The mastermind behind the Kardashians' over-the-top parties spills her secrets
Mindy Weiss is an event planner who is best known for her weddings, but whenever one of the Kardashians contacts her to plan a party, she always says, "I do."
“I’m always worried that we’ll run out of a theme because there’s so many of them,” Weiss jokes about the 13 Kardashian grandkids. But since Weiss so rarely needs to choose the theme, she doesn't worry.
“Typically the girls call (and Rob, sometimes) and they tell us the theme,” she explains.
Where do Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Rob and Kylie get their theme ideas? From the birthday kids themselves!
"They involve the kids 100%," Weiss tells TODAY.com.
Once her team knows the theme, they brainstorm and present the family with a menu of options and the Kardashians themselves select what they'd like to see at the event.
“Every event, we think, 'Oh my god. How are we going to do that?'" Weiss jokes. But because her events are held near Los Angeles, she is able to find "98%" of what people request.
"People think that [the Kardashians] wouldn't be involved and just leave it to me, but they are the most creative family I think I've ever worked with," says Weiss.
The happiest place on earth
If you tune into the premiere of Season 5 of Hulu's "The Kardashians," you'll see her genius work on Kourtney Kardashian-Barker's Disneyland baby shower to welcome her fourth child (her first with Travis Barker), Rocky Thirteen Barker.
"Wasn't that a good one?" Weiss asks gleefully. "That may have been one of my favorites!"
A Disney fan herself, Weiss was delighted to source and create vintage items for Kourtney. She was most excited to find vintage Disney character vases that at one time were used for flower deliveries. People kept telling Weiss that details like these would go unnoticed, but she said that when Kourtney saw the vases and immediately wanted them for her baby's room.
The baby shower, however, didn't exactly go according to plan.
Minutes before the party was set to begin, Kourtney called Kris Jenner to share the news that she tested positive for Covid. The scene was captured on camera for the first episode of the new season.
"Can you ask Mindy to come in?" Jenner shouted. Weiss hustled over, wearing a white shirt and Disney-themed jeans.
"Kourtney isn't able to come to the shower," Jenner said. "She has Covid."
"Seriously?" Weiss said on camera.
"You've done such a beautiful job," Jenner said as Weiss tried to remain calm. "You always have the best attitude. I just didn't know who else to tell. I want to hug you, but I'm just going to keep my distance."
Looking back at that moment, Weiss said that her initial thought was "selfish" because "I wanted her to see everything."
Kourtney ended up coming to the shower early to see the decor and ended up staying as the guests arrived. Previous to her arrival, Weiss and her team scrambled to set up two chairs at a distance from the rest of the party, which was being held outdoors in Jenner's backyard, so that the couple could safely stay. Kourtney said the setup made it look like she and Barker were "the king and queen of Covid."
"If this was at the beginning of Covid, this would have never happened because there was such a fear," Weiss explained. "They masked it up and it didn't bother anybody."
"That was real television. I've been on shows where they're making drama, which I usually will not do. I don't like those kind of shows," Weiss says. "But this was real. You can't write this crap."
Our burning party questions
Parties are often imperfect, Weiss cautions.
She cites the weather, family dynamics and even allergies at roadblocks to any party, celebrity or otherwise.
"Instead of getting overwhelmed with several things going on, take one incident at a time because I find there's always a solution," says Weiss. "It may upset us that something didn't work out or wasn't there, but nine times out of 10, no one knows it was supposed to be there."
Parties have a time limit, so no matter what happens, you know that the chaos generally has an end point.
"Instead of panicking and letting everyone know what is going on, it's best to keep it to a small group and find a solution because that panic spreads and changes the whole aura of the party," she says.
A mom of three and a grandmother of three, Weiss is familiar with throwing family birthday parties. In fact, she just threw a Hello Kitty party for one grandchild and is about to host a Taylor Swift-themed sleepover for another grandchild in her home.
So, we couldn't resist asking Weiss about some of TODAY.com's most controversial birthday party debates. Here's how she weighed in:
"We have now given up goody bags for art projects at the party. It's an activity and a party favor," she says.
"I'm all for it. You as a parent can go to Target or wherever and buy them a birthday present," she says, adding, "I wish my kids would do that."
"We hire camp counselor types that are almost like babysitters. It's not expensive. If you have a large group of kids that are going to a place besides your own home, hire four chaperones for 25 kids," she says, noting that as a mom, she's often more sensitive to this issue. "If there's a swimming pool, we hire lifeguards. It's a great investment and it allows you to enjoy the party and watch your child and not other people's children."
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
