character rich, and the results were even more amazing than I could have ever imagined."

Game On!

Game On!

Guests were given all-access gamer passes, also designed by Lauren, upon their arrival.

We "Mustache" You to Play

We "Mustache" You to Play

Though the chocolate mustaches were meant to be photo props, Jen says the guests "'accidentally' took a few nibbles."

Appropriate Attire

Appropriate Attire

Jen purchased iron-on appliqués from Sew Lucky Embroidery to create these custom tees.

Detailed Decor

Detailed Decor

"The moment the guests walked into the party, I wanted them to feel like they had stepped into the classic Super Mario Brothers video game," Jen says. To do this, she stuck to a simple color palette of red, yellow, green, and blue and re-created iconic items from the game.

Dessert Table

Dessert Table

Jen says that her favorite aspect of party styling is setting up the dessert table — and soon you'll see why!

Stay Hydrated

Stay Hydrated

Lauren designed these themed labels to place on the water bottles.

Candy-Coated Controller

Candy-Coated Controller

White chocolate Wii controllers may not be useful when it comes to playing, but they are when it's time to satisfy a child's sweet tooth.

Playful Piranha Plants

Playful Piranha Plants

Jen created this larger-than-life plant using Styrofoam balls and terra-cotta pots. They acted as not only decoration but also a serving dish for candy.

Mario's Mushrooms

Mario's Mushrooms

It wouldn't be a Super Mario party without these guys!

Character Cookies

Character Cookies

Sweet Surrender Cookie Company whipped up edible versions of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and more!

Time to Play

Time to Play

Rather than squishing a dozen children into a living room, Jen hired Game Truck Seattle to help with the entertainment. As Jen says, it is "a video arcade on wheels that has several big-screen TVs and various gaming systems, allowing an entire group of boys to play video games all at the same time."

"Energy" Bar

"Energy" Bar

Among the favors were these cute chocolate bars. Guests were also gifted with individually wrapped cookies and more themed candy.

Pretzel Perfection

Pretzel Perfection

Chocolate-covered pretzels from Pretzels Pleaze were also included in the goodie bags.

Birthday Boys

Birthday Boys

The guests of honor were all smiles at the end of their truly "super" party.