CHARLIE TURNS TWO
I was going back and forth between throwing Charlie a big birthday party or not. There has been so much going on between having a baby, moving, and going back to work full time. Last year Charlie's Oktoberfest themed party, you can read about it HERE, was one for the books. It also took a great deal of planning and I just didn't have it in me so I decided to reach out for help this year. I partnered with so many great companies that helped me plan his big day.
Before I get into all of the details I wanted to take a minute to thank some badass mamas that helped make Charlie’s day a stress free beautiful event!
It was beyond wonderful working with so many female entrepreneurs for this event. I feel so blessed I have been able to meet so many strong and creative women through Mrs. Nipple. These women are talented entrepreneurs that inspire! They not only run their own companies but they also run their households. They are all moms!
Dream and Party
Josefina: Three kids, including twins
Monogrammary
Brooke: Two boys, we were pregnant at the same time with our youngest
Stems & Co.
Lauryn: One girl and a baby boy on the way
Zoe: 10 month old baby boy
Songs for Seeds
Courtney: One 9 month old daughter
THE DECOR
When I stumbled upon Dream and Party LLC on Instagram I was blown away by their attention to detail. You can tell how much love goes into each event they are involved in. From kids’ birthday parties to festive soirée adult parties, they nail it every single time. You can check out their instagram, HERE and website, HERE. Her signature teepee parties are fun for all ages.
I connected with Josefina over instagram and we set up a call. We spoke about some kids parties she had done in the past. She has created some very cool themes but had never done a truck party. I was fairly positive I wanted the truck theme but I also wanted a fun spin, so I came up with the idea of a terrible twos truck party. Josefina LOVED the idea and told me to just trust her and she would handle everything. When she said everything she wasn’t kidding! She can do it all, to the extent of planning and implementing the entire party. I decided she would handle all the decor and I would handle the food, entertainment & invites.
Josefina came over for a meeting a few weeks later so we could chat and she could check out the space. She brought over some items and fabrics so I could get a sense of the direction the party was taking. She was so great at checking-in just enough to make sure we were on the same page. She told me she had a good enough idea of what I wanted and she took it from there.
A day before the party she came over to drop off everything. I didn't have her set up until the day of the party so Charlie would not have the chance to destroy her work. She came back the next day a few hours before party time and set up everything. Then when the party was over, she came by and packed everything up. We didn’t have to do a thing!
Josefina and her team did an incredible job!. They literally created a magical truck themed display while incorporating fun teepees and the colors and feeling of fall. They didn’t miss a beat and made a little boy’s construction themed party look chic and trendy. I didn't even know that was possible! One thing I picked up on during our meeting is how concerned Josefina was with the quality of the materials she uses. Her team actually hand made many of the party decorations including the adorable felt cones and the big orange and white construction cylinders. Another thing which I think is so important when working with someone is how flexible they can be. I told her I had an idea just one day before the party and she made it happen. I wanted a coloring station for the kids & fall tee pees in front of the house and voila…DONE!
She is an amazing entrepreneur, who is also a mother, and she truly inspires me. She had a vision and is making it happen. She is proof that if you have a dream, then go for it! She is killing it with her dream, Dream and Party LLC.
THE THEME
Picking a theme can be hard. At age 1 you can really do whatever you want. I did an Oktoberfest theme because I knew it would be fun for the adults and at one year, it's not like Charlie would know either way. Age two is different. Charlie loves trucks. I think you should just go with whatever your child gravitates towards, whether it's a form of transportation, a favorite movie/tv character, or animal. There's nothing like seeing them so excited on their birthday. To make it fun, I added in the terrible twos theme which could go with any of the above themes as well. I always use Paperless Post because you can track all the invitations and RSVPs. I like to keep it as simple as possible. I found these adorable invites for the party.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
For kids parties I like to have two activities that would be appropriate for multiple ages. Between family and friends, we had kids ranging in age from newborns to 13 year olds. I got the older kids involved by having them run the kids table.
