Our daughter recently turned one and we celebrated with ‘sweet one’ birthday party. With a theme which fit her demeanor perfectly, the sweet one birthday party went off without a hitch. This blog will share memories from the party to guide as inspiration when planning your little one’s first birthday.
We planned our daughters first birthday with a budget of $100. We have lots of tips and tricks regarding how to host an affordable birthday party which does not break the bank. And if you know anything about me, centering the day around family was especially important as we celebrated our little one!
In this blog, we will explore:
- Theme and Decor
- Food and Beverage featuring smash (cup)cake
- Favorite one year old gifts we received
- How to recreate this look
Theme and Decor
The theme for this party was all about..you guessed it..our Sweet Little One. She was the center of our party theme inspiration and which showcased lots of “love” and “pink” themed party decorations. To start decorating, we used a variety of items (like hand fans and table covers) from her pink themed baby shower.
Additionally, we purchased other items (like this felt heart garland) from stores including Amazon, Target and the Dollar Store which had discounted Valentine’s Day themed products.
To start, we planned the day around a focal point – the backdrop and the smash cake. We wanted a backdrop where she would ideally open her presents and enjoy her smash cake.
As the theme was all about her, we hung up twelve pictures of her first year on a garland. There was one picture for each month to show how she grew over the course of a year.
Additionally, we draped other items along the white backdrop including large pom-poms, paper fans and a felt heart garland.
While we did not decorate the tables with specific centerpieces, we did place lots of photos around for our family to view. We had separate photo albums of Spencer and I’s first year for our family to look to look at.
We also printed off 200+ photos from our daughter’s first year as well and placed them into this photo album which features both horizontal and vertical photos on each page.
The stories from our aunts, uncles and grandparents about what they remember from our childhood had us all chuckling as they compared the various facial expressions of all three of our baby pictures together. The consensus was our daughter is the perfect 50/50 split of us both.
Because capturing memories is very important to our family, we had two Fuji Film cameras with extra film available for people to take home pictures of the day. We supplied themed heart shaped glasses, a heart shaped wreath and a headband with springy hearts (courtesy of a gift from little ones Grandma Kelly).
To keep the sweet one theme going, we had a heart shaped donut garland and all things pink for dishwater including plates, bowls, napkins and cups.
We had white silverware and used a variety of serving tongs and platters we had on hand. These wooden salad ‘hands’ were also an absolute hit over the conventional plastic tongs.
To tie in the sweet one birthday party theme further, our cupcake liners had dainty hearts in various shades of red, purple and white. Additionally for candles, we opted for one singular red and white polka dot candle. These items worked great to display and serve the food and beverage we had at the party.
Food and Beverage
Everyone who attended the sweet one birthday party was generous to not only attend, but also come baring food. We supplied the main course, beverages and dessert, while everyone else chipped in to make the food a smashing success.
We supplied two Jet’s Pizzas, one bottle of pop, coffee and tea, sparkling water and cupcakes. Our family brought a fruit platter, tossed salad, sliced vegetables, smoked chicken thighs and smoked chicken drumsticks as well as two flavors of ice cream (chocolate and mint chip). Everyone played to their strengths combining homemade food and store bought items.
Smash (Cup)cake
When it came to the dessert, I knew our family was not the biggest fan of cake. Despite this, we wanted to do the traditional “smash cake” for our daughter and opted for cupcakes. We made two dozen cupcakes- one dozen white and one dozen chocolate.
While I will refrain from sharing the cupcake recipe as it was not great, however the buttercream was off the charts. We learned the key to a delicious buttercream is whipping the butter until it turns from yellow to white in color and adding vanilla bean paste as opposed to vanilla extract or imitation vanilla.
#mom-to-mom hack, play to your strengths and do not put too much pressure on yourself if decorating cakes is not feeling as easy as the professionals make it look. I also learned this the hard way as the cupcake frosting designs turned out good but not how I had pictured them. To pipe the frosting, I used this piping bag and piping tip set.
The smash cake was also a focal point of the event. We shaped two dozen cupcakes into the pattern of the number one. I found a tutorial on YouTube showing me how to transform them into the showstopper design.
Finally, to compliment the dessert our Dutch loving family on Spencer’s side loved “coffee time” equipped with coffee, tea, sugar and creamer. We supplied the wide variety of coffee mugs we have collected through time.
To brew hot water for tea quickly, we used our electric tea kettle from Aldi. It is one of our favorite Aldi finds and this one looks very similar!
Gifts for a One Year Old
We did not ask for anything more than everyone’s presence at the celebration for our daughter. Upon request, we provided a “wish list” for her, showcasing some of our needs and wants which could come arise over the next year. Because some people decided to provide a gift, we asked any cards were replaced with a book to build her library.
A special moment of the party was having everyone open their gift with our daughter on their lap. It allowed everyone to experience opening a gift with her. Additionally, this made sure everyone was in at least one picture with her.
Some of the toys we received for our daughter which she still loves include those listed below. They have been an absolute hit (for not only her but us as well!).
- Sensory tubes. These sensory tubes are a gift we will use for years to come. They provide a sensory and auditory experience, provide practice of motor skills (open, close, grip, pull, push) and act as a kazoo / megaphone to amplify and change noises. Also, we have lots of fun imitating dog and making other funny noises by shouting through the tubes.
- Pop-up puzzle. This pop-up puzzle has four options which pop up when triggered. There are a few different options to help children learn colors, ‘if this – then this’ sequencing and object permanence.
- Funny animal face masks. These face masks are an interactive way to practice animal sounds, repetition and are overall fun. We have found them at the Dollar Store.
- Barbie car. While we do not have many battery operated toys in our household, this one is a hit. Coming with two interactive dolls, we use this car to transport a variety of toys – including our little farm set. Be aware – the rhymes are sure to get stuck in your head as well.
- Homemade Doll and Blanket. We are lucky to have family members who enjoy creating toys for our little one. We received a doll and toddler blanket, which will be perfect for pretend play and cuddling up in this winter.
Recreate this look
If you want to recreate this Sweet One birthday party theme these are some of our favorites:
- Happy Birthday Burlap Banner
- FijiFilm Instamax Camera (with case and film)
- Number ‘1’ Helium Balloon
- Mini Clothespins (for picture banner)
- Heart Sunglasses
- Cupcake Liners (heart design)
Finally, while there are a variety of first birthday themes to choose from, the sweet one birthday party is our favorite. What theme did you use for your little ones first birthday party? Share a memory in the comments below!
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