A Very Valentine 1st Birthday Party + 5 Planning Essentials

I'm awestruck as we round the corner into February; our little valentine is turning one! Though the weeks were sometimes long, year one somehow flew by. I look at Sylvia and think, 'You're not my baby anymore!' Okay, okay, she's still a baby, but not the teeny, tiny 7lb swaddled peanut she was a year ago. It's amazing what a year can bring, and nothing highlights the passage of time more clearly than watching your child grow. Kelly from The Greenspring Home graciously invited me to join a talented group of bloggers in a 'Valentine's Day at Home' Blog Tour, and it was perfect timing as I was just starting to scheme on Syl's 1st birthday party plans.

Get scroll-happy here with lots of party prettiness and make sure to read through the 5 planning essentials at the bottom of the post. I used these as my go-to for pulling everything together.

A Very Valentine 1st Birthday Party + 5 Planning Essentials

Sylvia came into this world just over a week late on February 15th 2017. As she gets older, unless she specifically asks for it, we probably won't do Valentine's Day-themed birthday parties as we want her to have her own day that doesn't get lumped in with V-day shenanigans. Let's be honest though, at one year old, birthday parties are really more for parents and close family than they are for the babe-of-honor. Sylvia will love the spotlight, + her first real sugary experience, but whether we have a Valentine's Day party or a Batman party, she won't know the difference just yet.

Since her actual birthday party isn't for a few weeks, this is a dry-run. Syl isn't making an appearance today because I'm 100% sure she's going to destroy her highchair party decorations, and call me a buzzkill, health-conscious mom, but we're going to hold out on the sugar-overload until her actual party!

5 Party Planning Essentials

Let's talk through the 5 party areas I spelled out for myself while working through party details. I found it helpful to define these areas up front so I could use them as a guide to keep me on track when knee-deep in the seemingly endless number of adorable decorations out there. Hopefully this is helpful if you're planning a party too and aren't sure where to start!

Theme. I don't like the word theme for a party or in general, but I guess that's what this is! I landed on a light pink, red, and white color direction + heart motifs and an overarching idea of simplicity. Then as I was hashing out the party details, I made sure to refer back to these specific elements.
One Statement Decor Feature. I created one cool decor statement, or as I was calling it in my head, An Instagrammable Moment, with the paper party fans. I used removable wall hooks and overlapped the paper fans at the left side of the room's arch. Originally, I was going to do the entire arch (which would have been AWESOME!), but decided to show some restraint. I really like how it came out!
Party Food. We focused on sweets: cupcakes, fruit, and festive candies. To keep things affordable and easy, I made the cupcakes from a chocolate cake mix and used white pre-made frosting piped onto the cupcakes with a large nozzle/piping bag.
High Chair Swag. I wanted the gal-of-honor to have a fun spot to chow down on her birthday sweet, so I had a heart balloon filled with helium at the party store and tied it to the back of the chair, added a simple ONE banner to the front of the chair and made a party had from patterned paper + fuzzy pom. The banner is just cardboard letters that I found at Target Dollar Spot years ago taped onto string, and then taped to the chair's tray front. Not a lot of fuss, but still festive and fun!
Supporting Decor. So after the first four bullet points were covered, I rounded things out with a few smaller details: A heart banner (Target Dollar Spot again!) on the table front, a white impulse buy cut-out bunting draped on the table, cute napkins, and a bouquet of flowers. We used the cake stands and plates from our wedding and our everyday silverware.

Thank you for visiting! Your next stop is Meaningful Spaces! After checking out Laura's post, be sure to visit all of the talented bloggers on the tour.