You Don’t Like to Get Wild But You Still Want a Memorable 21st

Tomorrow is your 21st birthday – the one you’ve been waiting for since you turned 16 and got your driver’s license. It’s a milestone, a step toward adulthood.

And it’s time to party.

But what if you don’t want to spend your birthday at the bar? What if waking up with your first legal hangover sounds more like a nightmare than a dream party? Or maybe you want to show the world (a.k.a. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) that you’re a real, full-fledged adult human without ruining that professional persona you’re cultivating for companies who stalk your Facebook before job interviews.

We’ve got a few suggestions to add to a 21st birthday celebration that’s more about the camera shots than the liquor shots. And these you can actually post on Facebook without ruining your career. Or your wallet. Or your favorite pair of shoes.

Here’s ENTITY’s guide to make the day about the memories.

1 THE PARTY

The first question you need to ask: Night in or night out?

Maybe you want to throw a party at your place to prove to the world that you’re an adult – and a wonderful hostess, even if you just have a few friends over to your place. Instead of losing your first legal battle to a shot glass and a bottle of vodka, take this as a chance to prove to the world that you’ve got real class by playing bartender for your (of-age) friends.

Fine Dining Lovers has a great list of recipes for popular mixed drinks, including Bloody Marys and the classic Margarita.

And for you homebodies out there who just want to celebrate with a glass of wine and “Pride and Prejudice” or “Downton Abbey,” we advise you to make room on that couch for your friends. Your book club amigas would love to join you and sleepovers mean you can party all night – but with a huge bowl of popcorn and in your pajamas.

If you’d rather not have a party at your place, there are many unique ideas for party venues and activities outside of the house, such as …

• Bonfire at the park/on the beach: Marshmallows. Ghost stories. Beautiful people. Pabst.
• Go classy: Take yourself and a few V.I.P.s to the swankiest restaurant in town. Ask for the wine list, order the most expensive glass and step into adulthood with class.
• Tackle the bucket list: What better time to do something memorable than on your biggest birthday yet? Everybody goes to a bar on their 21st but does anyone go skydiving?

2 THE PAMPERING

It’s your biggest birthday to date. There is no excuse not to pamper yourself.

• Start your morning at the salon. Get your nails and your hair done. You need to look on point for your party tonight!
• Send yourself flowers. (Or drop heavy hints to your mom, sister or significant other.) Scientists (and florists) say that smelling flowers boosts people’s moods.

• Find a playlist and jam. Spotify is your best friend for this.
• Piñata, please. Fallon did it and so should you.

Note: This is prime “I’m 21 and I look fabulous” picture time. Make those photo memories. Milk this day for all it’s worth.

3 THE DRINKS (AND FOOD)

If you want to step with class into adulthood, create a few of your own cocktails at home. Here’s a list of cocktails created by the professionals. If you don’t think you can handle creating your own drinks, opt for wine. While wine sounds classy, it’s also hard to find the good stuff that isn’t dry as the desert. This fun infographic has some basics.

What about drink-themed food? A whole host of foods that use alcohol in their recipes. Fun challenge: Make an entire meal of alcohol-related items. Here’s a list to get you started:

• Many meats use bourbon or whiskey marinades to get a more robust flavor.
• Who needs Bud when you have beer bread?
• Gin and tonic cupcakes.
• Dessert sundae. Plus rum. Yum!

Fun, frills and food. What more could a girl need? Happy birthday, you. Here’s to a fantastic (and photo-op-ready) 21st. (And if it gets crazy: two Advil and a Gatorade. You’re welcome.)