Mommy Chronicles: 1st Birthday on A Budget

 My little turned one at the beginning of the month and I can't be more surprised at how fast a whole year has flown by me. I truly understand the old adage "they grow up so fast" now more than ever. 

I've always been into planning things, being crafty, and finding new and exciting ways to stretch my budget so I was super excited to be able to arrange and execute my son's very first birthday successfully.

Might I warn you that planning a first birthday, or any birthday for that matter, is slightly overwhelming as a single mother.  Since I knew that I was pretty much in this alone, I began planning as early as September-setting deadlines, writing out the menu, thinking of a theme, and creating the invite list. 

I went with a 'Rainbow Theme' full of bright, primary colors in order to eliminate having to search all over for specifics. The invite was customized by Styles With Charm and printed at Office Max. 

The cake was homemade by a local small business owner. (I'm all about supporting small business lately by the way). The same person made the cake for my baby shower last year. You can see that cake here. Let me tell you, this lady puts her whole foot in her cakes. Not only are they beautifully made, but the taste and consistency is perfection. Visit her FB page here if you are local. 

The balloons were a big hit. They brought extra pizazz to the room and my Bubby absolutely loved tugging on them throughout the party. It's amazing how the simplest things can bring so much joy to little ones. 

The balloons actually bring me to my first Budget Party Planning tip: To cut down on expenses, have each of your immediate family members, god mommies, and/or aunties be responsible for bringing an item for the party. This will also cut down on some of the last minute party errands for Mommy. For example, for our party the cutlery, balloons, tablecloths, and a few other items were provided by family members. 

And speaking of budget tips, check out the high chair that my Mother thrifted for 10 bucks at a yard sale. By any means necessary we will remain 'Thrifty and Shameless'!

The gift table was one of my favorites. I decorated it with a Welcome Sign, a fun, personalized one year statistics chart customized by Inky Invite, and a photo from his most recent photo shoot with Erica Nicole Imagery. I decorated it using colorful DIY confetti circles and numbers that I cut using an Ellis machine. The cardstock was actually left over from a DIY project that I did for my baby shower last December. 

Enough of the good stuff. Everything that could go wrong, went ALL THE WAY wrong on the day of the party. For starters, I wasn't given clear instructions on how to gain entrance into the clubhouse that I had rented so I got started with setup super, duper late.  

Budget Party Planning Tip: if you must rent a location for your party make certain to rent a place with a refundable deposit. That way a portion of your monies will be returned to you provided you don't trash the place. 

These girls saved my sanity. You know you have true friends when you don't have to tell them you're in need, they just show up-ready to help, hug, and listen to you vent. I love these two in ways that can't be explained.

Here are some of the other decorations. Everything here was customized by Sweet Scarlet Designs. The candy jars were purchased from Dollar Tree and the rainbow popcorn boxes were $.99 for a pack of 5 at Party City. The Rice Krispie Treats were another DIY project. The treats, candy, and popcorn were free after the coupons that I used.

Bubby absolutely enjoyed every part of the event. He was truly the life of the party. He had a ball getting loved on by everyone, showing his latest dance moves, and playing peek-a-boo with all of us. 

We are so blessed to have such a beautiful family. 

Happy 1st Birthday Bubby. Mommy and Daddy love you!!

I would love to hear from other Mommies about your birthday party experiences. 

Thank You for reading!

XOXOXOXO