How has this year gone by so quickly?! Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of sleepless nights, crocodile tears coming from both child and parent, groggy midnight feedings, and the overall feeling of exhaustion that just can't be tamed. But, this year has been incredible getting to grow as a couple, as parents and in learning about this amazing little person God blessed us with! Our lives have changed so much, but we wouldn't want it any other way!
To my fellow Type A parents who tend to go slightly overboard on things, this first birthday party ordeal is no joke. Michael had to lovingly rein me in on many occasions. All in all, it was an absolute blast to plan a family birthday party for our little love. In this post, I detail out the styling of her party for those curious as well as share some sweet photos from the day.
Call me crazy, but when it comes to party planning, I usually have a mental vision board of the ambiance and vibe I'm going for, but but not necessarily a party-store-theme to go off of. I love the challenge! For Tallulah's first birthday, we went with a soft, natural look including greens, floral designs, and white and muted gold elements. We wanted to take some great photos at the party, so having a statement wall along with some ancillary photo areas throughout the space were where all of my decoration focus went.
White Soft Floral Wall
How light and airy is this wall!? I fell in love with it when I saw it online. The white floral hanging I bought at Target, and hung the piece using Command wire hangers to not destroy the wall. I also replaced the balloon string with these artificial vines throughout the house to add to the soft natural feel.
Gold Sparkle Wall
This wall hanging scream celebration! The gold strands danced around as guests walked by, adding the perfect amount of movement and sparkle, to keep the space light and fun whether photos were being taken in front of it or not :)
The Statement Wall
This photo wall was my absolute favorite to design. After purchasing artificial plant wall pieces online that I didn't love and looking at the Wayfair equivalent (for $900... no thank you), I decided I was going to go another direction and design it the way I envisioned it in my head, at a much more feasible price point. I ended up ordering every part of the final statement wall on Amazon (minus the "one" balloon, which was one of my Target impulse buys, but ended up working perfectly).
If you're looking to make something similar, assembling it was very easy....
What you'll need
1. Determine where you'll be hanging it and order the appropriate length White Birch Pole. I used 5'.
2. Place heavy duty picture hanging wire around the pole a few times and make a strongly reinforced metal loop at the location of each hook. TIP: I highly recommend hanging it at a place with great natural light. It makes the photos look all the more soft and dreamlike.
3. Hang the pole on both hooks and ensure it's not going anywhere.
4. Get out that hot glue gun :) and glue each individual piece of ivy on the birch wood. TIP: If you put the glue on the leaves instead of the plastic vein of the ivy, it sticks much better to the wood. ANOTHER TIP: I pulled the leaves up a bit higher at the hook area to cover up the hanging mechanism from photos.
5. Cut the Wisteria bunches so you can place each individual strand where you best see fit on the hanging. TIP: I cut the main stem off with the wire cutters and just bent each individual sprig so it would lay over the pole already covered in ivy... no hot glue required.
6. Take test photos with the statement wall hanging in place a few days prior at the same time of day as the party so you have a good idea of how photos will turn out. I was nervous the back lighting would be too harsh, but in the late afternoon, it was perfect.
The Cakes
In going with the soft, natural style of the party, we wanted very simple and dainty cakes. One for the adults and a smash cake for Tallulah. Jillycakes in Orlando made both cakes and did a fantastic job! The sugar flowers were beautiful and the cake flavor was awesome! Tallulah cracked us up with how much she wasn't into smashing the cake at first. She just kept posing for photos, but after her cousin Hudson came up to give her a tutorial, she got a bit more comfortable and finally realized what an amazing treat she had in front of her.
Additionally, these plates and forks paired so well with the cake!
The Food
For this party, we kept food very simple since it was at 2pm. We had a fruit and cheese board, a Chic-fil-A nugget platter, strawberries, apples and my sister-in-law Monica's famous fruit dip, lemonade, sweet and unsweet tea. It was perfect! Simple and yummy. Great for that time of day.
The Present Opening
My goodness, Tallulah has one awesome family! She was showered with all kinds of presents to celebrate this monumental year! Although she was tanking on the energy front not long before, with a little bit of cake, she was good to go for the presents. She had such a blast, and since she felt very comfortable with everyone at the party, she wasn't hesitant to get right to playing, which was so fun to watch.
The Take Home
As a thank you, Tallulah made every guest artwork in the color scheme of the party and we placed the art on the fronts of all of the take home bags. In each bag we included a cookie for the road from Southern Home Bakery. They were so yummy and the perfect "kiss goodnight" to the evening (you can take the girl out of Disney events, but you can't take the Disney event lingo out of the girl) hehe
The Birthday Girl's Outfit
Her dress was 100% the biggest splurge of the party, but I saved for this dress and am so thankful I did!! It's a handmade Aggie & Francois dress from a fantastic Canadian dress maker. Out of the box, this dress is the perfect amount of sweetness and crinoline :) For my redheaded baby, they made the dress I linked above with pure white lace instead of the cream color. It was so full, and I didn't need to add any petticoats! She loved wearing the outfit, and I adored the fact that the dress had two ranges of buttons so I didn't have to worry about her outgrowing it before the party since I ordered it far in advance. Her bracelet was from Poppy Lane and Co. and of course my girly girl loved every minute wearing it! Her shoes were from Amazon, and honestly are the best mary janes she's had yet. They're awesome for a little one who's just starting to walk independently. Last but certainly not least is her flower crown. I have to admit, she didn't like wearing it for too long, but she was able to be distracted long enough for a few photos. I tried a bunch of flower crown options before landing on this one. The textures and fullness were beautiful! It was from Amazon and I'm a big fan!
Something to Not Forget...
I was so thankful that our family reminded us to get some photos of just the three of us during the party. With the hustle and bustle of party prep and entertaining, it‘s easy to forget in the moment. It was so nice to have some in-the-moment candid shots and also posed photos.
I would LOVE to see the elements of your kiddos birthday parties! I'm always down for party decor inspo. After all... her second birthday is really only a few months away ;)
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