Have you ever walked down the birthday party aisle at your local party supply store and thought to yourself, “Oh how cute! Look at all of those decorations, party favors, trinkets and paper products that match every possible theme a child could want.” Yeah, me too. And then I totally became that mom that picks a birthday party theme that is not a stock option. I’ve managed to throw Maven two budget friendly, uniquely themed parties that I would consider successes though! When Maven turned one, her party was everything Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, as it was her favorite book. When she turned two, we celebrated our little love with her big love for Waldo.
With Sylvie’s first birthday just a few months away {Ah, time slow down!}, I’ve started the preparation and planning process for her big celebration. Of course, I’ve yet again chosen a theme that is not a pre-packaged-party-in-a-box, but I’m up for the challenge! I love a good party and I actually enjoy coordinating the cute details to match the cuteness of my sweet little babes. With that said, there are some key steps in how I approach planning these events. I’m all about practical, budget friendly ways to throw a special party!
Since Sylvie’s birthday theme is still under wraps, I’m going to walk through my tips by sharing some examples from Maven’s party happenings. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.
Party Tip #1: Search Pinterest
Pinterest to the rescue! I love using Pinterest as a starting place for brainstorming. It’s a helpful tool to see if anyone has already done what you’re looking to do. {Because Momma, why reinvent the wheel if the wheel ain’t broken?}
When I was planning Maven’s Waldo party, I simply searched for Where is Waldo, Waldo Birthday Party, Waldo Party and other similar keywords. There were a few results of my search that provided me with some cute ideas that I was able to pin to my Pinterest boards. Unfortunately, not many Waldo party examples provided links on where to purchase products, but the examples were still helpful to visualize the party. It allowed me to put a plan and list together to get to work on the rest.
Party Tip #2: Think Colors
Colors can be a simple and easy way to support your theme. When you aren’t able to purchase all of those cute themed items from the party aisle, you have to start thinking outside the box. The simplest way I’ve found is to use colors. For example, I wasn’t able to purchase Waldo plates, napkins and cups – or if I did, it would have been way out of my party budget – so I used Waldo colors to make life a lot simpler, but not at all less cute. I went to the Dollar Store and purchased red and white everything: plates, cups, napkins, utensils, table covers, serving dishes and crepe paper. I also shopped our local fabric store to see if I could find a red and white striped option to use for decorating. Unfortunately, the red and white stripes most often come out around the Christmas or 4th of July timeframes, so in early April I was out of luck. I was in GREAT luck, however, when I shared with the sales clerk that I was looking for the stripes for my daughter’s Waldo themed party. She said she remembered seeing a Waldo fabric come into stock at one point and helped me dig through the thousands of options to find it. I felt like I won the lottery when I bought a few yards of that adorable Waldo-headed fabric!
Party Tip #3: Dress the Part
Use what you wear to support the theme of the party. This makes absolutely adorable photo ops, by the way, so your party memories will be perfect!
We wore red and white stripes to Maven’s Waldo party and in the invite asked guests to dress the part if they wanted to as well. Knowing not everyone has a red and white striped shirt, we offered the suggestion of just wearing red instead. When most everyone showed up in the requested attire, it created the most fun ambiance. We also had Waldo glasses {actually Harry Potter glasses, but fit the bill nicely!} and red and white striped “scarves” for guests to wear. It was SO cute.
So, when you think about your theme, can you wear a color or color-combination to support it? Can you purchase a shirt with a supporting word or phrase? Is there a character shirt, hat or other wearable-item available? Get creative!
Party Tip #4: Incorporate Your Menu
I think incorporating your menu into the theme is nearly as cute as dressing the part. Our Waldo menu was full of red and white options. While the main course was hamburgers and salad, every other item was coordinated by color. If it was not red or white itself, it was put in a red or white serving dish. Some of my favorites for the meal were all red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, red apples) with a white fruit dip, tomato and mozzarella skewers, and a snack table full of red and white goodies (marshmallows, yogurt covered pretzels, peppermints, licorice, etc.). The snack table was set out on the Waldo-headed fabric, too!
Party Tip #5: Order Something Custom
Splurge on something custom for your uniquely themed party. You won’t regret it! We purchased a life-size Waldo cutout and it was well worth the dollars spent. It stood out in the sea of red and white and made the party easily Waldo recognizable. I also decided to order custom Waldo cookies from a local bakery in effort to have another actual Waldo feature at the party. These served as a party favor for guests – AND – since I purchased a plain vanilla ice cream cake, one became a cake topper too! Easy peasy Waldo cake since I just wasn’t feeling Betty Crocker enough to bake my own. Instead of ordering anything else Waldo, I printed Waldo characters in different sizes on good ol’ computer paper and taped them all around the area of our house in which we hosted the party. This was a fun search for the kiddos in addition to the Waldo books we had out on the tables.
Before I forget, I also always use Evites for our birthday party invitation and RSVP needs. In this day and age, if I get an invite in the mail, it’s always asking me to email or text a reply anyway, so I love the ease of sending this to everyone’s inbox for a quick click-to-reply. Using Evites is fast and cost effective – and there are numerous template options to meet your needs.
The countdown to sweet Sylvie’s party has begun – and I’m so excited to get planning! What themes have your children’s parties been? Are you up for the custom challenge? ?
XO
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