My baby turned ONE! I cannot count the number of children’s parties I have featured and shared with you over the last five+ years here on Pizzazzerie and TODAY, I get to share my own little girl’s 1st birthday party. I’m so tickled…pink! Keeping in theme with her pink and white nursery (and my pink and white baby shower) — I’m just not quite ready to give up that baby pink color yet! — I chose a pink & white garden 1st birthday party. I love timeless prints like stripes and spring is the perfect time for a garden party. In fact, we even incorporated baby pink roses that had grown from the mini rose favors handed out at my shower when I was pregnant! It was a labor of love to work on my own little girl’s birthday party, and I’m so thrilled to get to share it here with you all today.
Big huge thanks to my Mom for being my party partner-in-crime (as usual). She is my DIY extraordinaire and turns so many of my crazy ideas into reality!
I have a lot of details I want to share and tips for hosting your own garden themed party (I hope you’re inspired!) so sit back and take a little photo tour and view my resources and details below! Here are a few of my favorite elements to look out for:
- Lattice garden flower box centerpieces
- Pom-pom trimmed monogrammed napkins and party hat
- Grass chargers
- Baby photo place cards (from each guest’s own baby birthday party)
- Watercolor rose cake
- Mini white watering cans with monograms
PARTY DETAILS & TABLESCAPE
Now for the fun details! As I begin to think about Blakely’s first birthday party, I knew I wanted it to be a small family luncheon. As a party stylist, I knew I could get carried away fast so I reigned it in by focusing on one long, rectangular party table. Since my guest list was small, it kept things easy! I know we will have larger parties down the road so this intimate lunch was perfect for her 1st birthday. I wanted the party to have lots of preppy touches so a wide pink and white canopy striped table covering was a must – along with monograms galore. My Mom sewed pom-pom trim around the table covering and we added smaller pom-pom trim to the napkins too. I took plain white dinner napkins and had them monogrammed in baby pink. We have started a sweet tradition as we will use these napkins to celebrate her birthday every year and she can enjoy these monogram napkins when she sets off on her own as a future little hostess with the mostest!
I picked up various sizes of watering cans from the craft store and spray painted them white. Then I used the Silhouette machine and light pink vinyl to create a monogram and name to display on them. Filled with extra flowers, they were the perfect garden touch to the table!
On each chair, we added a pink and white striped ribbon detail and flower touch! Blakely’s chair was also adorned with lots of pink and white balloons.
INVITATIONS
Invitations were exactly what I dreamed of! Harper Gray Designs created a gorgeous pink and white stripe pocket folder style invitation and the invite was decorated with gorgeous flowers. The envelope liner matched the flower design, so precious! HardInk Calligraphy did the gorgeous calligraphy of her name for the invitations as well as guest’s addresses.
FLOWER BOXES
The garden theme combined with the pink preppy touches was exactly my vision! I knew I wanted a row of flowers going down the middle of the table but wanted something different than just vases. My Mom and I came up with the idea of thin, long flower boxes framed in lattice. After a little trip to Home Depot and lots of DIYing, the two 4′ flower boxes were built and filled with green floral foam. They were then filled with ranunculus, sweetheart roses, peonies, and tulips in shades of light pink and white. I also tucked in mini watering buckets that were sprayed white. Larger ones were scattered around the party table and decorated with her monogram and name in light pink vinyl (made with the Silhouette machine).
PLACE SETTINGS
A garden party was the perfect excuse for grass chargers so I went on a hunt! I wanted circular chargers so I purchased artificial grass (link in resources) and cut it down to the perfect circular sizes. It was perfect! Next were pink and white striped plates. Topping each plate was a favorite detail of mine – striped party hats (from Paper Eskimo). We gave Blakely’s party hat a little DIY touch with a flower and pom pom trim.
The place cards were mini (3″) square white frames filled with each guest’s own baby birthday photo (from their own first birthday or other childhood photo). I loved how each guest was able to look at everyone’s cute baby photo. This was such a simple touch (we simply requested baby photos on the invitation) and became one of my favorite details!
While in an antique shop in downtown Franklin, we came across the most delightful wire baskets that were perfect for holding lunch! We tucked in pink and white striped parchment liners and filled with chicken salad croissant sandwiches, green grapes, and black bean salad. It was delicious! The lunch baskets and beverages were served from my grandmother’s antique tea cart which we decorated with pictures of baby Blakely from her first year.
CAKES
Between the two garden boxes in the center of the table was Blakely’s birthday cake! It was a two-tier cake with subtle stripes on the bottom and hand-painted watercolor style roses around the top! I made Blakely’s smash cake (simple pink frosting topped with fresh flowers).
If you have questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them! Thanks!
RESOURCES + CREDITS
Invitations: Harper Gray Designs
Invitation Calligraphy: HardInk Calligraphy
Plates, Party Hats, Party Flags, Party Cups, Parchment Liner: Paper Eskimo
Cake: Nashville Sweets
Pink and White Canopy Fabric: The Fabric House, Nashville
Materials for Lattice Flower Box Centerpieces: Home Depot
Artificial Grass: Home Depot (direct link)
Watering Cans & Mini Frames: Michael’s
Blakely’s Striped Dress: Smocked Auctions
Vinyl Monograms: Silhouette machine
Photography: Courtney Whitmore
Cheers!
Courtney
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I love it. Her party is beautiful. Her monogram flower pots are so cute.
Thank you, Melissa!!!!
Oh my goodness, Courtney! You knocked it out of the park! This is seriously the most precious thing I’ve ever seen!! Happy birthday, Blakely! <3
Thank you, Stephanie!!! :)
Thjs is absolutely perfect Courtney! I am blown away by your ability to carry your ideas and designs through to the final, smallest detail and the cohesiveness of the final look! This is so precious. I’m going to definitely incorporate some of these ideas into my bridesmaids’ brunch!
