Fabulous First: Happy Birthday, Lorelai!

There are first times for everything - including (importantly so) first birthdays! While I don't yet have any children of my own, I have been extremely blessed with a beautiful and amazing God daughter, Lorelai, who recently celebrated the one year anniversary of her birth. Lorelai's Mom (and my best friend), Emily, asked me to help with party preparations, and we had a great time getting everything together for her little princess! Here are some pictures that I took of the party:

The beautiful birthday girl! Such a little princess :)

Mom (Emily) and Dad (Mike) with the birthday girl!

Our spread! Yum!

Tissue paper paradise!

Me and the birthday girl!

Like what you see? Here are some tips for pulling off a fabulous first birthday for your own little ones!

1. Keep it simple. Emily saved a lot of money by going simple on decorations (a couple great kits from Party City and we were good to go!) and recruiting me as her "sous chef." By making food on our own instead of paying a caterer, the dollar signs were kept to a minimum, and we were able to have some fun in the kitchen ourselves! Our spread included mini sandwiches (turkey & provolone with spicy mustard, turkey & provolone with honey mustard, tuna salad and chicken salad), artichoke dip (see this blog entry for the recipe! http://cocktailcutie.blogspot.com/2012/01/superbowl-sips-and-dips.html), meatballs, a veggie tray, cheese and crackers and, of course, cupcakes! Sound like a lot of work? With two people, it really wasn't. Buying a pre-made veggie and cheese tray saved us a lot of time! We also bought frozen, pre-cooked meatballs and heated them up in the slow cooker, and pre-made chicken salad for the sandwiches. At the end of the day, everyone loved the food - maybe we should start our own catering company...

2. Keep it small. Remember, your little one isn't overly concerned with the amount of people who are there to share in the festivities, and honestly, inviting the entire neighborhood won't make his or her first birthday any more special than by only extending invitations to close friends and family. Your loved ones will appreciate the small get together, and they'll get to spend more time with the girl or boy of the hour before he or she gets tuckered out and wants a nap! Emily found that she was extremely glad to only have close friends and family, bringing the total number in attendance to about 15. This was the perfect size, and everyone could easily participate in watching Lorelai tear into her gifts - and later, her cupcakes!

3. Keep it short (and sweet!). Our party lasted roughly 2 hours, and that was plenty of time to socialize, open gifts and blow out the candles on Lorelai's crash (cup)cake. By the time it was all over and done with, the birthday girl was wiping her eyes and ready for some sleep! (Note: As a pre-cursor to the party, remember to (try to) let your little one take a nap so they are refreshed and ready to "mingle" with your guests. We tried to get Lorelai to sleep some before the celebration began, but she must have been too excited for the party because we had no luck!). Consider the pace of your party, and move on to the next activity accordingly. For instance, if you notice that most of your party-goers have cleaned their plates, go ahead and offer to collect them. Then, move on to presents!

I hope the next birthday bash you throw is as fabulous and fun as this one was. Good luck! Tune in next time for more Cocktail Cutie tips and recipes!

Cheers!