I am obsessed with crafts as you may already know.  For my cute nephew’s one year old celebration, I volunteered to throw a party for him because 1. I love him and 2. it would be a great excuse to get crafty!

So armed with my event planning certificate that I got one summer after college and a year of wedding planning experience as an assistant, I was ready to throw an epic birthday party that my one year old nephew will NEVER remember but will hopefully look back at the photos and see how crafty his Auntie Juju was.  Hahaha 😜

Honestly, my nephew really had no idea what was happening because when we were singing “happy birthday” to him, he just starred at us and looked completely confused about the situation.  In any case, we got lots of cute photos so we can show him when he’s all grown up.

1. Understand the party space

To create your ideal party, you have to know the space you are working with.  It’s important to go to the venue and do a walk through from the parking lot to the event space to the restrooms.  This will help you decide where you might need signage and tables.  Also, take lots of photos of the space during your walk through and bring a measuring tape.  The latter is especially important if you need to create a new layout.  By measuring the space from wall to wall and ceiling height, you can accurately plan your layout and the flow of the space.  I did my site measurements on my ipad using Procreate.

2. Ask about venue restrictions

Every venue has different policies to follow.  Make sure you speak with the site manager about your vision and check with him or her if there are restrictions you should be aware of.  For example, in this space, they didn’t allow things to be taped on the walls unless you are using masking tape which is easy to remove.  Also, they only allowed half an hour setup time prior to the event, which means a lot of things need to be prepared off site and be ready to install right away.

 

3. Choose a simple color schemes

For this party, we decided on transportation theme since my nephew is obsessed with trains and cars.  For the color scheme, we used turquoise blue and yellow (the turquoise was a wall color at our venue).  When selecting colors, consider the existing space and limit to two to three colors.  Also, after you have decided on the colors, print them out and bring them with you on your shopping trip.  They provide a great reference when selecting balloons, disposable plates and other party accessories.  I did a rough sketch of what decorations I want to use.

4. Create a focal point

Whether it’s the cake table, the stage or the photo booth, a focal point anchors the space.  For this transportation themed party, I created a photo booth made of cardboard that is placed in the middle of the room which draws people’s attention when they enter.

5. Place table games or conversation pieces on the guest table

A good party is when everyone is enjoying themselves.  Games or conversational pieces are a great way to break the ice and or spark fun conversations.  On the tables, we had photos of my nephew at different age (months) and transportation puzzles and toy cars.

 

6. Seriously good food

When it comes to food, definitely think of your guests.  We made sure to select food that are easy for both the parents and their little ones.  Pizza, pasta and salad are great options.  For appetizers and snacks, we got more creative so we can tie in with our transportation theme.

7. A little thoughtful party favor

You don’t have to spend a lot on a party favor, it just takes time to find the right ones.  For this party, the party favor is for our little guests so we ended up getting puzzles with Disney characters that our little guests can take home and play (or maybe during the car ride home).  It also has a customized tag with my nephew’s face on it to wish them a safe flight home. 😄

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.  Leave a comment or share it with others that will enjoy it as well.

For more inspirations and exclusive offers, sign up for Sprinkles Letters.