You have a beautiful family!
Thank you soooo much Elizabeth!
This is literally the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. You knocked it outta the park! That watercolor cake kills me. And those grass table runners? Get outta here.
Melissa!! Thank you!!! :)
You are sooooo talented! So adorable- everything. I especially love the idea of using grass chargers for a garden party. Fabulous!
Thank you, Lori!!!
Too precious. Everything I expected from the wonderful Courtney Whitmore, and then some more!! I love the fact that you celebrated woth something intimate and small. Babies are still so small at 1 year old and we mothers get carried away, when really the baby gets overwhelmed and tired!!! Excellent job as always Courtney!!! Xoxo
So sweet Wendy!!!!! Thank you for the sweet card and the lovely comment!!!
It’s absolutely adorable – You did it again! I am truly in love with the floral centerpiece -it’s so smart and so simple. I also love that you thought ahead and are going to use the monogrammed napkins for future parties and as her very own keepsakes. What a lucky (and gorgeous) little girl, Blakely is!
Thank you so much Keisha!!!! So sweet :)
Darling party!!! Do you remember which shop in Franklin had the wire baskets?
It’s called Scarlett Scales! :)
Just….exquisite.
Thank you so much!
Stunning in every way! This would be so gorgeous for a wedding shower too!
Thank you!!! Xoxo!!
Gorgeous! Absolutely stunning!! Love the pretty color palette and your photography is AMAZING. What a lucky little birthday girl to have such a wonderful celebration!
Thank you SO much!!
The party is absolutely beautiful! I love all the flowers and monogram details! So precious!
Thank you so much!!!
This is just lovely! I adore all the pink and the monograms. it’s right up my alley!!! My daughter is 7 and I still try to incorporate pink. It’s just so girly. I love seeing pics of your little one on Instagram. She is absolutely beautiful!!! My favorite detail is the tablecloth with the pom pom trim. So sweet! Oh, and my mom helps me with ALL my parties, too!
xo
Elizabeth
Thank you, Elizabeth!!! Glad we have party-loving Moms too :)
This is so unbelievably gorgeous!!
Thank you Julianne!!!
Everything is breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL! I love every single detail!
Robyn, thank you SO much for the sweet comment!!! :)
Love every detail! You are amazing and hope she had a wonderful birthday!
Thank you so much, Rebekah!! :)
What a gorgeous party…I love it! I really like the cart…too cute…where did you get it?
The cart was my grandmother’s but if you find a white bar cart, that would be a similar look! :)
Oh I just noticed the hand painted watercolor cake…this must be a trend I am starting to see this all over the place!
I hope it’s a trend, I sure do love painted cakes!!
Just precious!!!! Beautiful just like you!
So sweet, Amy! THANK YOU!
Oh my goodness, everything about this is perfect!!! Absolutely adorable!
Thank you so very much :)
I keep going up and down and up and down, looking at each picture, each detail, over and over! What is that lovely white flatware? And I can’t seem to find a shot of the napkins. Everything is perfectly lovely, for your perfectly lovely little one!
Hi Celeste! The flatware, you won’t believe it – it’s actually from Party City! There is a close-up of the napkins within a larger collage, they are white with white pom pom trim and a light pink monogram. Thanks for the sweet comment!
Thank you for your reply, Courtney…I love what you do!
Absolutely gorgeous Courtney! Many happy wishes to your sweet birthday girl!
Thank you Carrie!
Courtney!!! This is just stunning darling!!! The love, passion and detail in this party is just b. e .a. u. t. y. f. u. l.!!!
I love love love! every photo I was just going whoa! whoa! whoa!
Most importantly congratulations to Blakely! and to you & hubby for surving your first year as parents! I’d like to tell you the first year is the hardest but well… you’ll soon find out… :D
Enjoy watching your precious baby go from being the Baby to the little toddler you just cant keep up with! Once they start moving though little feet, theres nothing stopping them!
xx, Much love from Sydney, Australia
Ana – A Touch of Sweetness Events, Sydney
Thank you SO much, Ana! That is the sweetest note. I appreciate it so much!!
I am swooning over these pictures. Everything is flawless & beautiful! You are so talented. What a perfect first birthday! Where did you find the cupcake stand and some? Also, it’s so hard finding wooden high chairs? Is this a heirloom or did you purchase just for the party! Gorgeous!!
Thank you!!! The highchair was a lucky Craigslist find that we painted. The cupcake stand was from Hobby Lobby and I spray painted the bottom (used to be orange, then I painted it aqua for use in my Frostings book and now pink… haha). Thanks for the sweet note!
This party is beautiful! i absolutely LOVE all the little details! Where did you find the butterflies?
Hi MS! Thank you for the sweet comment! I think I got them at Michaels years ago. They did just put out a LOT of moss and garden decor so check their again. And Hobby Lobby!!
What diameter did you cut the grass chargers? Was the grass hard to cut?
Hello – where did you purchase the watering cans?
Michaels!
Beautiful job and wonderfully photographed. I used artificial turf from Home Depot to make baseball diamond invitations for my birthday party at Yankee Stadium several years ago. I found them incredibly difficult to cut. And once they were cut they frayed a lot. I ended up hot gluing them to cardboard and running a bead of got glue around the edge to stop the fraying. I wondered what you used to cut your artificial turf chargers and if you have any hints for working with it to pass along.
So I bought artificial turf also and we had similar problems. We took pieces of the grass that had fallen off and hot glued them to hide the unfinished edges. Still tricky but doable. There are a lot of moss chargers available which might be easier if you needed a charger. But I know that’s not ideal if you want the grass look. It was tricky, I’ll admit.