{ranai}

When my niece, Hildie Jean, came into the world it was amidst chaos and stress, but as a family we put her in the hands of God and poured all of our love into her. We had so much support from friends and family and at times it was overwhelmingly humbling to accept the generosity of others. We are normally the family that gives, not receives! As a way to thank those that mean the most to us, we threw a rather large party for Miss Hildie. She loved being the center of attention!

I actually chose a theme before she was even one month old. I know this seems crazy, but as part of your nesting process, you should do this! It allowed me to keep an eye out for good deals all year long. I even coordinated her monthly pictures with the colors of aqua, pink, gold, and white. Then I wasn’t as stressed and plagued with mental fatigue when it came to putting everything together.

Tables

I kept the table decor fairly simple. Each table was numbered 1-12 with a gold number, a picture frame with the corresponding monthly picture, a lace and aqua fabric square, and cute jar of flowers.

Photo Backdrop

Why have I never thought of these fringey curtains as a backdrop before??? They are relatively inexpensive and can be picked up at any party store. I put a plastic table cloth behind it for the two tone look. I added 36″ balloons with ribbon tassels to each side. I cut out Hildie Jean from foam core and painted it gold to add to the balloons. I wish helium wasn’t at such a premium because I LOVE these balloons but they cost a small fortune to fill. I picked up the adorable chairs at a sale from an event planner getting rid of some of her stock.

Desserts

How cute is this ruffle cake? I had it custom made and then added in candy and made cupcakes and marshmallow pops to round out the sweet treats. I used white lights behind the curtains for a sparkly touch. The tissue poms I purchased from Paper Lantern Store. They have great prices and ship FAST (I wasn’t paid for this, I promise!). I have found over the years that it is actually cheaper to buy the large ones ready made, especially if you want colors other than white.

Her smash cake was insanely adorable as well. She LOVED it and having everyone sing to her.

Room Decor

We’ve used this room for so many parties, and I wanted to have a wow factor at the mantle to make sure it was special. I added poms in groups to the wall using 3D glue dots. The applique numbers on the mantle and the tutus were the same ones we used for her monthly photos. I added balloons to each side and a couple more of those uber cute chairs. On the mantle is a large canvas I painted with metallic gold paint with a small pennant banner that read “HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY”.

The opposite side of the room had three large sliding doors with vertical blinds. Not the cutest in my opinion, so I dressed them up a bit with tissue tassels and string lights. These lights came with the typical hunter green wiring, so I spray painted them gold to match the theme. A couple of balloon bouquets finished off the look!

For a final touch I printed the monthly pictures and displayed them on the back wall and decorated the piano as a place for gifts.

Food and Drinks

My parents are amazing at cooking banquet food. We had tri-tip, chicken, cheesy potatoes, green salad, and rolls for lunch. The drinks consisted of iced tea and lemonade. I cut a giant one out of foam core and decorated it with flowers for a bit of flair.

Photos

These are just a few of my favorite photos from the party. I will cherish the memories always!