Serena's One Year Birthday Party

Previously, Guinwa shared the behind-the-scenes of Serena’s one year birthday shoot. Today, Guinwa spills all the planning that went into the actual birthday party from the cake and flowers to the DJ and guests’ activities. If you’re looking for a socially-distanced birthday party idea for your little one, look no further! Here is everything you need to plan a one year old’s, or toddler’s birthday party…

The Theme and Activities

Serena’s one year birthday party was around Halloween, which inspired Guinwa to pull from both occasions. “I wanted to have a fun girly theme that still fits the occasion, so throwing a Princess Jasmine party was very fitting.”

“Decor is extremely important to me,” says Guinwa. A balloon entrance welcomed the guests while the venue had photos of Serena’s adorable one year birthday shoot throughout. “Even though Princess Jasmine mainly revolves around blue and purple, I wanted to add some pink and gold in there and we incorporated that in the furniture we rented.” In addition, Guinwa also bought “a few gold pillows to pair with the couches from Amazon.”

The welcome photo wall with Party Ever After’s real-life princesses

But more than aesthetics, Guinwa also focused on entertainment, making sure everyone had a good time. “I also wanted to work on the guest experience, especially for the kids. I made sure to hire a good DJ, my favorite four Disney princesses to do fun activities with the kids, such as singing, story reading, and taking pictures. We also had a face painter and balloon artist who was seriously amazing and EVERYONE loved her. She did such a wonderful job!” (See the bottom for the entertainers’ contact details.)

Party Ever After made sure the little princesses had fun

The Parents

“For the adults, I made sure to have a coffee cart, and an outdoor seating for them. The weather did work to our favor.”

The Flowers

“On the balcony, we had cocktail tables with floral arrangements paired with pink high chairs, and a bouquet of florals. The main focal point was the cake set up with the three backdrops and florals all around paired with a chair to serve as a photo opportunity for the guests.” This is a great hack in making your event even more memorable: a good photo wall creates fun, loving (and chic) memories for later!

Floral and ballon photo wall with gold accents

The Birthday Cake

Serena’s birthday cake was a 6 tier custom cake from Manan Bakery. “Only the bottom of it was real cake. We only had 40 guests due to COVID, and I wanted to keep the other 5 tiers as a souvenir for Serena.”

Serena’s one year birthday cake made by Manan Bakery

The Kids’ Seating

“For the kids, we had a designated kids seating area with Princess Jasmine gobble bags that had custom cookies inside. The kids’ table also had fun vases filled with florals.”

Jasmine themed gable boxes $15.90 at Etsy

Birthday sweets

Guests’ Gift

Guinwa also included a thank-you-gift for every guest, served on a custom chocolate tray by Trays of Treat. “Each chocolate had a different print that related to the theme and were handed as the guests were leaving.” The kids didn’t miss out, either. “Trays of Treat made these custom gold coin chocolates with Serena written on them in teal and purple organza bags that we inserted into these adorable Princess Jasmine and Aladdin custom bags that I bought from Etsy.”