DD's first birthday is coming up! Need party advice!!

[happymom]

So DD is turning one in about 2 weeks and we're planning to make her a birthday party in about a month. It will be at my parents house (mine is under construction) and will be for mostly family- just a few close friends. I would guess about 25 people. Mostly adults.

I am usually very creative :loveeyes: and would like to do something special. Of course DD will not have a clue whats going on, so it more for me, and for the pictures/memories. Any ideas for cute themes that lend themselves to a fun decor? (I decorate cakes somewhat professionally, so I can do something really cute for that) Also, anything special I should buy for DD to wear- I'm not so into the tutu thing, although it is cute.

I just don't want to discover something totally adorable after the fact that I didnt know about before!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I did a cupcake theme for ds2 because I loved the giant Wilton cupcake pan. :) Ds1 had a teddy bear theme. Usually I pick my theme based on cakes I like. I browse Family Fun for ideas. I often just go through sites like :
http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/

Cupcakes turned out to be very easy. Etsy had a lot of cupcake themed shirts and decorations. My sister ended up making ds2's shirt and it had a cupcake with a number one on top.

Dss1? Besides paper goods and a cake I didn't do much themed stuff. No special outfit or anything. It was a fun party. :)

I do have the guests write down a favorite memory with ds or a special wish or prediction for the future every year for our memory books. Last year I made 2 collages (Shutterfly) with one picture from every month of his life and hung those up. One was silly, one was more formal. The silly one was preferred.

Bears, monkeys, polka dots, cupcakes, fairies- those are some ideas off the top of my head.

Have fun!!
Beth

[ShanaMama]

So DD is turning one in about 2 weeks and we're planning to make her a birthday party in about a month. It will be at my parents house (mine is under construction) and will be for mostly family- just a few close friends. I would guess about 25 people. Mostly adults.

I am usually very creative :loveeyes: and would like to do something special. Of course DD will not have a clue whats going on, so it more for me, and for the pictures/memories. Any ideas for cute themes that lend themselves to a fun decor? (I decorate cakes somewhat professionally, so I can do something really cute for that) Also, anything special I should buy for DD to wear- I'm not so into the tutu thing, although it is cute.

I just don't want to discover something totally adorable after the fact that I didnt know about before!

So exciting! I know your cake will be magnificient, make sure to give her a piece to smash her face into! My only piece of advice is to keep it somewhat low-key so she can actually enjoy it without being overwhelmed.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I wanted to add on to pp- with ds1's party we had too many guests, it went too long and I didn't plan it very well on a lot of fronts. The party ran into nap time, never a good thing. I have taken to scheduling parties post-nap lately so that I have nap time to prep and clean. I should have followed his cues- he obviously needed a bit of down time but my mom rushed us into doing the cake. As a result, I had an overwhelmed 1yo that cried the whole cake time. Be patient, schedule for a good time of day, get to the highlights you care about (cake...) earlier then have free play so that ideally she'll be happy and in good spirits still.

Beth

[brittone2]

DS's first bday party was mostly adults (our friends were still mostly childless). We did a brunch...make ahead overnight french toast casserole, strata, fruit salad, sides like muffins, etc. and then a wide selection of some of Trader Joe's more unusual and "fancier" juices. I think we timed it for between naps, but yeah, by the time it was time for cake, he was getting tired and grouchy (ready for his 2nd nap).

[sunshine873]

There are all kinds of cute things on Etsy you could get for her to wear. Like a cute party hat, a personalized onesie, etc.

Come back and let us know what you decide to do, because I'll be having DDs 1st birthday party in the end of Jan. :)