Hellobee

Little Marbles’ second birthday just happened! I labored over her first birthday party for weeks, so it’s only fitting that I finally give it a proper and well-deserved post.

I started thinking about LM’s birthday right after Christmas. In fact, the theme for the party came to me while antiquing in Mr. Marbles’ hometown in Massachusetts. I saw some beautiful and inexpensive antique plates. While admiring the dishes, I recalled some great tutorials online on how to make your own tiered cake stands, so I purchased the plates and embarked on a shabby-chic tea party theme for LP’s first birthday. Throughout the planning process, I was told by many friends and family not to go overboard because LM will not remember her first birthday, but I like throwing a good party so why not?
I mulled over every detail and handmade (with A LOT of help) much of the decor and party. Other items, like food, were cobbled together from a variety of sources to make the perfect spread. It was a lot of work, but I really had so much fun sourcing every little thing. It was like wedding planning all over again!

Our guest list comprised about 30 adults and six kids. Since the party was in the afternoon, we decided on a buffet of mini-sandwiches, salad, tea cookies, macarons, scones, fresh fruit, and cupcakes. Though it looks like a lot, the food went fast! We had about 50 sandwiches and they were all gone at the end. I wanted the table to have a lush feel, so I filled it with thrifted pitchers, teapots, and dishware that held cut roses that I’d ordered online in bulk. I decorated with pinwheels I had found online and at party stores and made my own tissue paper pom poms. One of the last minute things I found were these beautiful glittered dessert postcards and I attached menu cards to the back for display.

Instead of a large cake, I got a small six-inch cake from One Girl Cookies. It was LM’s first time eating cake so I requested more baby-friendly flavors and textures (banana cake with dulce de leche layers and vanilla buttercream frosting). From the pictures, you can tell just how much LM loved the taste of cake! To make the cake a centerpiece, I used Martha Stewart cake stands and tiered them. I filled each tier with standard-sized and mini cupcakes from The Cupcake Crowd. We had a tea station with cups and saucers and kettles of hot water. Guests could pick from a selection of Harney & Son teas. Instead of alcoholic beverages, it is tea time after all, we had a choice of two mixed soft drinks for kids and adults.

All the children who attended were toddlers and infants so we did not have many activities or games planned. The main activity was the cake-cutting and opening presents. LM thoroughly enjoyed opening presents with her Cousin D and even skipped a nap because she was so wired from ripping paper and bouncing up and down upon seeing new toys! During present time, we gave each child a their own gift tote that contained a board book, bubbles, a mini-kite, and some kid-friendly snacks. For the adults, we had a mini candy bar. At the end of the party, I set out little cupcake carrier boxes so that guests could have their own take-home boxes and I wouldn’t be tempted to eat all the leftover cupcakes!

A few things I would have done differently:

1. Start the party at 10 AM or 4 PM. We started the party at 1 PM and didn’t account for typical nap schedules since LM wasn’t on much of a standard nap schedule yet, it wasn’t a big deal for us, but many of our guests arrived a few hours late because their kids were sleeping.
2. Order more savory food. We had a lot of sweets figuring it was a birthday party after all, but we should have accounted for the larger number of adults present!
3. Create a timeline for the party. After talking to a few parents and my in-laws, I learned that this was pretty crucial with kids’ parties. I kind of went with the flow, but it would have been easier if I had decided ahead of time when we’d cut the cake and when we’d open presents (on the day of, I wasn’t even sure we’d open presents, but there really wouldn’t be much activity if we didn’t!)

All in all, everything turned out well. I’m sure LP will definitely not remember her first birthday, but we do have some gorgeous photos (courtesy of our good friend and fabulous photographer, Angelica Glass) and big smiles to document the day!