Woman Throws Severance-Themed Birthday Party, Complete with Egg Bar and Music Dance Experience (Exclusive)

• Jay-Ann Lopez decided to throw a Severance themed birthday party as the season 2 finale neared
• Friends of Lopez's dressed up as the characters, enjoyed the "music dance experience" and embodied elements of the TV show
• Lopez shared her party on TikTok, and the video went viral, amassing nearly 1 million views

Welcome, refiners! Fans of the show Severance were transported to the halls of Lumon Industries when Jay-Ann Lopez threw a Severance-themed birthday party recently.

When Lopez's friends came over to celebrate her birthday, they were greeted with an immersive Lumon experience, mirroring details from the show.

Lopez meticulously planned everything and executed it with help from her partner, from the virtual invitation she sent to the welcome packets. The party included a fan-recognized "music dance experience" selection menu and the highly coveted egg bar. Lopez's friend, Latasha Mercer, even dressed up as the character Mr. Milchick (played by Tramell Tillman).

A week before the party, Lopez decided she wanted to "geek out" and throw a Severance-themed birthday bash since she loves the show and the world it creates, she tells PEOPLE.

"I love a good piece of TV. Severance, for me, is just one of the best shows that's out right now in general in terms of the writing, cinematography, the way the story develops, the acting and cast," Lopez tells PEOPLE exclusively. 

"I appreciate the people behind the scenes who are making the show, the visuals, the graphics and the color palette. With a show like Severance, I like to not just watch the show, I like to experience the making of the show as well. It is amazing what they do to create such an immersive world."

When planning the event, Lopez admits she felt like some of the details would be easy to pull off, since many of them are based around office supplies. 

"I made a video for the invites, which was an audio communication allegedly from Lumon, inviting people to the party and showing them the vibe," Lopez recalls. 

Lopez wanted to ensure that her apartment felt like Lumon, from the Lumon blue seen throughout the show to the more minor details of the food from the vending machines. 

"I looked into the branding of Severance, Lumon, the company, and looked at where the fonts are applied, and just rehashed all the different props they have in the show and the different experiences, and then took each one and tried to convey it into something that can be in a party," she adds.

While she couldn't recreate the Wellness Center and Miss Casey's sessions, she made wellness cards that had facts and jokes about her friends that they could enjoy equally. She recreated the food from the TV show, including the waffles, the eggs and snacks from the vending machine in highly designed Lumon packaging. 

Through Reddit threads and research, Lopez found inspiration and help for her Lumon-inspired party shopping, where she sourced cups and boxes to look like props from the show. She worked with a local sticker shop in Los Angeles to get a Lumon logo transfer sticker that she then put on all party accessories to create the illusion that her partygoers were in the Lumon offices. 

The Lumon Welcome Packet included a Lumon-approved activity roster, a standardized merriment agenda and an assessment about Lopez, the host, all made on Canva. She also included a map for a party mini-game that she created, all around finding the character Petey, a callback to the show's first season. 

On her PC, she pulled up a Lumon-themed game allowing players to feel like they're members of the Macrodata Refinement team — just like the characters on the show.   

Many of the cast members, like Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette, reposted the video. Tillman, who plays Mr. Milchick on the show, commented on Lopez's Instagram post of the party. 

"Well done, refiners. What an auspicious jubilee," he commented, mimicking the speaking style of his character. "May this new journey around the sun bring new betterment, high achievements, and pure frivolity. Happy birthday and Praise Kier!"

Lopez shares that she was grateful to have the experience of planning the party, as it helped her focus on something she cared about. 

"It's important to do what you want and not wait on someone else. Even if none of my friends watched the show, I'd still do the theme because it's my birthday party, and I want it celebrated this way."

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Lopez shares her advice for those looking to throw a similarly themed birthday party, emphasizing that planning a party like this allowed her to take her mind off of the day-to-day.

"Lean into a theme that you enjoy, because that's where your creativity comes from, rather than just doing something because you saw someone else do it," Lopez says. "It doesn't have to be a Severance party. It could be anything with a strong lore you enjoy and can pull from. Find something that has bespoke elements."

"If there's anything I want people to take from this, it's to have fun. I think the social climate, the political climate, everyone's kind of exhausted," she continues. "That's why I leaned into something that would allow me to take a week to craft the experience. I want to disconnect from the world and craft something with my hands off the computer and the phone and just have fun."