Hi y’all, (scroll if you just want to see the pictures)
Preface…I am going to share Ella’s 1st birthday with you. Yes, she is technically 2 and this birthday is ancient history, but frankly, I love how it came together. I was very inspired by other parties so maybe this will inspire someone else. The theme can really be used for any age and different types of events.
Ella’s first birthday was technically in April of 2021, but due to the pandemic, we postponed until the vaccine was available. This made July 2021 a good time to do it. I knew I wanted a very feminine theme, hence “Wild One” which was all around wild flowers.
We invited a lot of people because at this point so many friends and family had yet to meet her (#covid).
We planned to keep people outside the best we could, but because of the heat we needed to be thoughtful. Inside we set up all of the food and desserts. Outside were the drinks, the gift table and some other fun little areas. We had a painting station for the kids to paint watering cans and a flower stand (handmade) for aesthetics. With the July heat, we rented a tent, tables and chairs for out guests comfort.
The details are what truly made this party.
The dessert table was my absolute favorite for obvious reasons. The flower rings are from Hobby Lobby and we added flower garland and white butcher paper to dress it up without over doing it. I really wanted the desserts to be the focal point. Oh, and the picture if our girl.
We pretty much always get our cakes from Classic Cakes in the Carmel area. They are extremely talented and their cake flavors are extensive. The real win, the taste. They are delicious!!! To display everything, I got these cake stands are from Amazon and can be used for years to come.
Another great touch was the live entertainment. We had ‘Rich Bryant’ play guitar for a couple of hours and it completely added to the overall ambience. He played some oldies, classic rock and a few newer songs, too.
Our favors were flower seeds with the sweetest little labels that read…”Thank You for Helping Me Grow”. I ordered the labels from Zazzle along with the invites.
As our guests walked up, they were met with a flower stand (banner from here), a bicycle (thank you, Liv) and a darling teepee. I am all about a good theme and aesthetic. I cannot help myself. Note: we made the flower stand. It will be Ella’s lemonade stand once she is old enough. Here is the tutorial Trent found to build it.
A few more details that are worth sharing. First, the time capsule. Everyone wrote Ella a message that she will read on her 18th birthday. This acted as the guest book and will be so special in the years to come.
Next, we borrowed this chicken wire display from our neighbors who made it for their sons graduation. It was a great place to display keepsakes and pictures from NB to 1! We ordered the balloons and numbers from Etsy. This is the shop we used for most of the garland, balloons and cake topper.
A couple more- the high chair skirt (from Amazon) and the hat can be found here. She wore this for her 1 year photos, too.
Lastly, Ella’s milestone board. I cannot remember where I found this, but I think it was a download on Etsy and then I had it printed at Vistaprint. You can edit everything from the colors to the font. I will probably keep this forever because it documents such a special year of our lives. One thing about me, I am extremely sentimental and hold on to things I probably shouldn’t. I can promise you will not see me on an episode of Hoarders though.
A pro tip if you can swing it, hire your family photographer (or ask a friend to be photographer) to take pics of the day. Seeing as how so many family members had never met Ella, we wanted to get some great family pictures while also not worrying about the pressure of capturing all the details and moments of the day. This meant we had more time to just enjoy the party. If you are in the Indy area, Lauren Gallagher is amazing.
This was truly a magical day and a day I wasn’t sure I would ever get to celebrate. Between 4 years of trying to get pregnant and then a pandemic, I just felt so so lucky to be here with everyone. My mama heart is FULL!
Another cute party idea.
