A Pink and Gold Garden Party

We can sniff out a jaw dropping birthday bash a mile away. When first time mumma Rehnee came to us to design an entire stationery suite for her baby girl’s 1st Birthday, complete with moodboards she’d been collating since she was pregnant, we knew this one HAD to be a winner. And our party senses did not let us down. When we saw the pics and the effort Rehnee had gone to only one thing came out of our mouths (and that’s hard as we have A LOT to say)… Wow. Just wow.

We caught up with Rehnee to ask her to impart wisdom on first birthday party ideas, where to go to find the crème de la crème in party suppliers and how you can create a stunning party yourself. Read on here

 

Rehnee wanted to make her little girl Camille’s’ first birthday extra special to celebrate the first year of her life and show just how much her and her husband love being parents. A visual merchandiser by trade, Rehnee was inspired to host an outdoor spring garden party theme with family and close friends.

Her stunning brief to us included pictures of floral crowns and head pieces, cake’s adorned with peach and white blooms and garden party set ups. Where do you even find images like this? Rehnee LOVES Pinterest and Instagram and looking at beautiful pictures, and she collated these onto a Pinterest moodboard (we know from first hand experience that when you have a baby, Pinterest and Insta can get you through some seriously late night night feeds). Rehnee stressed that for her, collating the images onto a moodboard was a vital piece of the party-planning puzzle as it allowed her to get a clear visual of what she wanted for the party from food to balloons and decorations. It also helped her clearly explain to vendors (like moodboard obsessed us!) the style of the party. We adored the pink and gold colour palette with white and Kraft (brown paper) highlights.

Deciding on a venue for a party can be half the battle when planning. With a first birthday the kid to adult ratio is often won by the latter, so finding somewhere to host to easily cater to both can be challenging. Luckily Rehnee didn’t have to look further than her own back yard, which looked beautiful in spring and perfectly suited her Spring garden party theme. We’d also suggest to others planning a similar party, to look at the local park or botanical gardens if you’re pressed for space.

Another key factor to influence Renee’s venue choice was budget. Deciding she wanted to have the party professionally catered so she could relax and enjoy the day, by hosting at home it allowed venue fees to be spent in this area instead.

Weather is the last factor to consider with a venue. As it turned out the day of Camille’s party ended up a scorching 36 degrees. Whilst there was enough shade and drinks for everyone the poor floral arrangements kept wilting with Rehnee and her friends picking foliage from the garden around them to keep it looking fresh.

In her Insta travels, Rehnee came across a gorgeous “Onederland” sign from CommunicakeIt styled in a garden setting and decided to use “Camille in Onderland” as a running theme. She ordered her version and set about continuing this wording throughout her invites and stationery. Funnily enough the original sign Rehnee loved was designed from invites we created (see blog post here). It was like the party gods were guiding her to us all along.

For the stationery suite we created everything from the beautiful watercolour floral invitations with gold foil, through to the large welcome sign, cake topper and all the food signage. Every child had their own individual party bag and Harlow and Grey paper cup with their name on it. After the party, every family received a thank you card designed to match the original invitation. We had died and gone to stationery heaven!!

Rather than making anything herself for the party, Rehnee repurposed decorations and props from past events she’s hosted and simply added a few new decorations in the colours of Camille’s birthday party theme. As a new mum and less time to spare, planning became the key so everything could be executed easily (and delegated to helping hands!) The backyard was sketched to layout food and drink tables, styling and entertainment. We also tried this trick with a recent party we hosted and it worked a treat. It also meant we knew what decorations were and weren’t need so we didn’t end up with an empty looking room or a bag of stuff that was never used. If people ask if you need help, take it every time.. and never be afraid to ask!

When it comes to activities for the kids at the party, Rehnee knew she wouldn’t have time to organise birthday party games so instead opted to hire a face painted and 2 ponies for the kids to ride. She also hired a giant Connect4 game and croquet (which the adults all enjoyed) from Adelaide based business Mary Minty Pea.

1st birthdays have now cemented themselves as the new milestone birthday as your baby celebrates their first year of life. Budgets can be as big or as small as you desire. When thinking about party ideas on a budget Rehnee says to start by working out what is most important to you and therefore won’t compromise on. Set these as your priority and work around the others. For example, she had her heart set on Harlow and Grey paper party ware but couldn’t stretch the budget for her headcount. Instead she bought what she could afford and used generic brown Kraft and gold/ white paper plates and cups to make up the numbers and keep within her colour palette.

When it comes to executing the day plan, plan, plan! Rehnee had overall to-do lists and then day by day in the weeks leading up to the party. This helps eliminates stress too. We recommend ensuring you contact suppliers and vendors as early as possible to ensure you are not disappointed if timeframes are longer than you expected.

As her final tip on styling your party, Rehnee says it’s key to nut out the party theme, style and colours. Use Pinterest and Instagram to gather images and work out the style you’re attracted. Carry this through your decorations, party ware and food (trust us, it will give you max visual impact).

For party suppliers, here are a few of Renee’s go-to faves that hit the mark everytime, plus suppliers she used for the day:

Inspiration: Party with Lenzo @partywithlenzo
Inspiration: Shift Creative @theshiftcreative
Party ware: Ruby Rabbit @rubyrabbitparty for Harlow and Grey Goddess collection party ware @harlowandgrey
Balloons: Little Big Balloon Co @littlebigballoonco
Photo wall: DD brand @dd_brand
Piñata: Party Pony Piñata @partyponypinata
Lunch catering: Let them Eat @let_them_eat
Desserts: Sucre Patisserie @sucrepatisserieadelaide
Birthday cake: d’Elycious @itsdelycious
Camille in Onederland sign: CommunicakeIt @communicakeit
Game hire: Mary Minty Pea @marymintypeaevents
Camille’s dress & cape: Tutu du Monde @tutudumonde
Camille & Renee’s flower crowns: Crowned with Love @crowned.with.love.designs
Pony hire: Party Pony Hire

 

Please note: as Rehnee resides in Adelaide, many suppliers are based here. Please contact vendors for Australia wide shipping details.

Party on Party peeps x 

 

 

 

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