How to Plan a 1st Birthday Party

For anyone else getting ready to throw a 1st birthday party, you know how much of an emotional roller coaster this is. I cannot believe how fast time is flying by. I feel like I just had her and here she is turning one. Every morning I go to get her out of her crib I can't believe how much she has grown throughout the night.

I remember when my best friend was going through this same thing a few years ago so I went over her house to see her. She was sobbing while folding his tiny newborn socks. I do not recommend doing this the day before the birthday! This would definitely be me except I packed up her stuff every single time she out grew clothes. I would quickly throw them in a storage box so that I wouldn't get so emotional after every single stage. There's a lot of stages and a lot of emotions. I'm currently trying to keep myself busy so I don't think about the fact this birthday going to be here any day now. 

The best way to start planning the party is to make a list. I am not an elaborate party planner by any means. That would be my sisters specialty, but I certainly try to have as much fun doing it as possible. I started planning her birthday party at the beginning of January.

Guest List: Before you can start picking a location or ordering things you need to know how many people you are planning on having at this party. Will it be a small wedding or will it be just a family get together? For some of us, those are similar in size! ;)

Location: Next is your location! Will it be inside or outside, at home or at a hall?? Depending on how many people you are having this could be a huge decision. Ellie's birthday is the end of February and we have a decent size space in our basement so we are going to have it at home. 

Theme/ decorations: Have you picked a theme? Are you having a theme? I personally chose not to do one. I started looking at pinterest for ideas first! I simply found a bunch of things that looked cute together but not one specific theme. On Amazon I found this high chair tutu and a monthly banner to show off all her monthly pictures. We also added some balloons and pink table cloths to tie it all together.

Invitations: I purchased her invitations on Etsy. I liked that it was an instant download so I was able to buy it and then edit the information once I had all the details figured out. These are the invitations I chose for her birthday party! She is definitely a wild one!

Outfit: On amazon I found this super cute crown headband, pink tutu and "one" onesie. Her birthday is in February so I'm going to put leggings on under her tutu to keep her warm.

Cake: I purchased her smash cake and cupcakes at a local bakery called Bake Me Treats! I love the "semi naked" frosted smash cakes. I think they are so darling! Then we ordered an assortment of cupcakes for our guests!

Food: I wanted this party to be as easy as possible so I ordered a bunch of pizzas from our local Belleria pizza and some fried chicken and joe joe fries from our local Sparkle Market. We also made a bunch of appetizers like veggie tray, fruit tray and chips/ dip.

Tables/ chairs: I pretty much drove around to all my family to gather as many tables and chairs as I could from people but it still wasn't enough. So I decided to rent some from Classic Tent Party Rentals. Her party was on a Saturday so we got to pick them up on Friday and drop them off on Monday which was perfect.

Hopefully this list helps you throw a great 1st birthday or any birthday party for that matter, for your little one! I can't believe mine is already turning one. How is that possible? I hope you enjoy every moment of this party and aren't stressed out about it. They only have these moments once!