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You truly are never quite as “extra” as you are when planning your first-born child’s first birthday party. I happen to be living proof of that. Entertaining and party planning are something that I thoroughly enjoy, but this one takes the cake for me! Everything was DIY and everything turned out exactly how mama wanted it. Did I bite off a little more than I could chew? Sure! But my baby girl deserves the very best and I intended to give it to her!
The entry table is probably my favorite part of the decor! I created each little donut decoration by hand and am so happy with how it came out. We had some treats, favors, her birthday stats, and a box for letters from her loved ones. Our plan is to add to it each year and gift it to her on her 18th birthday!
I will be sharing how I made the balloon garlands with you all very soon! I just love the whimsy that they add to the overall look! Addie was enamored with them.
I loved the idea of tying inflatable donuts to the chair backs. It was a fun way to dress them up and add a little impact! These ones, my sister’s boyfriend actually won for me at an arcade, but you can get some really cute ones here. I had intended to purchase those exact ones until he got me these for free!
You can snag the “1” balloon just like mine here. It worked out perfectly as a contrast to the gold shimmery curtain!
Initially, I had arranged for Walmart to dip me custom colored donuts, but when I went to place the order (the week of the party) they told me that they no longer can dye the icing. Cue my freak out moment. After a minute of panic I realized that I can just buy some plain donuts, make my own glaze and dip them myself! So at 11pm the night before the party, this is what my Mother-in-love and I were doing. I am so happy with them!
Since she was born, I have been planning this photo garland in my mind! I knew that I wanted to display them at her birthday party, and I staged a picture each month to correspond to it. Then, to tie it all together, I created this gorgeous sparkling banner to attach them to! You can get your very own DIY kit at my Etsy shop!
For the favors, I ordered these cute little glass bottles off of Amazon. Then I just used a funnel to fill them with sprinkles and made a sign with my Cricut. You could totally do these with whatever color sprinkles you want! There are a ton of cute boutique ones out there!
I created this highchair tutu and it turned out exactly how I wanted. I am hoping to add these to my Etsy shop soon!
I opted to keep drinks simple this go around- some water, lemonade and a pot of coffee. Those super cute tassels? I absolutely could have made them from scratch, but mama was running out of time! I Amazon’d those puppies (here is the exact one!) and spent about 20 minutes putting them together! Easy peasy! Then it was just a matter of stringing up some of my donut garland and I could call the kitchen done. The food is the star here, anyway!
More dipped donuts, my custom sugar cookies (recipe here), white chocolate pretzels and a DIY cake were on the menu! I threw in some chips and a veggie tray to add some savory options to all of that sweetness. I love an easy spread for afternoon parties…you don’t have to do a full meal! Just some snacks is usually sufficient. The table had some cardstock donuts and also some royal icing donuts that I made when I did the cookies for a little extra sugar (as if that is needed).
These little guys, and the cake, were my absolute favorite part of doing her party. Baking is my favorite thing to do and I always love learning new techniques. I had never made this type of cookie until I started prepping for her birthday and I feel like I can confidently say that I conquered them! (Recipe here)
As for the cake, I went with my tried-and-true vanilla pound cake and buttercream frosting, but I tested out something new with the white chocolate ganache drip! I was super nervous, but it came out exactly how I wanted it to! I didn’t take photos of the process because I was in full-on-panic mode at this point (I finished it the morning of the party), so I will have to do another post to show that technique!
My sweet girl had a blast!
The smash cake was just the top tier of her big cake. She was more interested in the sprinkles than the cake itself, but she did eventually dig in! Her onesie is custom, from my Etsy. And her fabulous sparkly shorts are from Bailey’s Blossoms!
She was just living her best life, and I couldn’t let her donut party go by without letting her sample a donut! She was up until 10pm that night but oh well. You only turn one once, right?!
There you have it! The most wonderful donut party for the sweetest girl! The very best part of it all? The family and friends who came from near and far to celebrate her and the joy on her face the entire day!
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