I chose to have Songs for Seeds as the main entertainment. The three piece band was a huge hit and the kids all loved it. I had them arrive as the party was starting. They set up in about 20 minutes and were ready to jam! I wanted an activity that would be fun and entertaining for all ages. The band played for 30 minutes which was the perfect amount of time for a 2 year old party. They were high energy and really got all the kids on their feet, even bringing musical instruments for the kids to jam along with them. I could not recommend professional entertainment like this enough. The adults not only enjoyed the performance but got a breather from monitoring their kids. This was the only part of the day the children all stayed in one area. Songs for Seeds holds classes in Greenwich, New Canaan, and Darien and I highly recommend them. You can check them out, HERE. They hold classes for babies, mixed ages, and big kids. They also do events!
I also wanted an activity after the musical entertainment. I asked Josefina to set up a separate coloring table. I used THESE great coloring paper rolls perfect for parties. You can roll them out over the tables just taping them down at the ends to prevent the paper from slipping. You can also get even bigger rolls to cover the walls, great ideas for a party activity. Just remember to get washable crayons. We only use these rolls in our home now. It was always really hard for Charlie to color in coloring books, these stay put!
THE FOOD
Last year we went over the top with the food and I wanted to keep it simple this year. We did pizza from our favorite local spot, Rikos Pizza. I not only LOVE their pizza (we order delivery all the time) but it's also perfect for parties. I've said this a million times but thin crust pizza is the perfect snack :) You never feel too full even if you eat multiple slices. Rikos Pizza also happens to be the perfect eat on the run option for food and by eat on the run, I mean eat while chasing your kids, also easy eats for the kiddos as well. We did some chips and dip for snacks. Since it was a 3 p.m. party, it wasn't lunch and wasn't dinner so I knew that would be enough food. Riko’s has locations all over Stamford and the surrounding area. They just opened a new spot on Selleck Street. You can check out their website, HERE.
THE CAKE
I used a local cake/cookie baker that is very talented. She is a full time teacher that bakes on the side. She did Charlie’s infamous first birthday boob cake, HERE, and nailed it again this year with his 3D truck cake and construction themed cookies. Her cake and cookies were not only nice to look at but were delicious as well.
THE FLOWERS
Who doesn’t love fresh flowers? I’ve really wanted to work with Stems & Co., a local florist out of Rowayton, for as long as I can remember. They design the dreamiest, most whimsical arrangements. When I contacted Lauryn & Zoe, I told them I wanted black & yellow arrangements so they would blend in with the truck theme. They turned out absolutely beautiful. I love little touches of the unexpected, like lovely arrangements at a kids birthday party. It really softened all of the bright colors and added some beautiful calming hues to the day. They did a few medium sized arrangements plus a cute smaller arrangement for the bathroom. You can find their instagram, HERE and website, HERE.
THE BIRTHDAY BOY OUTFIT
I wanted something cute but timeless. If you have followed me for a while you also know I love matching the boys’ outfits. I think it's important to either order clothes for special occasions early enough to leave yourself time to exchange if you are not satisfied or order from a place you trust. I worked with Brooke from Monogrammary for this event and she is definitely someone I can trust. When I ordered the sweaters (the idea came to me in the middle of the night when most of my ideas do) I was fully confident they would turn out great. I wanted something classy and fun all at the same time and she designed trucks on the front and embroidered “Terrible Twos” on the back of Charlie’s sweater. Ford had “Angel Baby” on the back of his. These high quality roll neck sweaters are such classics and looked adorable on the boys. I'll be hanging onto these for the long haul. I like choosing something that’s not too busy but will still stand out, keeping it clean always looks better in photos when there might be a busy background. Brooke nailed it with these one of a kind adorable ivory truck themed sweaters. You can find her on instagram, HERE and her website, HERE.
photographs by @juliadags