entertainment

The $6 million party you wish you had when you were 15.

 

Maybe things have changed in the last decade, but I seem to recall 15th birthday parties involving a bunch of DVDs, sleeping bags and a plate of homemade cupcakes. Certainly nothing even vaguely approaching the extravagance of Texan teen Maya Henry’s US$6 million bash.

Yes, you read that right – $6 million, which is roughly AUD$8 million.

Maya’s attorney father, Thomas J. Henry, bankrolled the Quinceañera, which was staged at the Six Flags Fiesta Texas – a San Antonio themepark with stunning canyon vistas.

Naturally, Maya and her folks rolled up to the do in a fleet of Rolls Royces to be greeted by 600 of the teen’s closest friends and family. Maya’s make-up was courtesy of Patrick Ta, who has worked with the Kardashians, and her two dresses for the evening were custom Rolando Santana designs reportedly worth US$20,000 a pop.

Given the bash took a party-planning professional a full year to organise, it’s likely nobody would have expected plastic plates and a few bottles of Fanta. But the 5100-square metre tented venue still took luxe to a whole other level. We’re talking more than twenty cherry blossom trees in full bloom, walls of roses, a ‘garden room’, fountains and a lavish ballroom with butterflies suspended from the ceiling.

Lovely though all that is, the Henry’s wanted to ensure Maya’s guest were properly entertained. And that means famous people. Maya’s mother told TMZ that she and her husband shelled out a little shy of US$1 million to ensure that the event would feature the gravelly vocal stylings of Pitbull. A performance by teen heartthrob Nick Jonas was a bargain by comparison, at just a couple of hundred grand.

The whole thing was captured by photographer Donna Newman, who has an impressive portfolio stacked with a host of pretty/famous/important people including Michelle Obama and Kathryn Heigel.

“It was a truly unforgettable night,” Maya, 15, told Us Weekly. “I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and will remember this night for as long as I live.”

*Feature/social image via Instagram/MayaHenry.