Jordan’s 1st Birthday Party

Welcome to a new week, friends!  I was MIA yesterday, buried under piles of stuff everywhere! If you follow me on InstaStories, you’ve seen that our house has been turned upside down while we had my closet repainted as well as the paint on most of our first floor, up the stairs, and hallway (including the doors) redone.  It turned out beautiful, but the house was a disaster in the meantime because I had to pull everything out of my closet and drawers, and it’s been piled into the master bedroom sitting room. Good luck finding clothes to wear lately! And everything had to come off of and away from the walls so they could paint, so needless to say, there were piles everywhere! I spent most of the day on Sunday and Monday putting the house back together.  It was a big job but I went through all my clothes and kept only the things that fit and I love to wear!

And today, I’m so giddy to share Jordan’s first birthday party recap with you! It was such a happy day from start to finish and we just had so much fun celebrating and honoring our baby girl.  Many of you have come to adore Jordan right along with us, leaving sweet comments here, on Stores or IG.  I appreciate it so much, especially since I know that usually only the Mom thinks her kids are that adorable!  Jordan really is such a happy and fun little girl.  And ever since she turned one, her independence and personality are shining through!

It’s been truly wonderful watching James delight in his little sister and she’s fascinated with him.  His 7th birthday is coming up soon! (Thank God he wanted a party out of the house! #goodboy!)
I had to start with some of the cake pictures because they are just the cutest!  I don’t think I can honestly say, “baby’s first sugar” because I know Grandma has slipped her a few bites here and there!
She was so cute when she was eating the cake, she paused and giggled halfway through with sheer delight!  I’m so thankful we have these pictures taken by my good friend Tisha, to remember it by.
I decided back in early January that I wanted to have a garden party at home for Jordan’s first birthday party.  I feel like the first birthday celebration is as much for the parents as it is the baby, and I didn’t want to overwhelm any of us.  So, we just invited our immediate family and kept it intimate and small.

One of my early inspirations for the party were the large scale gorgeous paper flowers I’ve seen that add such a fun 3-dimensional element to the space and set the tone for a garden party.  I debated making them myself, but the realist in me calculated the time and expense involved as well as not trusting myself to have the outcome as good as I’d envisioned, so I decided to purchase them.I hung the flowers on opposite corners of the main wall in our formal dining room as the party backdrop. The flowers came with cardboard backing and a wire, so all I had to do was put pushpins in the wall to hang them.  They turned out even better that I imagined and will be a decor piece that we can reuse in Jordan’s room in the future.

 

