Ben’s First Birthday Party!

Last week, I shared a few snapshots from Ben’s first birthday party. Today, I wanted to share more of the details!

I think sometimes the best part of hosting a party is the preparation – and the motivation it gives you to finally tackle all those little projects around your house you’ve been meaning to get to!

For Ben’s party, we had about 25 people over to our house from 12–2 p.m. on a Saturday. I don’t think Matt or I have ever hosted that many people before! We had so much fun getting everything ready, and now it’s been just as fun looking back on all the little details that made the day special.

The theme: “party animals!”

Going into planning, Matt and I tossed around a few different themes, but I wasn’t set on anything. I knew that whatever we chose, I wanted the theme to be a fun addition, not something every detail had to revolve around.

A few months before Ben’s birthday, I came across this highchair garland from Target and was immediately drawn to it. Especially when it comes to Ben, I am a sucker for anything blue, white and toile!

From there, an idea started percolating: blue and white, with a few animals mixed in. And when I found these invitations with the phrase “party animals,” it was an easy decision!

Getting the house ready

Like I mentioned, one of my favorite things about hosting is the motivation it gives me to get things done around the house. We’ve only been in our house for about a year and a half, so there are still plenty of projects on our list!

The dining room

I was especially excited to finish our dining room. I’d been researching sideboards for months and finally pulled the trigger when this dark brown one went on sale (I loved the legs!) and two coordinating blue lamps.

But what really helped me envision the room was an idea I came across for a “seasonal dish rack” – a place to display festive dishes and decorations that you can switch out throughout the year.

I LOVE festive plates and the idea of switching things up with the seasons. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to do something similar.

I found a simple white hutch from Wayfair, and in a little act of indulgence, I had our handywoman wallpaper the back of it to give it some extra personality.

I love it SO much. It might be my favorite thing in our house now!

I’ve already switched the decorations from Ben’s birthday to Halloween, and I’m looking forward to decorating it for Thanksgiving, Christmas and everything else throughout the year.

Finishing touches 

I also wanted the house to feel welcoming as people arrived, so I added faux wreaths to our front and back doors. For the front door, I found this personalized sash. It’s so cute! I definitely want to get a few more for other occasions throughout the year.

And I have to give a HUGE shoutout to my in-laws for all the work they’ve done on our yard. We jokingly call them our personal landscapers because they’ve helped us create such a beautiful front and backyard. I was so happy we got to enjoy it during the party!

In addition to beautiful planters filled with mums, the biggest transformation was along the side of our house. What used to be an overgrown, weedy area is now a beautiful little path, thanks to my mother-in-law’s vision. She cleared it out, added stones and planted pink hydrangeas.

I can see the hydrangeas outside Ben’s bedroom window every morning, and they make me so happy.

And a big shoutout to my parents, too, who were in town for the celebration and spent Friday entertaining Ben so I could focus on party prep. Having that uninterrupted time to get everything ready was SO helpful!

Making the most of our space

Something I really enjoy about hosting is finding creative ways to use the space we have.

For the party, we turned our dining room into the food station by moving the chairs into other rooms and arranging our dining table and a folding table into a T-shaped buffet.

But the real star was the backyard setup that Matt and my brothers put together!

Matt bought a tailgating tent, and we set up borrowed folding tables and chairs underneath it. He even brought a TV outside so everyone could watch college football.

So, so thankful the weather cooperated so we could spend most of the party outside!

The decorations

The blue-and-white party animal theme continued through the decorations, and Etsy was the star of the show here!

My favorite detail was a custom garland featuring Ben’s face wearing a little party hat. We hung it above the new white hutch and along a window, and it made me smile every time I looked at it.

On the hutch, I displayed a personalized “Happy Birthday Ben” plate (which I can’t wait for him to use someday – definitely not yet because it would probably end up cracked on the floor, lol), a framed invitation and one of my favorite photos of him. I mixed in a few fall touches on the other shelves, too.

We also had a milestone garland with a photo of Ben from each month of his first year, another blue-and-white safari garland and balloons scattered throughout the house.

The food

For food, we did a combination of catering and homemade dishes.

We used a local catering company that provided BBQ meatballs, chicken quesadilla bites, chips with queso and guacamole, and a fruit tray.

I also made a few platters of ham-and-cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls. They were easy to prep the night before and pop in the oven before the party. And so delicious!

I loved that the menu was full of foods Ben enjoys eating, but that were also delicious for adults.

For dessert, we opted for cupcakes instead of cake, which turned out to be a great decision! Since the party was in the early afternoon, I wasn’t sure how many people would want a big slice of cake. Plus, I was so happy not to have to worry about cutting and serving one!

We added little number-one toppers from Etsy, and instead of getting a separate smash cake for Ben, we gave him one of the cupcakes.

He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at first, but once he got a taste of the frosting, he was sold! He proceeded to eat the entire thing.

Two of my friends surprised us by having Little Bundt Cakes delivered the morning of the party, which was so thoughtful. We got to add those to the dessert table, too!

And for party favors, I made a white chocolate snack mix with light blue M&Ms and candy corn for a seasonal touch. I packaged it in little bags with personalized tags from Minted.

Keeping everyone entertained

Even though it was Ben’s birthday party, the only other child there was his two-month-old cousin! So when it came to activities, we mostly had adults in mind.

I love having a few low-stakes activities at gatherings – something people can participate in if they want to, but nothing that feels too structured or forced.

College football was an obvious choice for an October Saturday, and Matt’s outdoor TV setup was perfect for that.

I also asked Matt to come up with an activity, and he went with a classic: a giant jar of M&Ms and a contest to guess how many were inside. The winner got a gift card to a local hardware store that, surprisingly, has a great restaurant inside (which we frequent regularly with Ben). Our next-door neighbor won, which was fun!

Inside, I also put out photo albums from Ben’s first year for people to flip through. Another easy, low-key activity!

One whole year to celebrate!

Looking back, I’m so happy with how the day turned out. I know we won’t throw a party like this for every birthday, but there’s something so special about celebrating that first year.

Most importantly, Ben had such a fun day! He was happy to be surrounded by so many people who love him, and it was so special to see everyone celebrating him. Thinking about our family, friends and neighbors singing “Happy Birthday” to him for the very first time still makes me a little teary-eyed!

It’s been so fun looking back on the day and sharing all the little details with you. Thanks for letting me bring you along for the celebration!

Happy Birthday, Ben!! We love you!