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Caroline’s 1st Birthday Party Recap

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March 29, 2013

Can I make a declaration to yall since we’re friends? I am SO HAPPY and relieved the big shindig/birthday party is over…now don’t get me wrong, it was so much fun planning and crafting and creating and brainstorming and baking, but it wiped me out and I am happy it was a success!
It turned out to be a beautiful day in Nashville, after the forecast had given me much anxiety, the clouds parted at just the right time, the temperature warmed up for some fun outside activities, and our birthday girl stole the show with her wild antics and sweetness.  Here is a recap of Caroline’s Lucky Charm 1st Birthday Party! P.S. you can see my initial inspiration board for the party here.

First up, the decor…I went a little nuts when it came to decor and I know it. I started working on all the details way back in December, gathering bits and pieces as I saw them from local stores and I couldn’t resist. I made the rag garland for the fireplace mantle and the chandelier, crafted a DIY paper chain backdrop for the sweets table, decorated our favorite chalkboard with all of Caroline’s stats, painted “O N E” letters to serve as table decor, and added fresh flowers all around the house for some springtime festiveness and color. Mom was even kind enough to spray paint her wooden high chair pink for Caroline’s big smash cake fun, too!

Next up, the food…we made a few appetizers, desserts, and drinks for our guests to enjoy! Those recipes to follow in another post because most of them were great, as I made them the day before to help save time on party day. Mom made the party favors for everyone to enjoy, a Lucky Charm Snack Mix, and they were so tasty, addictive is a better word to describe them. We also rented a local food truck to come serve custom order hamburgers and french fries for the big day…Hoss Burgers was incredible and I cannot say enough great things about their service and helpfulness-they were lifesavers and made cleanup so much easier, not to mention I think Jeff was elated he wasn’t having to grill all afternoon! We also made a few shamrock shaped PB&J sandwiches for the little kids in attendance-wanted to make sure they were fed something they liked, too! As for the cakes, I ordered those from my favorite local bakery/restaurant, Puffy Muffin, and they sure didn’t disappoint-butter cream ruffled icing with strawberry cake…AMAZING!

On to more important things…our special guest, Miss Caroline Cate. She had a sleepover the night before at Mimi and Pappy’s house (thank heavens!) so we could finish everything before her “arrival”. In true fashion, she was having her morning nap when she got home, so we gave her a bit to get her beauty sleep in. Once she woke up and saw all our friends and family there, she was a ham (as usual) and ate every minute of her special day up. For those interested, I bought her mint green dress on Zulily, her white shoes are Pedipeds, and her pink bow came from a local store, The Plaid Rabbit.

Then it was time to gather the friends and family inside for the big smash cake reveal…we all sang Happy Birthday and let her go! And yes, she is almost naked, except for a bib, hat, and diaper-my babe loves her sweets and we wanted her to go all out on that cake! 

It was a WONDERFUL day celebrating Miss Caroline’s 1st year… I might have cried a few times because I can’t get over the fact she is 1 year old, but it was a magical afternoon. We were so fortunate to have so many people surround us in support of our baby girl and we appreciated everyone travelling from near and far to come share the day with us!

Party Sources
Striped Candy Cups, Wooden Utensils: Shop Sweet Lulu
Paper Mache Lanterns, Tissue Paper Fans: Luna Bazaar
Tissue Poms: Pomtree
Chevron #1 Pinata: AbitaAchie
Personalized Birthday Hat and Bib: Dainty Couture
Washi Tape, Baker’s Twine, and Cupcake Liners: Cakes and Kids Too
Birthday Hat Sign: Brownyn Hanahan Art
Custom Invites and Party Swag (Food Cards, Favor Tags, Cupcake Tags, Etc): Nico and Lala
Custom Monogram Napkins: Katy’s Hallmark
Caroline’s Birth Print: Almost Sunday Inc
Local Food Truck: Hoss Burgers
Flowers: Trader Joe’s
Party Rentals (Chairs and Tables): Music City Tents and Events

  1. This is just too cute!! You did an amazing job.

  2. Cecilia says:

    What a great party! CC is so beautiful! I've never gone big for my girls birthdays because I never have the time but if I did, I'm getting you to plan it! By the way, I'm a DG sista. I was Kelly Mitchell's big sister. I graduated in 2001 🙂

  3. You did such a great job! BEAUTIFUL party! Your litle Caroline is so blessed!

  4. Bec74 says:

    This may be the cutest party I have seen yet. Love it!!!!! Good job mama 🙂

  5. Erica Elia says:

    So cute and I love the food truck!! You did such a great job! Erica
    ericasrunningjourney.blogspot.com

  6. Amanda says:

    What a gorgeous party!!! You did a wonderful job! Also, you can't even tell you are pregnant in these pictures! Can I ask where you got the mint pants you're wearing – I love them! Are they maternity?

  7. Carolyn says:

    This is such an adorable party!! I love the color scheme and all the little details! SO CUTE! 🙂

  8. What a cute party and all the decorations look great! My birthday is in April will you come throw me a party 😉

  9. BELL HERE says:

    I'm going to need you to start planning my gals party. It'll be fall/Halloween themed and we live on a farm. Ready…go. 🙂

  10. Andee Layne says:

    SO adorable love!!! I hear you on being somewhat relieved its all over lol I birthday #2 will be a little more low key 😉 LOVED all the details and the pics of her with her cake are priceless. She is just beautiful!

  11. Oh my gosh such a sweet little birthday party! 🙂

    Alex
    Bump to Baby

  12. Adorable! This looks like it was set up by a pro. And the food truck is the best idea, so original and fun. Good work 🙂

  13. Stephanie says:

    wow, what an incredible 1st birthday party! you thought of every little detail. and it all photographed beautifully. what a great mama! happy birthday caroline!! 🙂

  14. Oh my goodness gracious!!! SO many amazing details!! You did an amazing job!! Little C is so very lucky to have you two as her parents! She is so so loved! I want to come to the next party!! 😉

  15. Chrissy says:

    I loved her party! You did an awesome job. I am knee deep in the middle of planning my daughter's first and am starting to panic. Where did you get the gorgeous pink high chair! It looked awesome in pics.

  16. Chrissy says:

    I see she wore a different bib through the day that also has her name on it. Where is that bib from? Also, did you make your door sign?

  17. So cute! Is the gigantic green gift from Mimi? Dying to know what was in there 😉

  18. Soooooo cute!!! But I cannot say I am surprised with your attention to detail:) beautiful party and Caroline looked darling

  19. Casey says:

    Oh my gosh BEST party ever!! Looks so so adorable!! I love all the details! She is just the cutest ever!!!

  20. Nicole-Lynn says:

    You did a great job, Natasha! Everything looks beautiful. Happy 1st to Caroline!

  21. What a gorgeous party for a gorgeous little girl! LOVE every detail! And I'm lovin' your outfit too!

  22. Jess Norden says:

    Every single detail is amazing!!! You did such a great job!!! I love the color scheme, the napkins, the DYI projects, everything! I am so glad the weather turned out nice and you had such a FUN 1st birthday!

  23. Holy moly you did an amazing job on her party!! I am taking notes for next year, start planning in December! Seriously, so special and Caroline looks darling on her big day:)

  24. Everything looks beautiful! You did a wonderful job!!

  25. katmcd says:

    Love this. Love the chevron. Love that you and the hubby wore the colors of the party. Love her cake eating pictures.

  26. I have no words for the cuteness! Wonderful job Natasha, now you can relax with a glass of sparkling cider (wink!) and know that it's a job WELL done!

  27. Kate says:

    What a gorgeous party! Every last detail was amazing! You did an awesome job.

  28. What a perfect way to celebrate your sweet one year old. Looks like everything went off without a hitch and it was perfectly decorated to boot!

  29. Kara K says:

    So cute!! Did you have someone or a photographer documenting the day?

  30. Arielle says:

    Love it! it turned out perfect for Miss Caroline Cate!

  31. You did so so good!! I've been waiting for this post to see all of the pretty pictures!! Everything was so perfect and pretty! Miss Caroline looked adorable, obvs 🙂 This will help me so much when planing our party! Which.. I need to start on NOW! How is she almost 10 months old.

  32. WOAH – you definitely outdid yourself! Who photographed the party? I love all the pictures!!

    So how soon until you start planning her 2nd birthday (and Carson's first)?! Kidding.

