365 days with Stella Tay, and one whole trip around the sun! Somebody pinch me, how has her first birthday party come and gone already! I couldn’t have dreamt up a more perfect 12 months with you, and topping off your first trip around the sun in the most over-the-top way just felt so right. This past weekend, Taylor and I had the pleasure of hosting our close family and friends to celebrate Stella’s first birthday a few days early.
I selfishly fell in love with this sunny theme as oranges and golds are my own favorite colors. Remember my Clementine backyard Baby Shower last year?? I felt drawn to the same firey tones to represent Stella’s Leo birthdate, as they created the perfect color palette for her sunny backyard celebration.
It truly goes without saying that Stella is the light of our lives. She has brought so many bright smiles, belly laughs, and true sunshine to our entire family over the past year. What an absolute treat to celebrate our sweet ray of light with a sunshine themed party!
We partnered with some Stella-r vendors for this event, making Stella’s First Trip Around the Sun so fun and memorable – let’s share!
Balloons & Backdrop | Creativa Co
You know I’ll be hitting up Erika Moreno of Creativa Co for every party we host til the end of time. She created my dream Baby shower backdrop last year, and outdid herself again this year with a display to highlight Stella’s high chair and cake smash. Bright and warm tones really helped connect our theme with the rest of the decor. Contact her here!
Tables & Linens | Abbey Party Rents
We hosted a ‘happy hour’ of sorts for this event, so waist-high belly bars allowed for a standing flow of guests sipping cocktails and enjoying finger foods. Local to San Diego, Abbey has been our go-to for tables, linens, and glassware for every event we’ve hosted! Visit their site here.
Florals | Trader Joe’s
If you read my blog about our backyard baby shower, you know I saved big time by creating my own floral arrangements from Trader Joe’s instead of booking a professional. I acknowledge my very novice skill set with floral design, but they turned out cute enough! And worth saving some dough.
Stella’s Party Dress | Etsy
For so long, I was in search of a tulle dress that had sunshine appliqués, but ultimately settled on this beautiful daisy one. I figured from afar, the daisies could double as sunshines? Stella was too stinkin cute! Shop it here on Etsy.
Featured Cocktail | Stella Spritz
Yes, even a first birthday party needs a featured cocktail! Let’s be real, the first birthday is really a party for Mom & Dad! We’ve got lots to cheers to! This event’s featured cocktail was a birthday-girl-personalized spin on an Aperol Spritz, we called it a Stella Spritz! Fresh orange slices, zesty aperol, chilled prosecco and pellegrino over ice. I used Canva to design the cocktail recipe, and framed it in an IKEA Hovsta frame. It’s now up on the wall in her nursery haha.
Signage & Stationary | Canva
Being very familiar with Canva for blog graphics, I opted to design all my own signage through the Canva app instead of downloading printables from Etsy or Zazzle. This gave me endless freedom creating all the decor signs for this event. FedEx now partners with Canva, so you can order your designs directly through the app or print in person at any FedEx Office.
Smash Cake & Cupcakes | Cute Cakes Bakery
Another local vendor on repeat for all our home events! Cute Cakes online-ordering made this so easy! A 4-inch personal smash cake for Stella and several dozen assorted cupcakes. The Cotton Candy flavor was my favorite, but a few other faves were Strawberry Lemonade, Red Velvet, Cookies and Cream, and Watermelon! Visit their site here. Stella’s cake topper and our sunshine cupcake toppers were from Etsy, shop the link here!
Time Capsule | Created with Canva
As a memory-making activity for guests at Stella’s party, we started a Time Capsule for her. These 5×7 cards were out on a table for guests to fill out, and place in a gold rimmed glass box that we’ll seal. The plan is to open in 2039 at Stella’s 18th birthday! How special to have advice, aspirations, and anticipations shared from Stella’s close family and friends, in their own handwriting. I’ll be mailing some of these questionnaires to Stella’s Great Grandparents that weren’t able to fly to San Diego to attend her party.
Charcuterie Grazing Board | Platter & Honey
Kaila Scott of Platter & Honey created a dream grazing board for one of my sister’s real estate events this year; and when I learned she’s a local North County mom and small-business owner like myself, I instantly placed the order for Stella’s party! Her aesthetic eye is so insanely impressive! We booked a 24 inch square grazing platter for our event of 30 people. It was gorgeous, and we’re still enjoying the leftovers!
Stay tuned for more here on the Blog and on Instagram where I’ll share our two DIY decor items: her monthly photo arch, and our floating carnation garland!
Stella’s first trip around the Sun was the fastest year ever, and the few hours of her party went by even faster! With each vendor, I kept joking about how ‘extra’ I felt doing all this for a one-year old. And that there’s no way I’d be able to recreate a first birthday party like this for our next child in the future.
Could you see yourself hosting a party with this theme?? Share in the comments what items you’d add! I loved this sunny celebration, and want to relive it all over again! Maybe on a day that wasn’t so hot. A balmy 93 degrees that afternoon! Praises for solar and AC indoors.
Taylor and I felt so much love for our sweet girl that day; and we were truly blown away by the generosity of our family and friends that came to celebrate with her. At the end of the day, its not about the details of the party, but the little lady we were celebrating! At 12 months, you have grown so much. It is the greatest gift getting to be your mommy. Stella Tay you have been, and always will be, so dearly loved! Happy Birthday little one!
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