Real Life: "Wild One" First Birthday Party

First-time parents Felicia and Bobby had a wonderful year raising their daughter Cece and looked forward to celebrating her first birthday at their home. There was only one problem: they both hate party planning and shopping! So, they turned to Sprinkles & Confetti for custom party help.

We suggested a "Wild One" themed birthday and curated a suite of jungle and animal themed party products. Recreate your own Wild One birthday bash with these party details.

DÉCOR

Bright green as a base color was a natural fit for a wild jungle theme. We mixed shades of white, gold, and yellow into the color palette and added polka dots and palm leaf prints for style. Metallic accents added a touch of elegance to Cece's fun affair.

Sprinkles & Confetti products:

• Green tablecloths - Grab enough green paper tablecloths to cover the main seating, food display, and dessert tables. Maximize the color impact by covering any living room side tables, too - cut a full-sized tablecloth in half or thirds, depending on your side table sizes.

• Tropical palm leaf plates - These 7" plates with green and gold metallic palm leave print are a striking way to carry the theme to your dessert table.

• Green, white, and gold plates - These 10" plastic disposable plates rimmed in metallic gold are large and sturdy enough to last through a full meal.

• Gold letter balloons - Air-filled, no-helium mylar balloons taped to a wall are an easy way to spell out the party theme and fill otherwise blank space.

• Gold #1 birthday candle - Use this classic number-shaped candle on the kiddo's smash cake.

• Green and white polka dot napkins - White polka dots add a fun, youthful touch to jungle décor.

• Yellow utensils - Solid yellow plastic forks and spoons stand out against bright green tablecloths.

• Yellow cups - Solid yellow paper cups matched the yellow utensils.

Custom Sprinkles & Confetti products:

• Custom party box - Felicia didn't have a particular theme or colors in mind, so we started from scratch and built a custom package with party elements she requested: a complete tablescape, utensils, centerpieces, balloons, and a several décor items.

• High chair bunting - Fancy up the birthday kiddo's high chair for the special occasion with fabric strip bunting.

• "Grazing Station" signage - Place on your food table as a fun nod to the party theme.

• 12-month photo banner - Print your favorite pics of the year and display them as a photo banner.

• Metallic gold animal figurines - Group them as a centerpiece, use individually as place settings, or take a cue from Felicia and Bobby's creativity and use as a cake topper.

• Balloon kit - No helium was needed for this green, white, and confetti balloon garland kit. Felicia blew up the balloons and finished the garland in less than an hour.

• Tropical palm leave cutouts - String several together to make a tropical garland. Or, use them as centerpieces, window clings, and wall décor like Felicia did.

FOOD

Felicia and Bobby served a full dinner at Cece's evening birthday party, but you could easily scale back to hearty snacks and dessert if you're not hosting over a standard meal time. Make the party food memorable by creatively naming store-bought snacks according to the Wild One theme. Ideas:

• Safari Snacks - Animal crackers, popcorn, cheese and crackers

• Jungle Vines - Veggie Straws, pretzel twists, licorice ropes

• Monkey Food - Bananas, fruit trays

• Adventure Trail Mix Bar - Set out a variety of dried fruit, M&Ms, granola, nuts, cereal, and snack baggies for guests to build-their-own trail mix.

• Lion Dip - Arrange veggie sticks around a hummus tub to look like a lion's mane. See Felicia's DIY success of this idea below.

• Dirt Cups - Layer chocolate pudding and crushed Oreos in clear plastic cups. Top with gummy worms.

• Wild Cake - First birthday parties need cake! Whether you bake it or buy it, have an extra small cake or cupcake on hand and let the little one go "wild" with their own smash cake. (Cece has her grandma to thank for baking the adorable desserts below!) 

DRINKS

First birthdays aren't expected to be ragers, so take the opportunity slash your party budget if needed and nix alcohol. Whatever you choose to serve though, tailor your drinks to the party colors for an extra pop of décor. Ideas:

• Sodas in green and yellow cans - Colored soda cans are easy to spot in grocery stores. Several options: 7 Up, Mountain Dew, Canada Dry, or Sprite (green); Mello Yello, Squirt (yellow).

• Sparkling water in green and yellow cans - Not soda drinkers? Apply to same can color concept to sparkling water. Search the grocery aisles for yellow and green cans: Bubly Lime or Apple, La Croix Lime, or Perrier Lime (green); Bubly Lemon or Pineapple or LaCroix Lemon (yellow).

• Lemonade and limeades - Make bigger batches from concentrate for the cheapest route, or simplify the food prep process by buying pre-made bottles (Simply Limeade and Simply Lemonade particularly have great flavor).

• Watering Hole jugs - Fill glass water jugs or dispensers with plenty of ice and water. Float lemon and lime slices in it for added color and flavor.

• Jungle Juice margaritas - Classic margaritas have a yellow-green tint that's perfectly on-theme. Make a big batch of ahead of time and let people pour their own at the party so you're not stuck playing bartender.

GUESTS

First birthdays are almost as much about celebrating the parents surviving the year as it is about the birthday kid. The party is the perfect time to acknowledge everyone who was a part of the family transition. Invite whoever is a part of the kiddo's life so far: grandparents, in-laws, friends, cousins, neighbors, and caregivers.

Since the guest list will mostly be family-based, keep it casual enough to allow flexibility for those mix of ages. Pick a strong theme while keeping the party itself simple - no need for many planned events or games. Plan for between 15 and 20 people total.

PARTY TIMING

First birthday party timing is self-explanatory - aim for a weekend during the kiddo's birthday month. Plan it around nap schedules; they're the star of the show, and you want them to be awake for it.

The birthday kid doesn't yet know the difference, though, which makes a first birthday one of the few times you can freely adjust dates. Family is an important part of a first birthday celebration, so push the party date into another month if it means more family members are able to attend.

The birthday girl had a great day, and Felicia and Bobby loved how easy the party was to execute. We hope your second year is equally wonderful, Cece!

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