A Red, White and Blue First Birthday Party

I love a good party and this weekend I was in full on party mode! On Friday, my friend had the most beautiful wedding in Lake Geneva and then Saturday, the 4th of July, my little girl, Taylor turned ONE! I had a blast planning her first birthday party and had to share my favorite red, white and blue party details!

It was an outdoor, BBQ celebrated with our family and friends and I couldn’t have asked for better company. One thing I’ve learned from hosting parties, is to delegate (as nicely as possible!) especially when there isn’t much time to set up. I am SO thankful Taylor is surrounded by strong and creative people.

Centerpieces: I posted a preview of these here but I was thrilled how everything turned out. Easy decor and I’ll be able to use the flags and sprays for our next patriotic party.

Taylor was a very patriotic birthday girl - even down to the Honest diapers! — Taylor was a very patriotic birthday girl – even down to the Honest diapers 🙂

Sneak peek at the smash cake! — Sneak peek at the smash cake

Dessert: The cakes were made at a local bakery and we had cupcakes, candy, chocolate dipped pretzels & popsicles.

One of my favorite things about the decor are zebra and octopus napkins. Almost everything was very patriotic so this was a fun twist but kept with our color theme.

I made the cake topper with glitter stickers, decorative paper and straws to hold it up. Really easy and fit perfectly with the theme.

Drinks – One of the most important things to have at any good party are a variety of drinks. And not to run out! In addition to the beer, wine, lemonade, and water bottles we offered our guests a couple extra’s:

Spritzer: A version of this was created and served with vodka & garnished with fruit (sorry no pic of this, but I can assure you it was delicious!)
Patriotic Soda Tub: Mini cans of soda in a flag tub which coordinated with the theme! We had red Coke cans, blue Sprite cans, and silver (white-ish) Diet Coke.

Solo cups with lids and straws (how cute are these?) for the kiddos. These also came in handy since a few of our guests were taking the train and could take a drink for walk!

Red, white and blue straws found on Etsy

No matter what age you are, birthday crowns are a must 🙂

A few personal touches with the help of family & friends was the icing on the cake:

Monthly Photos: Every month since Taylor was born, we took a photo of her on flag and my brother helped complete this project to have all 12 pictures strung on display. I can’t believe how fast this year went by and how much Taylor has grown!

Slideshow: My sister in law, Kelsey, created an amazing slideshow that our family watched while opening presents – the perfect way to wrap up the party.

Scrapbook: My friend, Katy, created a scrapbook for Taylor that everyone signed. We loved reading our guests messages and this is something Taylor will have forever.

Chalk Stars lined the sidewalk

Birthday Girl Attire

Monogrammed dress and patriotic red sole shoes!

Separate seating areas throughout the yard

First Birthday Party Decor - Framed snippet of Taylor's birth announcement — Framed photo and snippet of Taylor’s birth announcement

A Red, White and Blue Birthday Party - Shining on Design — Plenty of red roses for Taylor Rose was a must!

Thank you to everyone that helped make Taylor’s first birthday so spectacular! And a special thank you to my sister-in-law, Nicole of Cedar & Rush, for capturing the details and so many great moments.

Cheers!