We are up to our cute fall boots in pumpkin spice and harvest parties, so I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to fill you in on our daughter’s 1st birthday party: glitter, floral and pumpkins with a rustic twist.
What a wild year it has been, and this celebration was the perfect culmination of a year well spent.
Her due date was December 20th and she made her grand entrance nearly 10 weeks early. She arrived smack dab in the middle of autumn (or Corn Harvest, as it’s known around here). It is one of the busiest seasons for my husband as a farmer.
I love a theme party and any kind of party planning, but truth be told, I had been feeling a little guilty about planning this party. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, but it felt like perhaps hosting a decorated theme party for a one year old was too extravagant?
In my heart of hearts I believe that parties are an opportunity to create shared memories, and have time to celebrate together. This idea was reinforced while I was listening to Brené Brown’s new book, Braving the Wilderness. In it she writes about how creating opportunities for shared joy really does matter. I realized that instead of feeling guilty I should practice gratitude. I plan to unpack this concept more in the future. This was a timely lesson, as my party was only days away.
With a renewed excitement, I continued the party preparations!
The food was an absolute hit!
We had a chili bar with two types of chili, a traditional chili and a Texas Style Chili- NY Times.
Check out this chili bar from Buzz Feed Partners for topping inspiration.
Pumpkin Cornbread with Cinnamon Honey Butter- Cooking Classy
Autumn Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette- House of Yum
After everyone had their fill of the chili bar, we continued the celebration with birthday cake and mini pies. The pies were adorable, delicious and surprisingly easy to make.
The big kids had a blast decorating pumpkins with jewels, silly faces and markers.
I also used rose gold washi tape to make a pumpkin tic-tac-toe board, with orange and white pumpkins.
The little details make such a big difference, and these decorations were no exception. The 12 month photo banner was so fun to look at and see how much she has changed in a year. I also put up triangle buntings, and a circle garland.
Fast becoming one of our favorite family traditions is our DIY photo booth. I change the sign to match the theme for each event. I found this one on Etsy. I plan to write a post about how we put together our photo booth and you won’t want to miss it. The laughter and fun that comes with a photo booth are second to none.
Overall, it was a beautiful celebration of the first extraordinary year of our sweet girl’s life. We are grateful for her, and for the opportunity to gather and celebrate together.
PS- The adorable onesie is available here. Snag this MINI party hat from PreshToast on Easy.
City Girl Gone Rural 
Very well written Jess! And what a beautiful party it was. Thank you for recording it so well. xxoo mom
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