Next, I found an adorable invitation in exactly the pastel colors I had in mind.
My friends and I attended a chalk art class recently and it occurred to me that I should bring the chalk easel I was planning to use to the class and ask the talented teacher to write out a message for us.  I was blown away by how gorgeous the sign came out and amazed at how quickly Kristara whipped out that message out!  She is so good! I swear I could’ve practiced for hours and mine still wouldn’t have come out as well.  We set the chalk easel outside by the front door to welcome guests into the party.
Chalk Art via my friend Kristara Similar Chalkboard 
We scheduled the party for 3:00 p.m. because when I planned the party, Jordan was napping from 2-3 p.m., so I figured a late afternoon start time would be great before she was ready to go to bed around 6:30-7.By the time the party came, her naps moved to usually 3-4, but she skipped this afternoon nap altogether and just partied straight though!
We wanted people to have something substantial to eat besides just finger foods, so we served sub sandwiches that I ordered from Jimmy John’s, jalapeno poppers, pita chips and hummus, cucumber bites, veggies with ranch, and fruit.
We set a buffet style table so people could grab and go.  I have several white serving platters and three-tiered stands that I always use for parties and they’re great because they compliment any decor.
We had 11 adults and 7 kids at the party and ordered a 24 pack of assorted Mini Jimmys (Italian Club, Tuna, Country Club, and Ultimate Porker).  We had leftovers, but they didn’t go to waste!  I only put out some to start, and kept the rest refrigerated.
The cake and cupcakes were from HEB grocery store, a small pale pink smash cake with pink roses that Jordan could dig her itty bitty hands into all to herself.
We are so fortunate to have darling custom cookies made by Sally’s Sweets.   She can do almost anything and her cookies were such a fun addition to the food and decor.  She made 1s, flowers, and cookies personalized with Jordan’s name on them in pretty pastel colors to go with the decor.  I so admire people who have talent like that!
For the cupcakes, we did a combo of birthday cake with sprinkles, red velvet and chocolate on chocolate (my personal favorite), which of course I had to sample before the party!
I ordered the (Similar Food Tags) and customized them on my computer.
We had mimosas and beer for the adults and bottled juices for the kids.
Being a garden party, I figured we needed flowers, flowers, flowers!  To celebrate the first birthday party aspect, I made a large #1 with faux flowers glued onto cardboard.  I was able to buy just the stems in a pack at Michael’s so I didn’t have to cut them!
I loved the sweet simplicity of the highchair banner from Jacs Crafty Corner.  It was one of those things I had forgotten to order, so I super appreciated her getting it to me so quickly!
We also set a kids table for them to sit at and eat lunch and dessert.  The darling faux grass placemats are too cute and came with faux flowers attached.  Not to mention the gorgeous pink turkish towel that I used as another layer of color on the table.
I chose the turkish towels from Olive & Linen with the idea of also using them on picnics, at the beach, and as cute backdrops for pics of Jordan to sit on.  They are really great quality, lightweight and come in a rainbow of colors to add a touch of cheerful decor.  Olive & Linen is offering you 30% of your order with code HONEYWEREHOME30 if you want to take a look.  (I also have this handwoven blanket on my bed and it is amazing!)
Into the house, we had balloons, lots of tulle (tied into bows throughout the stairs, kitchen pendant lights, etc.) and we used the pink tassel garland to adorn the baby gate.  The table under the stairs was the perfect place to set gifts.
On that frame to the right of the door, we hung pictures of Jordan throughout her first year.  It makes me tear up looking back at her as a tiny baby.  She’s so big now that it seems so long ago that she fit in the crook of my arm.  I know from experience that every stage just gets better and better, but I’d by lying if I said it didn’t give me baby fever seeing her as an infant!
On our breakfast table, I used the pretty lavender turkish towel as a runner. I love how it brings out the purple in the flowers.
Olive & Linen Turkish Towel HONEYWEREHOME30 for 30% off your order
Those grocery store flowers lasted almost 2 weeks.  I cut the stems and changed the water twice, but that’s it!
As party favors for our guests, we bought a pack of mini flowers from Lowe’s and potted them in little terracotta pots from Michael’s along with a note of thanks.
I got James to help me with this project, so it was a fun one for a little kid.  And, my husband actually used my scallop scissors to cut the tags into a pretty shape.  #thanksbabe!
Jordan really did have such a good time at her party and loved all the attention that comes along with a baby’s first birthday party.
Her little ruffle butt in her party outfit was the cutest!
And we got her a pink baseball for her first birthday, which may seem odd, but she’s obsessed with playing with the basketballs when we go to James’ games, so it was perfect for her.
Don’t mind me family, I’ll just keep on eating cake . . .
I don’t know what happened with James’ outfit- he started out the morning all set to wear a suit (his idea), but then changed into this striped shirt and plaid shorts combo.  I usually don’t have mind or energy to try to argue and actually, always like to see what he’ll come up with.
Finally, after all that cake, it was time for a good old fashioned bubble bath!
I can say both baby and mama were pooped after that party!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing in the joy of our first year with Jordan.  She means the world to us and we couldn’t love her more or be more thankful that she’s joined our family.  You can catch up on her birth story here and baby updates throughout the first year (including eating and sleeping routines) here.

I was thinking of also writing a post that shares all the specifics of how to plan a similar party because there were quite a lot of details that went into it from the decor to the food to the way the food was displayed, etc. and the timing of when to do all the tasks required to pull off a party like this.  I used Evernote to keep track of all my lists as well as inspiration photos, recipes, etc., so I could also share how I did that if you’d want to know.  Would you be interested in that?

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

47 Comments

  1. Happy birthday to Jordan, and what a sweet, sweet party! I love the garden party theme (and might use it for an upcoming baby shower), and those paper flowers and all the decor are just lovely. Kudos to you and congrats on surviving the first year 🙂

  2. I'd love a detailed party-planning post. I find those logistics can be overwhelming and no matter how organized I am, I seem to forget something crucial (for my daughter's second birthday we had a picnic party at a park–I had decorations, invitations, food and drinks, but my best friend's husband had to do a run to the store for silverware! #facepalm). I'd love to hear how you planned all the details.

