The Easiest (Pinterest-Style) First Birthday Party!

We recently celebrated our third first-birthday-party.

We have had quite a bit of practice at this first-birthday-party-business.

For our first daughter, I went all out for her party. I sent lots of money and lots of time planning it all, and when all was said and done,  I was exhausted and felt like I was behind the camera the entire time (which I was).

This time around, our third time, I wanted to throw an equally special party for Cooper, but I wanted to do it without being the totally frazzled mom. I wanted to be the relaxed mom, who talks to the guests, the one that is actually in some of the pictures with her child.

I think, by the third time, I have this first-birthday-party thing figured out. Here are some tips that have worked for me, that I’ve learned along the way.

1. Plan Ahead

It sounds simple enough, but there are a few things that really helped me plan ahead this time. First, I started putting together a Pinterest Board a few months before Cooper’s actual birthday. I searched for boy birthday party ideas, and just started pinning anything that I loved or felt drawn to for inspiration.  Party blogs like Hostess with the Mostess have so many great ideas for parties too! I decided on a Par Avion theme (French for Air Mail), red and white and blue. Check.

Then I put a date on the calendar, and sent a text to our guests so they could make sure to save the date. Once I had decided on my “theme,” I kept my eye out for items that went along with the theme, so I didn’t have to make a last-minute trip to the store. I also bought any necessary items ahead of time online via Amazon Prime and Target.

I did sent out paper invites, butonly because I wanted to save one for Cooper’s Baby Book. A simple Evite would totally do the trick too.

2. Decorations

An essential piece to the Pinterest-Style birthday, I probably only spent $20 on decorations. I’ve noticed a theme with all of those Pinterest birthdays…one cute table as the centerpiece of the party. Instead of just throwing everything on our kitchen island, like I normally do, I thought I would give it a try.

I set the cake and cupcakes as the focus, added a few cute paper straws, of course (Target dollar section – I always stock up on these around each holiday). The Dollar Tree is a great place to find colorful plates and napkins for $1 – they even have square plates now! I added a few other pictures and decor elements, some I even already had in his room.

A great idea for free decor is to set out already-framed pictures of your child out. Then just put them back after the party.

The tissue garland was super easy, you can find instructions here. I made the cake-toppers with my printer and some cardstock. There are so many great free printables available these days, just search for them on Pinterest (so easy).

3. Make Two Things

This tip has been life-changing for me!

According to Ina, only make two things when you are hosting, then just assemble the rest. This has changed the way I host! It is so much easier to focus on making two dishes, as opposed to the appetizer, entree, salad, side dish, and dessert! This way I can keep my focus on spending time with my guests – which is what it’s all about (just a side note, there is a wonderful book on this topic called Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist…I totally recommend it!).

So I decided if the queen of the Food Network herself only serves too home-cooked items, that’s exactly what I’m going to do when I throw a party (or host a dinner for that matter).

For Cooper’s party, I made a chicken dish that I could prepare ahead of time (Man-Pleasing Chicken, yum). The other dish was a great salad that I could also make ahead of time.  Then I assembleda few other things – I served store-bought sweet potato fries, crackers and Boursin cheese, strawberries and Nutella. I purchased store-bought drinks like Perrier, red wine, and beer…because what kids’ party is any fun for adults without some adult beverages? 🙂

And of course, birthday cake and cupcakes for dessert. That brings me to my next point…

4. The Cake

Using a store-bought cake and cupcakes was so easy. It’s like cheating, but it was so worth it! I’m not the world’s greatest baker, so ordering these ahead of time was one more thing to check off my list (and ensure a cake that wouldn’t wobble). I ordered everything from Kowalski’s.

Speaking of Kowalski’s, you may want to know that they give out free first birthday cakes! Totally free! Byerly’s also gives free smash cakes if you spend $19.99 on any other cake and bring in the birth certificate for proof. Nice!

5. Pictures

In previous birthdays, I felt like I was taking pictures the. whole. time. I hardly enjoyed the party, because I let like I wanted to capture every single detail and moment. 

But, I’ve learned a few things about this. First, I set everything up before the guests arrived. I took a few pictures of the details, then put my camera down. I only got my camera back out once when the guests were here, and, of course, when Cooper was eating his cake!

So there you have it, some tips that helped throw the easiest birthday party. I hope this helps you plan your children’s birthday parties too! If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them, just leave a comment. Thanks so much for reading!

To see my complete source list, please visit my photography blog.