All of the details on Aria’s First Birthday party!
Well let’s just say I was a little “extra” when it came to Aria’s first birthday party; but I don’t think anyone would have expected otherwise.
I remember when Aria was about 6 weeks old, Evan and I were walking around a local botanical garden that we frequent and I said “I know what we should do for her 1st birthday party!” Naturally, he thought I was insane because I literally just had her; but it was decided back then. Which is somewhat surprising because I am a total summer girl so I was somewhat bummed when I found out my daughter was due in January because all I could think of was her winter birthday parties to come. (Which in Delaware means cold, crappy weather.)
Evan’s birthday is December 28, which is already the worst, and now Aria’s is 2 weeks later. I realize making a first birthday party extravagant is useless because she won’t remember, but let’s be honest… the first one is for the parents. Cheers to getting through year 1!
Planning
Fast forward 10 months. I sent out invitations super early because I knew with the holiday around the corner it would slip people’s minds and schedules so I wanted to be on top of it. I found this cute invitation on Etsy and sent out via paperless post.
Side note: In my mom Facebook groups everyone is always in debate about paper vs electronic invitations and honestly, does it really matter?! Its 2020 baby.
Next, I started this Pinterest board to gather cute theme ideas for decor and food. I became obsessed with making everything themed but eventually changed that mindset when it came to budgeting. I knew we were expecting about 60 people which is #cray.
Decor
This was the fun part! I used my Pinterest board and hopped on Amazon. I started searching “Winter ONEderland birthday” and variations thereof and just started saving everything I liked to a list. After much deliberation, these were the items that made the cut:
Balloon Garland – $12.40 – While these can seem intimidating this was super easy! I had a friend come over, we drank some wine, watched Siesta Key, and blew up 125 balloons. Turns out we didn’t need about 25 of them, which I ended up popping, gross. But the kit comes with a plastic strand that you just put the balloons in alternating ways in whichever color design you choose and that’s it! Then we used command hooks and stuck that baby to the wall.
Highchair Tutu/Banner – $19.51 – Although it was kind of pricey, it was very full so I thought it was worth the money. Let me save you from my mistake. I took this out of the packaging the night before because it got glitter everywhere and it was SO wrinkled. I had to steam it prior to the party because it would’ve looked like crap otherwise. I suggest doing this ahead of time as to not stress yourself out like me.
“Winter ONEderland” Birthday Kit – $17.99 – This came with a bunch of different party decor (shown above), which was so worth the $18! I was going to order the letter balloons individually but this was significantly cheaper!
The monthly milestone banner is shown below; for close ups of these adorable pics check out this blog post 🙂
“ONE” pink balloon – $6.39 – I didn’t like the “ONE” balloon that came with the kit because it didn’t stand out enough for me, so I purchased this one and was really pleased. I ended up using the other one over our bar table
Paper products – $28.99 – I actually thought this was a great deal for 200 pieces!
Happy Birthday napkins – $6.49
Snowflake confetti – $8.65
The other items on the main table I picked up while out and about during the holiday season.
- The 2 iridescent cone trees, mason jars, and gold votive candles were from Christmas Tree Shops
- The large snowflakes were from Michael’s
- Fake snow in mason jars and frames were The Dollar Tree
- Gold sparkle branches were Target
- The 2 candelabras and name sign were actually from my baby shower <3
Desserts
Here is a not-so-funny story for you. My dog ate my cupcakes. Like, for real. Freaking 8 chocolate cupcakes.
The party started at 3pm and at 12pm I was upstairs blow drying my hair and my dog jumped on my kitchen table and ate my effing cupcakes! This was one of the two things I actually made myself! I was so devastated.
My best friend came to the rescue and rushed to my house to help me remake them (and steam the highchair tutu and clean my windows haha. She deserves a medal)
Anyway- I also made the chocolate covered pretzels (with that same best friend the earlier in the week while indulging in The Bachelor.)
But that is all pretty lame once you take a look at these cake pops.
My amazing friend MADE THESE! I am the least talented baker in the world. I screw up box brownies. I mentioned that ordering cake pops were going to cost a lot and she offered to make them! I had no idea they would be this beautiful, not to mention delicious!! Check out her Instagram post for the before shot!
I opted for only a small smash cake for Aria as I feel like a large cake tends to go to waste. I thought the cake pops were perfect for a small bite (unless you are me and eat 4) and I would definitely recommend this. I let her cake be the decorative focal point of the table and it was just enough for the kids once she was done. I used this photo as inspiration.
Aria wasn’t really into the cake, but she thoroughly enjoyed the canoli! I suppose she inherited Dada’s Italian genes 🙂
Outfits
I had Aria’s dress picked out weeks before the party. I thought it was perfect until two days before I started to get stressed about dumb shit. It didn’t say 1 and the pink was slightly off from matching the decor, I know… ridiculous. So I made and impromptu Amazon purchase for this super sweet dress, and it was perfect <3 After she ate her cake I switched her into the original one for the last little bit of the party (shown in photo of us below.)
As far as my outfit, it took me forever to find something to wear. I was all over the place and for some reason hyper focused on this. I eventually landed on this sweater from Macy’s and some dark jeans and booties. I liked that the sleeves looked like snow… again I’m extra.
O·N·E·derful Day
We had a ONEderful day celebrating Aria with our closest friend’s and family.
For the millionth time, I can’t believe how fast this year went.
What theme did you do for your babe’s first birthday party? Drop it in the comments below! Also taking ideas for the 2nd (because you know I’m already brainstorming this far in advance!)
Xo, Emily
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