When other parents tell you “time flies”, they really mean it! I can’t believe that our baby Nellie just turned ONE! With cold weather right around the corner, we wanted to plan a nice outdoor first birthday party for Nellie and her friends to enjoy before it gets too cold outside. I had so much fun planning her first birthday party. Nellie’s favorite activity is her weekly Songs For Seeds music class. She has developed a love for all things music and dancing, so having her first birthday party be music themed was the clear choice! All of Nellie’s close friends and our parents were able to attend. The party was so special to our family. I love planning events like this and wanted to include all the details in case you want to recreate a music themed birthday party for your little one.
Welcome Signs – My wonderful friend, Lauren, designed the welcome signs with Nellie’s music theme birthday party in mind. Lauren is very talented and great to work with! If you want her to create a birthday sign for your little one, you can DM her on Instagram here (@lcrup).
Balloons – We used Magnolia Hills Events (IG: @magnolia.hills ) for all of the balloons at Nellie’s first birthday party. We were blown away by the balloon design and I highly recommend Magnolia Hills Events. Vania went above and beyond to create a special arrangement, that was on theme, for Nellie’s first birthday party. The goldendoodle, the girl, the instruments were all Vania’s special touch. We choose a pastel color scheme that was cheerful and matched our invitation. The balloons added a magical element to the party and made Nellie’s birthday extra special! Vania is incredibly kind and so easy to work with. She took care of all setup/breakdown, leaving me with nothing to worry about
Party Favors for Kids – Stephen Joseph Gifts always has fun and unique gifts for kids. I was looking for a music themed party favor that Nellie’s friends would use and would be able to use over and over again. I found the cutest percussion sets from Stephen Joseph Gifts. The percussion set is the perfect size for toddlers and the maracas / tambourine are so fun to shake! The percussion set comes in seven fun designs to choose from. Nellie loves her unicorn percussion set and they were the perfect party favor at her music themed birthday party. The party favor bags were a custom order from Etsy linked here.
Party Favors for Adults – Cookies by Courtney made the perfect frosted cookies for Nellie’s first birthday party. I have ordered from her many times before and I don’t know how she does it! Her designs are beautiful and the cookies are delicious. She incorporated all elements of Nellie’s favorite things and the music birthday party theme into the cookie design (Theodore, our mini goldendoodle, music and fruit). The cookies added a special touch and our guests loved them. You can DM her on Instagram for orders here (@cookiesbycourtney). The cookies were shipped to us. She ships nationally, includes all of the packaging/labels in the order and requires about two weeks notice for orders.
Entertainment – We booked Nellie’s favorite music instructor, Andrew, from the music class she has attended with Songs for Seeds since she was four months old! Through Songs for Seeds, you can book 30 or 45 minute music shows for birthday parties. The show included a music set, magic trick and bubbles which Nellie and her friends loved. The balloons were a great backdrop for the music show – it was like we turned the backyard into an amphitheater!
Soft Play – Nellie loved her soft play setup and it was so perfect for her first birthday party! Tati from Posh Portable Play CT created a beautiful soft play area for the party. It was a huge hit with Nellie and her friends.I I can’t imagine her first birthday party without it!
Cake – Allyson from The Greenwich Cakery created a beautiful and delicious first birthday cake. It was dairy-free and you would have never known! Note: our cake was made with fondant on the outside so Nellie did not do a cake smash.
Outfits – Nellie (Overalls / Bodysuit / Sneakers) + (Baby Noomie Pajamas) Me (Dress) We love Baby Noomie pajamas, they are so soft, cute and comfortable! Nellie has been wearing them since she was born. The rainbow print was perfect for our birthday girl!
Food – We had an ice cream truck that everyone loved! We hired Dave from Bill’s Good Humor (@billsgoodhumor_) who was fantastic to work with. We set up a few tables Apple Cinnamon pouches and pirates booty which I put in these pastel rectangular bins. I put these bubble packs, which Nellie and her friends used during the music show, around the table. We had coffee and fruit from The Granola Bar to go with cake, and we put seltzer and bottled water in these amazing beverage tubs.
Nellie’s first birthday jam was so much fun! It meant the world to us to be able to celebrate with our close friends and family and Nellie had the best day! I hope you enjoyed this blog post and if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments!