Our Little Gentleman's First Birthday Bash

 We had a big day this weekend.  A big first birthday!
 
I decided months ago that I wanted to plan a little gentleman's theme for Elliott's first birthday.  Let's just face it- there's nothing cuter than a baby with a bow tie.

Or a mustache!  See?

Adorable.

Before I did any major party planning or decision making (I am notorious for last minute party decisions), I started out with this invitation:

After a little shopping, I decided to add some blue to the color scheme and found the perfect argyle fabric (at Hobby Lobby) on the table below.  As far as food goes, I tried to keep the spread half-healthy to counteract the cupcakes.  Here's what was on our menu for the day:

• clementines
• carrot sticks
• cheddar cheese cubes
• panko chicken bites with apricot mustard dipping sauce
• ham and cheese wrap bites
• birthday snack mix (rice Chex, pretzels, Cheddar Bunnies and Oatmeal Snackimals)
• Creamsicle cupcakes/Carrot cupcakes
• blueberry pie pops

(photo by Jess)

I couldn't get off my orange-themed food kick, so I also filled mason jars with a little kid-friendly birthday punch (orange, pineapple and pear juice with seltzer water) and put them on ice in big metal tubs- but they were gone before I could get a photo for you.  All that was left was a few paper straws.

We didn't need too many activities with all the cute babies to chase after, but we did put together a little photo booth area so the adults could get their mustache on, too.

(photo by Jess)

We also set up a Pin The Bow Tie game with a blown-up photo of Elliott. (Mine is the awful one on the far left, ha! Talk about terrible aim.)

(photo by Jess)

The last bit of decor was a hanging display of Elliott's weekly photos.  It was fun for everyone to see how he's grown over the year and leave him birthday wishes.

For a little take-home favor, I made mustache sugar cookies and flooded them with orange royal icing (with the late-night help of my amazing family).  This is one of my favorite party details.  I just loved how they came together!

(photo by Jess)

I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, better friends or a better party for my little guy.  God has just been pouring out the blessings on our family this year.  Happy birthday, Elliott- here's to an exciting year two!

Inspiration and Sources:

Mr. Man Party and Bow Tie Baby Shower

Argyle fabric- Hobby Lobby

Printables- homemade in Pages

Photobooth props- homemade with bamboo skewers and colored foam sheets, inspired by The Blissful Baker

Orange Paper Straws- DimeStoreBuddy

Streamers- Party City

Mustache Cookie Cutters- Fuzzy Ink

Blown-up photo PDF creator- Block Posters
Elliott's bow tie- handmade using Prudent Baby's tutorial