  3. i would be interested in hearing about the planning process – my son turns 1 in two months so i need to start planning NOW! 🙂 Adorable party and i love following along with Jordan, she's precious!

  4. WOW! Jordan's party looks amazing. I love the theme and all the little touches. So beautiful. The food looked incredible too. All your hard work definitely paid off. What great memories you will have. Happy Birthday, Jordan!

  5. I read your blog every day, but have never commented. I just had to this time. I love planning parties and reading about them and the details that people go through to put on a good one. Such a beautiful party! Your family is so adorable.

  6. Such a beautiful party! My daughter turns one next week and we are doing a woodland flower fairy theme. Similar to your theme, but a bit more rustic with more muted colors. I've loved following along with Jordan's growth as my baby is almost the exact same age! Thank you for all your posts and updates!

  7. Perfection! Such a darling party Megan. Jordan's face says it all…she loved it!! That's the most important part. And, I can see this theme working beautifully for a baby or bridal shower too!!

  8. Beautiful post! I was wondering how you fell about your kitchen chairs? Are they comfortable? I have seen some comments on sites complaining about the back as being uncomfortable after any length of time. Thanks!

  9. This has to be the most adorable 1st Birthday party I've ever seen. You have done an amazing job and Jordan will love to look back on her birthday photos. Such a beautiful party. There's something so adorable about baby's first cake, and how they just dig in, don't you think? The photos give such a feeling of "spring/freshness" and you can feel the love for her in your photos.

  10. Such a sweet party! Question about the wool blanket–in terms of size, how does it lay on a king bed? Do you use it as a top layer over a comforter or just with a sheet? I'm debating between the lilac and indigo. They are absolutely beautiful!

  11. You did an amazing job! This would make for a gorgeous bridal shower or baby shower theme, too! I can't believe that cake was from HEB! Their triple chocolate tiger cake is delicious. I've started following Sally's Sweets when you shared last week, and her cookies are gorgeous. Happy birthday to baby J!

  12. Such an adorable family and a sweet idea for a party. Would you mind sharing your paint selections from the work you just had done? We just bought a home which looks a bit similar to yours. I love your style!

  13. What a sweet birthday party for your girl. Love all the paper flowers and pink touches (who knew Michaels sold packs of blossoms?!) All the bright colours have me craving spring! Happy birthday Jordan.

  14. Beautiful party! I'm currently planning my daughters first birthday party, so I would love to see more details about your planning process!

  15. Happy Birthday to sweet Jordan! Everything looks amazing and we would love to see a post about all the nitty gritty details. The peshtemal towels look so beautiful as table clothes. So creative… Love it!! -Olive and Linen

  16. Hi, Megan! I can't seem to get the Etsy shop that you linked to to pull up. And when I search on the Etsy website, I don't have any luck either. Thoughts? Thanks so much for your hard work putting this together for the rest of us!

  17. Beautiful! Please share party planning organization – that would be helpful. I am also not able to pull up the Etsy links… Could you please provide those?
    Thanks!

  18. Hi Megan, you did such a beautiful job! I love all of the details — everything turned out beautifully. I would love to know more about how to plan for a party like this. My husband is turning thirty in the next few months and I want to do something intimate, like Jordan's party, but also a party with lots of thoughtful details, theme, etc. It would be so helpful to see how a party like this comes together — this seriously looks like a party planner did this! 🙂 Thanks so much!

  19. Hi Megan, what a beautiful party you had! All of the decorations look absolutely amazing. Can you tell me what kind of flowers (pink and purple) are in those vases?

  20. What a gorgeous party! Do you have the name of the Etsy shop where you purchased party supplies from? I tied to use the links but they are not working.. I’m super inspired and looking to re-create some of the idea you had for your daughter’s party , if you don’t mind…

  21. what a great party ! everything is amzing . could u plz send me the link of the out fit , it unfortunatly doesnt open , thanks

  22. Love your pictures! I just tried the link for the high chair banner and it didn’t work – do you know what shop on etsy the high chair banner is from?

    Thank you!

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