12 months, 365 days and now we have a one year old! It’s crazy how long the days and nights feel yet how quickly time goes by. Here we are, over a year later and what a ONEderful adventure it’s been!
If you followed along on Instagram, you know that our monthly milestone pictures were all travel themed (as was S’s nursery)! When I set off on doing these, we were pre-pandemic and had 1/2 and first birthday celebrations planned for Colombia and adventures through Italy. Even so, we managed to keep the world alive at home during quarantine. In go big or go home energy, we topped it all off with a travel themed first birthday party!
Planning a party during a pandemic
This was not how we pictured our child’s first year and first birthday to go. Thankfully, there were measures put in place to be able to safely celebrate with our family. While there were so many people we wish could have been there with us, safety was our top priority and had a limited attendance. We are grateful for everyone who celebrated virtually with us!
We were so lucky to have found Social Play Haus, a Long Island family space to help us celebrate. They have a large location that caters to both children with a play area, and adults with brunch and lunch options (they also serve beer and wine!) so it was the perfect location for our first birthday celebration!
If you remember our Travel Themed Wedding you’ll remember we did everything DIY and everything ourselves. Which was… a lot! I was emotional enough with my baby turning one, I did not want this stress for this party. Owners Jenny and Marc understood my vision and truly went above my expectations!
The decor
Like I said Social Play Haus helped my vision come to life! That being said I just wouldn’t be me if I didn’t DIY some aspects of the party!
When I saw this sign a good 6 months before his birthday I KNEW I needed it! In true mom fashion I not only ordered last minute, but decorated last minute too. I layered the sign with map print vinyl! That was so painstaking to do but turned out so worth it!
In true pandemic fashion, everyone needs a mask. I decided to make these travel themed masks for everyone to grab as a party favor. It was super easy with my Cricut Joy and Heat Press. I even made the birthday boy a special shirt!
The birthday boy and mom & dad got something a little more special. Santiago got his own shirt. For my husband and I, I made masks that matched his shirt and stood out from the other masks I made
Social Play Haus really took pride in bringing my vision to life! I remember sending Jenny the idea of paper airplanes like we had at our wedding and she incorporated that into our backdrop!
Even small details like their projector screen showing flight times showed the dedication and love they put into their events!
Sweets and Treats
This was a labor of love! I decided to make travel themed sugar cookies for party favors, so we made clouds, planes, and of course the number 1. I had a ‘team” of my close friend Mery, cousin Maddi, and aunt come over the night before to help decorate the cookies in preparation for the party. My aunt also made cupcakes and special Hershey bar wrappers with the same designs as our invitations – that was a sweet surprise!
It really was a ONE-derful time celebrating our baby boy. While originally we had planned to be in Colombia, we are grateful we were able to celebrate with friends and family!
Even though many trips got cancelled during his first year, I hope we sparked a curiosity for the world. As I see him grow, I think we have. He is so curious, adventurous, and full of wonder at the world!
This party was so easy to bring to life. Most of the travel decor we had at home, or bought at Michael’s! Overall, the total cost of putting the DIY items and desserts together was less than $300! (not including rental space – which the price there included food and drinks)
Thank you for joining us on this adventure, I hope to inspire you to create your own!
Leave a Reply