Planning a Low Stress 1st Birthday Party

Notice that I said "Low Stress" instead of "Stress-Free." Not sure if that's possible!

Party planning in theory is really fun, but it can bring on a lot of stress. I love planning get-togethers, but you would think that after 8 years I would be used to it! The day of the big event, I’m usually worried that the guests won’t enjoy themselves, the food won’t taste good and my friends who don’t know each other will feel stuck or bored. But maybe that’s just because it’s for my Annual Thanksgiving Party with turkey, stuffing and all the fixings for 20+ guests who look forward to the feast every year.

But that wasn’t the case with Maddy’s 1st Birthday party! The theme I had picked out months in advance: The Kentucky Derby. We were lucky to attend for our first anniversary in 2007 (The Paddock, The Queen, The Manning brothers, Betting and all!) and Maddy’s birthday is the day after so it was a perfect way to tie it all together. And all modesty aside, I was pretty impressed with my custom designs and personal touches. But besides that, there are some budget friendly tips that I wanted to share with other mothers who are planning a 1st Birthday or any child’s birthday with a theme. Here we go:

Save-the-Date not just for a wedding: If you are treating the First Birthday as a ceremonial event where you want as many friends and family in attendance, then treat it like wedding planning. To ensure that you have the date locked, send out some form of notice whether it’s an Evite, a phone-call, card by mail or email. The design person that I am, I made Maddy’s announcement in Photoshop and sent it around to everyone (We eventually had to change the date since we moved around the same time and I just alerted everyone by a follow-up email).


Decorations: I know you want to turn your house into a birthday wonderland with streamers and balloons and window decals, etc. Remember that your child is only 1 year old and will be very happy with one balloon that he/she can whip and bop around. This party is really for the guests anyway since a 1 year old won’t remember and I’m sure he/she didn’t pick out the theme, right? Save the expenditures on decorations and put the money towards the food. However, do make sure you have a big bib to protect the fancy threads, a 1st Birthday crown or hat and balloons to indicate to guests where your house is. Use your own linens and purchase plain (or sale) plates, napkins and cutlery.

Accessorize! Not all parents want to be all matchy-matchy like we were with Maddy. I’m all about accessorizing and thankfully my husband likes to play along (when appropriate). Maddy had a polka-dot dress with a little orange sweater-all colors that I have been incorporating into my wardrobe anyway. And since we were working with a Kentucky Derby theme (and I couldn’t find my derby hat anywhere!, I made a pin out of a big orange silk rose and wore bright orange ball earrings. My husband did the summer business casual look with white shirt, khaki pants and an orange tie. We were such a trio! I also made a birthday barrette for Maddy since I wanted something with the flair of the Derby without the big hat. Using materials from Michael's, I created 1 for Maddy and 2 more for her BFF playmates. You don’t have to be an expert bow maker. All you need is a glue gun and a vision.

The Food Arrives (Literally): I have stated already on Twitter how much I love PeaPod (Stop and Shop). I started using it after attending a mom blogger workshop in New Brunswick and I got hooked! Piece of advice to moms who have to schlep in and out of a supermarket with kids: get the party food delivered! This is why:

• Saving time: Shopping for party food is a chunk out of your day when you could be setting up, finalizing details or just getting some cleaning done.
• Party food usually amounts to more bags then your weekly trip (it is for me). And then you have the groceries to carry inside on top of the baby, the diaper bag, and toys, oh my! Take that out of the equation and have the food come to you.
• Eliminate impulse shopping-you only order what you need and not what seems like a good idea at the time.
• You can pick the date and time you want the food delivered. To keep everything fresh, set up delivery for the day before.
• Take inventory: PeaPod keeps a record of each order. After the party, go back and compare how much you purchased vs how much was consumed. That way, when you do this again you know how much to get and save yourself even more money!
  

The Menu: I saved money by making my own deli platters. And this is not a new concept; there are many blogs out there where people have done just that and provided per person figures for the number of food. The rest I planned according to how many healthy eaters I had coming. For example:

• For the deli meat platter, you will need about 1/3 to ¼ lb per person. Given that I was having about 30 people, I needed about 8lbs of meat. It came out to: 4lbs turkey, 2 lbs ham and 2 lbs roast beef.
• With cheese, you’ll buy significantly less: Roughly 2lbs American and 1 lb Provolone.
• 3 bags of small dinner rolls for your sandwiches, 16 count.
• Veggie Platter: 2 oversized bags of baby carrots, 2 bags of broccoli spears, 2 cucumbers, 1 red bell pepper
• Cheese Platter: 3 packages of bar cheese to cut yourself (much cheaper)-Cheddar, Mozzarella, and personal choice (Gouda, Herb, Swiss, etc)
• Fruit: 5 red or golden apples to slice up, 1 bag of grapes, 12oz container strawberries, 1 melon (opt)
• (Opt) 1 bag of frozen meatballs and 2 cans tomato sauce.
• Beverages: 1 liter each of Coke, Diet, Sprite and Ginger Ale. Three 1.5L bottles of Barefoot Wine (though only 1 bottle was opened)
• (Other family members brought side dishes which is always welcome)
  

Personal Thank Yous: When planning a gift-receiving party, you have to consider the Thank You cards. Thankfully there are so many stationary gift stores offering an array of styles and themes. However, if you are doing a theme that is hard to find in a store (Kentucky Derby), then try to make your own. Your guests will enjoy the personal touch when they receive it. The tools will vary depending on your creativity and technology access. While I used Photoshop to create Maddy’s Thank You cards, you can use stamps, stickers, make photo cards through an online service like Shutterfly or Tiny Prints, or ask a friend! You can purchase blank greeting cards packs at Michael's in a variety of colors. And let’s not forget the piece de resistance: The return address label. By using Word and Avery print labels, create ones with your child’s name instead of yours. AND, instead of writing the card from you, write it from ‘your child.’ Here’s what I mean:

• Thank you so much for my toy camera. Daddy said I figured out how to use it even before he did!
• Thank you for the “donation to my college fund” as Mommy calls it. I wish I could use the money to buy dresses and toys, but Mommy said I’ll need it when I get older and that’s good too!
• Thank you for my pretty dress. I love fruit colors and can’t wait to wear it!
• [Addressed to another child who was there]I had so much fun playing with you today. And thank you for my gifts. They are really fun. You’ll have to come back so we can play with them together.
  

Every time I finish a party, I say to myself "Next year, I'm cooking less," or "Next year, let's just do pizza," but that never happens. I'm a party planner and an idea girl. I always try to one-up myself and improve on the year before. And I'd love to help other moms make the 1st Birthday creative and unique. Feel free to drop me a line or follow me on Twitter.