    Beautiful job, Natasha (and Jeff. I know he had to have been in charge of hanging some of those things). xo

  33. Shari says:

    You did an amazing job! Everything looks great, and that baby girl of yours is too darn cute! 🙂

  34. Wow, her party looks like it was amazing! All the beautiful details you put together are perfection, and I absolutely love the color scheme! But best of all, those smash cake pictures of CC are priceless! So so cute! xo

  35. little b says:

    PLEASE share that recipe for Lucky Charms snack mix – it sounds divine!!!

  36. Emily Marie says:

    What a fabulous 1st birthday party, it looks absolutely adorable:)

  37. Laura says:

    What a gorgeous party! It is just gorgeous! I love that you included all the links, I am starting to plan my daughter's 1st birthday and I'm sure that some of those links may be used. Thanks for sharing!

  38. Dining Diva says:

    What a fun birthday party! The decorations and food look like they were beyond fabulous!

  39. That cake looks delicious! We love Puffy Muffin. Is the almond bread from there too? So yummy! Those napkins are gorgeous – I need some for Henry's party! That is such a cool idea to have a food truck. Happy Birthday, Caroline!

  40. CMae says:

    I have to say the photographs of Caroline in the pink high chair with you giggling at her are definitely my favorites! totally frame worthy! You are amazing at all those party details! Feel free to plan a birthday party for me! LOL 🙂

  41. whitney lowe says:

    Thank you so much for posting where everything came from so I can start thinking about Gage's party! Always a big fan of your blogs!

  42. Hannah says:

    What a beautiful party! You did an amazing job planning and decorating! All of the little details are so pretty and perfect! Are you a professional party planner? cause it looks like you are! It looks like everyone had such a lovely time.

  43. Layercake says:

    Hands down this is the cutest baby birthday I've seen! Excellent job- I'd say you have the nitch for being a "party planner" , and with out a doubt would not disappoint! CC is a very lucky lady ~all the best!

  44. Beautiful party! You did a great job and I love all the details…you thought of everything!

  45. Kate says:

    Could this day have been any more perfect? You look fantastic… no even pregnant. Caroline looked so, so happy. And the decor. Oh my… you have a gift, my friend! Everything looked wonderful and I'm sure sharing the day with all of those special people brought tears to your eyes. Although she's 1, you're baby's still a baby!!

  46. Samma says:

    I love it! SO fun and over the top- a perfect way to celebrate that precious girl! Do y'all like the little playground pictured? I would love to get something like that for Dell Harper. Love that you and Bev are twinsies! Everyone at the country club Easter Egg hunt today was wearing mint skinnies.

  47. Adorable party! The food truck was brilliant! Happy 1st birthday to your sweet little munchkin~

  48. You didn't miss a single detail…the party was picture perfect, as is Caroline!!

  49. You didn't miss a single detail…the party was picture perfect, as is Caroline!!

  50. Jessica says:

    Job well done, mama!! Everything was so festive & perfect, especially her face in the smash cake pics! Loved the chain backdrop too! Happy 1st Birthday Caroline!! XOXO

  51. Caroline says:

    Oh I just love it! You are the best little party organizer ever!

  52. Sara says:

    Shut the front door. This is incredible! Girlfriend, you never cease to amaze me! What an amazing party! CC is one very lucky little lady to have a mama like you!

    PS – you look fantastic! Mommyhood definitely agrees with you!

  53. Megan C says:

    So cute! Love all the decorations and colors you used!

  54. Megan C says:

    Oh and she is just precious!

  55. Nat says:

    You did such a great job!! Everything looks so good! Caroline is just too precious with the smash cake

  56. You are like the BEST birthday mom of all time!! When I have kids Im coming back to this post! Gorgeous party!!

  57. Laura Graham says:

    OMG what a beautiful party and beautiful pictures! Great job!

  58. SUCH a cute party! I may use some of these ideas for my boyfriend's two year-old's party next week. 🙂

    Rhiannon
    chicagogirlmoveson.blogspot.com

  59. Capital Chef says:

    looks adorable!!! Can you go through some of the party food and recipes for us? Looking for ideas for my daughter's second birthday! Thanks!

  60. Ranjan kumar says:

    nice theme, nice decorations and nice arrangement every thing is looking so beautiful…. 🙂 birthday party decorations Uk

  61. Where did you get the chalkboard easel??

  62. Anita Barua says:

    what a beautiful party. love the food truck idea. i am planning my little ones 1st right now!

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2024 favs

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colorful life + style blogger | native nashvillian | wife and mom to two darling little ladies | bringing you all the happy you can handle

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