My Daughters 1st birthday: Sharing Little Miss One-derful Birthday Details!

Updated: May 30

I am sharing all the hosting details for this cute birthday theme-decor, food, party favors, & more!

As many other parents say, your baby's first year truly flies by. It can be a tough but special year that deserves celebration! As we were taking in all the new special moments of being first time parents, her big day was fast approaching and we wanted to plan a personalized birthday to celebrate with all her loved ones. A little miss one-derful theme was a perfect match for her. If you also have a little miss or mister one-derful to celebrate soon, read on to learn all the details of planning a personalized one-derful birthday party. They might not remember much but they can surely have a fun time!

Selecting A Theme: Little Miss One-derful

I wanted to plan a festive party that celebrates her growing personality through the first year. The themes I choose typically have some sort of significance. I searched for theme ideas that were focused around some of her little nicknames at home, her interests, and colors that represented her bright and bubbly personality. There were so many fun themes to choose from, my husband and I were torn between a few.

Since the day my daughter was born, I naturally always called her miss wonderful when talking to her or about her. This theme idea continued to stick with me through time so we decided to plan around it. To further personalize my daughter's party theme, I added a touch of daisies to the since my daughter loves time in nature and pulling out daisies from our backyard garden. Adding a splash of yellow, white, and pink to her decor seemed to reflect her personality the best.

The Invitation:

For all the one-derful birthday invitations I saw online, the O in One was turned into the decor theme of choice. I turned the O into a daisy image. Some people turned the O into a hot air balloon, a soccer ball, or added Mickey Mouse ears for a Disney-inspired party. You can get creative with any idea!

The Big Entrance:

Both grandmas suggested having an entertaining grand entrance which I thought was a fun idea. Having an entrance can be challenging since your one year old may be taking an unpredicted nap, cranky from being tired on their big day, or just shy in front of a large crowd. We planned an easy entrance that we could just play it by ear if the everything goes smooth the day of.

My daughter loved riding around her early birthday gift from my mom, a pink Lamborgini, so I decided to have her enter on that. My mom decorated the car with daisy balloons and a happy birthday banner for a festive look. I also found the perfect entrance song- Isn't she lovely, Isn't she wonderful by Stevie Wonder which fit just perfectly with the theme. Luckily my daughter was in full birthday mode and was eager to ride her car in to meet all her favorite people!

The Decor:

As I mentioned earlier, the decor revolved around daisies and shades of pink, yellow, and white. I also added a splash of greenery to bring a garden vibe to the venue.

Stage Area & Backdrop: This is the area that the guests see right when they enter so I wanted to make sure it was a perfect representation of the theme. I used a circle arch with a artificial grass arch cover. I outlined the top half of the arch with daisy balloons and added a Little Miss One-derful banner to the center. In front of the arch was the grand dessert table(see below for details). On each side of the arch I added something for the guests to interact with. On the left, I added a poster decorated with my daughter's monthly photos and on the right I had a fun little photo booth station. Behind the stage you could also see a projector screen that displayed a personalized slide show I created. Every slide highlighted a photo of each guest with my daughter, fun facts about her 1st year interests, and other photos.

Grand dessert table: This dessert table was filled with a variety of treats for the guests. The eye-catchy center included a grand 2 tier daisy cake and a ONE letter fruit tray. Next to the cake, on each side you could find 2 tier daisy paper dessert stands that displayed mango mousse parfaits and pistachio trifles. Other dessert menu options were daisy shaped cookies, mini donuts, and mini cupcakes. Some decorative elements I added were gold framed signs that had sayings like " One-derful sweets & treats" and a wooden daisy-shaped board that I painted and used to write the dessert menu!

Guest tables: The centerpiece I chose for each guest table were artificial plant topiary balls. I added personalized touches to the topiary like a few mini cloth daisies and a daisy balloon stick. Each guest seating included a doily placemat, pink paper dinner plate, a paper beverage cup, along with a statement daisy appetizer plate & napkin!

Menu:

If you read my baby shower blog post, you'll know that Mediterranean food was a craving throughout my pregnancy. Ironically, my daughter also became a fan of Mediterranean-inspired cuisine I make for her like turmeric rice and shawarma seasoned chicken. I thought that there was no better option than the same local Mediterranean restaurant I booked for my baby shower.

Personalizing the menu by selecting a type of cuisine your little one has enjoyed the first year like Italian or Mexican food or adding a single favorite food to the appetizer or dessert menu can be fun(ex: pea soup for an appetizer if they love peas or ice cream bar to the dessert menu!)

Party favors & goodie bags:

Those of you that know me personally, know that gift giving is my love language. Every time I host, I love to give a little personalized gift to my guests. And for her first birthday, I went all out with 3 types of party favors since I could not decide on a single option. You can choose one or more of the fun options below depending on your budget!

I welcomed all of the special women in my daughter's life with dainty daisy bracelets to wear during the party & take home as a favor. All of her aunts, cousins, and grandmas got to choose from various colors. I still see many of them wearing it at other family gatherings and they always mention her birthday party!

For the kids, I prepared daisy goodie bags filled with 3 of my daughters favorite snacks and 3 toys that are enjoyable for the children attending. I planned to hand the goodie bags out at the start of the party so the little kids have some healthy snacks to eat during the event and a few toys to keep them busy. The goodie bags were a hit with the kids and the parents appreciated healthy options like Honest organic juice, organic white cheddar snacks, and some sweet treats.

As the guests were leaving (both adults & kids), they all got a mini flower bouquet including a cookie, chocolates, and other sweet treats. This was the main favor that I really got to personalize to fit the daisy/summer theme!