100 years of Nivea

 Yesterday afternoon whilst I was curled up on the couch wildly editing the final touches to my Kidspot Top 50 Bloggers competition video entry I got a tweet from one of my favourite PR firms, a last minute invitation to Nivea’s 100th Birthday Party at Bennelong Point opposite the Opera House… how could I say no! After trying on a million outfits I settled on one and drove into the city. After paying $35 for parking I was guided up to the marquee by glittering blue lanterns.

This is what I wore to the party:

 I wasn’t expecting this kind of grandeur and instantly felt underdressed for the occasion. I wished I had someone to share it with but I was a lone wolf for the night, no other media personnel were invited as it was strictly an event for the Nivea team and it’s distributors. It was really nice to be asked to join in the fun and even though I was essentially working I had a lot of it.

 Before walking into the party I decided to take a moment to soak up the atmosphere. Sydney city is currently hosting the annual Vivid Festival and all the large buildings are being lit up by large light installations. There were photographers both professional and amateur every where, all clamouring for the perfect spot for the perfect shot.

 Sydney Harbour is pretty magical on an ordinary night so the timing for the big 100 year bash couldn’t have been better, the views were amazing.

  Eventually I arrived at the party and headed inside to see what the night had in store.

 The marquee took almost five days to put together and it looked absolutely spectacular. All the finer details were taken care of and there were even flowers and little tins of Nivea cream in the bathroom. Every single one of the guests I bumped into just gushed about how beautiful it all was.

 I could now understand how people easily spent $50,000 on a wedding, the marquee was like a brides dream. The center pieces were a collection of mirrors, flowers and tea light candles in little blue coloured votives.

 While everyone was eating their entrees I slipped away to soak up more of the awesome view. The lights were so random, you never knew what to expect.

 There were a few speeches, jokes and then dinner was served. It all looked so good! I was glad I’d eaten before I left otherwise I’m afraid I might have mugged some poor unsuspecting guy of his meal.

 While everyone was enjoying their dinner, Annabel Fay performed acoustically for everyone. She has such a lovely voice, I was surprised I hadn’t heard of her before last night but she’s well known in New Zealand.

 After dinner everyone was ushered outside to watch the fireworks. It was a really nice way to kick off the rest of the evening and get into serious party mode… the night was young!

 Once inside dessert was served and one last special performer embraced the stage…

 … yep, it’s Jessica Mauboy!

 Everyone was totally floored, her voice is breath taking live and she has such an energy about her.

 It wasn’t long before everyone jumped up and started dancing. She sang some of my favourite songs and had me bopping about with my camera. I just couldn’t believe where I was, it was all kinds of awesome.

 Would you believe me if I said it got better! Jess jumped off stage and danced amongst the crowd for an entire song which really got them going. I’m still pretty chuffed I managed to capture this photo, she really was adamant to connect with the crowd and have a good time.

 After Jess had finished her set we were treated to even more music by the Martini Club. It was then that I decided to say goodnight to everyone from Maxted Thomas and to thank them for inviting me on such a fun night out.