I couldn’t think of a better theme to celebrate Ryser’s first year than a “one is fun birthday party”!
He is the absolute joy of our lives and lights up every room! I had so much FUN planning his first birthday party.
Because the adorable guest of honor can’t truly appreciate all the little details yet, it was important to me that he be surrounded by and feel the love of our closest family and friends. We kept the birthday party small, and my parents graciously hosted about thirty-five people in their backyard. This was perfect! Not too big, not too small!
I created a Pinterest board and brainstormed different themes for a one-year-old party. There are so many cute ideas out there! I wanted something different and a theme that isn’t overdone, and eventually decided to go with “one is fun.”
If you like simple and clean with a boho vibe and pops of color, I couldn’t recommend this more! It’s tricky to find a cute party theme for a one-year-old boy, but this turned out better than I could have expected. Meghann Miniello nailed the theme perfectly with these gorgeous invitations and order or party!
As a busy mom, I knew I wanted to have help planning the party. Connor Casey, the owner of Laura Lace 827 Event Planning and Design, took the theme of “one is fun” and ran with it! She kept everything natural and boho chic (I didn’t want something tacky!), while adding in greenery and pops of color. She is INCREDIBLE and I highly recommend using her for your next event!
The food and funfetti cake matched the “one is fun” theme. We made sure to have a variety of options for both kids and parents. My mom and sister made a adult charcuterie board and a kid charcuterie board, and we also had nuggets and strips from Chick-fil-A because who doesn’t love CFA?! I got the cake from Celestial Cakery, She made one of the cutest cakes I’ve ever seen and made a mini version for Ryser’s smash cake!
Isn’t it amazing? Instead of putting sprinkles on the top or outside, Celestial Cakery mixed sprinkles into the icing. This created a natural look which I love, and then we added gold candles that sparkle once they’re lit.
For the backdrop we hung an assortment of paper fans and paper honeycombs to create a fun background! To make the cake table fun, we added a macrame table runner, tissue paper confetti, greenery, giant 1 balloon and pom-poms from The Rainbow Barn for a little whimsy.
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Because there was more space for kids activities outside, we set up a macrame swing and some of my mom’s rental furniture in the yard so that the adults would have a place to sit down and hang out while the kids played.
LauraLace827 and I spent hours and hours trying to come up with the table design and I would say our hard work definitely paid off. I absolutely love how it turned out and probably one of my favorite design features of the party! We used palm leaves as the placemat, plates from Oh Happy Day Shop, napkins and cups from Day Dream Society, wooden cutlery with pom pom ribbon tied around it, acrylic name cards, and my favorite part: the stir sticks; acrylic “one is fun”, wood palm leaf, and pom pom stir sticks! For the center piece of the table we did a vase of greenery with pom poms all around it!
For the kids, I put gathre mats (these are the absolute BEST multipurpose mats) in the backyard, then used two painted pallets as tables and pillows as cushions. This was super easy and easy to clean up, too! It made the perfect kids table.
I also set up three kiddie pools for the little ones who couldn’t go in the backyard pool.
Easy birthday party tip: Turn a kiddie pool into a ball pit. I ordered these to fill the pool.
We had King of Pops come as a fun surprise for both the kids and parents. Everyone loved it! It was perfect to give to the kids while Ryser opened his gifts!
The kids also loved the painting station. We couldn’t pull them away! I used the 11×14 canvases, easels, washable paint, spill proof paint cups, kids paint brushes, and the apron bibs from Pip Baby. Pip Baby bibs are awesome because they’re made to cover pants and there’s so much less of a mess to clean up!
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I’m so glad we had a painting station! It was definitely the highlight of the party for the kids. They took their artwork home as a part of their party favor. Each kid also got to take home a goodie bag! In the goodie bag I put: slinky, slime, bubbles, pacifier candy pop, and a Pib Baby bib!
Shop this One is Fun Birthday Party Essentials:
If you’re planning a birthday party, make sure you figure out a theme and build the party from there. It’s so easy to compare your party to others and comparison just steals your joy. Find a theme that fits your family and your child, and keep it as simple as you want.
Before you go out and buy anything, take time to nail down the theme. You can even create a mood board or Pinterest board (here’s mine!) as you gather inspiration. This will save you so much time when shopping! You’ll know exactly what look and feeling you’re going for and what’s important to you.
Don’t forget to plan an activity for the kids. We did canvas painting but there are so many options out there; You could rent a bouncy house, have someone come and perform magic tricks or bring live animals, or face painting!
If I could do anything differently for this One if Fun birthday party, I would spend less time worrying about decorating and instead create a list of stations to set up and clean up.
My family was awesome and wanted to know how to help, but because the vision was only in my head, I couldn’t fully communicate what I needed! So I ran around like a crazy person trying to do it all! I wish I would have made a set up and tear down list and assign each person to a station to be in charge of setting up!
Before the day of the birthday party, figure out how many “stations” you’ll have.
Cake station, painting station, kiddie pool station, food station, etc.
Then, make a list that breaks down everything you’ll need to set up and clean up for that station. For example, the cake station might say “cake stand, cake cutter, napkins, plates, utensils, highchair, bib” and then “wash cake stand, box leftovers and place in fridge, wipe down highchair.”
When someone asks “what can I do to help?” you’ll have an answer and can give each person a station!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and accept help to prepare for your birthday party!
Your loved ones are there to celebrate, but many will offer to pitch in because they care about you and the birthday boy or girl. Having a list of all the essentials prepared will not only make it easy for those who want to help, but less overwhelming for you when the party is over and it’s time to clean up!
From the beautiful invitations to the party decor and goodie bags, this One is Fun birthday party was the perfect theme for Ryser’s first birthday!
The kids had a blast and our family and friends were able to hang out and feel at home. If you can, I highly recommend having a birthday party at a house because it’s so much more laid back and “you.”
I can hardly believe Ryser’s first birthday has come and gone! He is so easy to celebrate. Ryser is one of the best gifts I’ve ever received and I’m SO lucky to be his mom. We waited and prayed for so long, but he was worth every minute and every tear. I would do it all a million times over again!
Ryser, we love you so much! God’s plan is so evident in your life already. From the very beginning, you have been covered in prayer and love. Your birth story went completely opposite of everything we had planned, but it turned out to be perfect in the end. Just like you! You are the best surprise and have continued to surprise me all year long. Daddy and I fall more and more in love with you every day. The best is yet to come, love you milly billy!
One is Fun Birthday Party Helpful Links and Resources:
Planning/Event styling: Ashley Terk & Laura Lece 827 | Invitations: Meghann Miniello | Florist: Sweet Macis | Cake: Celestial Cakery | Signs, drink stirrers & acrylic name signs: Poppy Jack Shop | One Year of sign: Poppy Jack Shop | Pom Poms: The Rainbow Barn | Hanging Paper Decor: Shop Sweet Lulu & Oh Happy Day Shop | Hanging pom pom chandelier: Shop Leo Kids | Ryser’s party hat: Shop Sweet Lulu | Palm leaves: Amazon | Plates: Oh Happy Day Shop | Cups & napkins: Day Dream Society | Pom Pom ribbon: Pretty In Pink Supply | Pom Pom drink stirrers: Kailo Chic | Cake wall decor: Shop Sweet Lulu & Oh Happy Day Shop | Balloons: Qualatex & North Star Balloons | Macrame swing: Adelisa & Co | Inflatable pools: Minnidip | Popsicles: King of Pops
