Woman Throws Epic Disney Channel-Inspired 21st Birthday Bash — Complete with Style Cues from London Tipton (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Leiah Abellera at her 21st birthday party.Photo:Leiah Abellera

Leiah Abellera

Leiah Abelleramight be growing older, but for her 21st birthday party, she wanted to take her guests on a trip down memory lane.

When brainstorming ideas for the celebration, Abellera knew she wanted the most playful and fun introduction to adulthood she could imagine. With fashion playing a significant role in her life, she drew inspiration from the 2007 to 2011 era — a time she loved for its iconic style.

Ultimately, she decided to transport her friends straight into the nostalgic world of Disney Channel, even sending her guests a Pinterest board with outfit inspiration pictures to ensure everyone understood the assignment.

“My family just rolled their eyes in endearment because, of course, only Leiah could come up with such an obscure theme for her 21st,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It was really sweet how they were just reminded that kid me is very much still me now.”

“I just wanted to have the most childish, girlhood introduction to my adulthood I could think of,” she coninues. “I think it’s really important to keep your inner child alive, and that era brought so much joy and silliness into my life. I want to keep that energy as I continue to grow up.”

Leiah Abellera at her 21st birthday party.Leiah Abellera

The Orange County, Calif., local loves event planning and values being a great entertainer, so she was determined to throw the best party possible. She started with research, looking up pictures online of what public events, premieres and birthdays from that time looked like.

She worked with graphic designer Nathan Funakoshi to create her party invitations, which gave off a Y2K feel, and a step-and-repeat banner with a customized logo, which she says “added a nice personal touch.”

Leiah Abellera’s party invitations.Leiah Abellera

“The highlight was everyone getting pictures with me on the red carpet and in front of the step-and-repeat banner,” she adds. “I’m glad I got so many pictures from the night. It definitely felt like I was the main actress of a Disney movie that everyone had to get a pic with at the premiere.”

Leiah Abellera with her friends at her birthday party.Leiah Abellera

“I definitely got a lot of inspiration from on-screen Brenda Song as London Tipton, as well as off-screenAshley Tisdaleat various premieres,” the birthday girl says. “I really love pink the same way London Tipton and Sharpay Evans do, so I also wanted to have my little diva moment.”

She wore boot-cut Lee jeans from her mom’s closet, a vintage Veronica midi dress with a matching scarf from Depop, paired with a sparkly hat from childhood and a pair of silver kitten heels from her mom.

“I got everything secondhand, and actually, mostly everyone at my party did too,” she adds. “That was really beautiful to see because I hate how wasteful themed parties can be sometimes.”

When it came to the cake, she wanted to keep it fun and lighthearted, opting for a princess cake with a crown and wand from Walmart.

“I wasn’t too focused on recreating a specific Disney moment or making it centered around Disney Channel as an entity,” she says. “I mostly just wanted to reenact what it would be like to celebrate a birthday in that era as if I were one of the main Disney girls — though, of course, I toned down the extravagance because I don’t have a Disney actress budget.”

“If I had time, I wish me and my boyfriend would have learned the dance fromAnother Cinderella Storybetween Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley,” she adds. “I think it would’ve been a really cute easter egg. But besides that I was mostly just focused on getting the fashion and outfits down.”

Abellera says that while she enjoys posting on TikTok to reminisce about different moments in her life, she was especially excited to share her themed birthday party in hopes of connecting with others who also appreciate this era of Disney.

And that’s exactly what happened: the clip has since captured the attention ofmore than 1 million people on TikTok.

“now this is a THEME,” another person writes.

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Leiah Abellera posing at her birthday.Leiah Abellera

source: people.com