Emma is one – first birthday party!
When did the time go? It feels like yesterday I was going through the pains of labour, just so we could meet Emma’s beautiful face. A year of wonders, sleepless nights, pure joy, tiredness, tears, laughter, a rollercoaster called the miracle of life unfold before our eyes and there was nothing much we could say except how blessed we feel. In a blink of an eye Emma turned one! I was actually envisioning organizing her party little after the test was positive, because you know me, I can’t miss organizing a party if the occasion presents itself.
So how do you throw a party to a one year old? I have met a lot of voices saying I should keep it low profile because the baby won’t really remember, money unwise spent, too much effort for nothing. I really didn’t see it like a bad investment. Emma deserves the best and her first party should be memorable at least. It’s for her, but it’s also for all of our friends and family who supported us through the past year either with a home cooked meal, babysitting so we could catch up on our lives, and making us adjust to parenthood more easily.
At first, finding the perfect location got the best of me. I was really tired of searching for a quirky garden, kids friendly with delicious food included. I can’t really remember how I have discovered Prajituresele on Facebook, but the location looked just as I imagined it. Away from the bustle of a busy city, the beautiful garden in Voluntari close to Bucharest, is an oasis of freshly cut grass, an alley framed by trees, a cute little backyard with tables and a playground for children. And when things couldn’t look more perfect, the café shop provided all the hot food and cakes as well as lemonade and drinks. After sending my sister to scout the place (I was miles away and needed confirmation) and after she approved the place would do Emma justice, we booked it.
Now, the decorations were a big part of the party. I have started buying a little bit of this, a little bit of that a long time ago, as I was browsing through shops and found some pretty decorating ideas. I actually didn’t have a theme, I just wanted the place to look colourful. Most of the garlands, light strings, paper fans and frames were bought from Home Sense, while the rest from Amazon and Etsy. I want to thank everyone for helping us setting the garden well in advance, you guys are the best!
Emma was really cheerful that day, like everytime to be honest, but she felt all the fuss was about her. And if you can’t tell, Emma is a show off. I wonder who she takes after? Right before all the guests arrive, we had a little photoshoot done by our dear friends Ade and Dennis. They have done a wonderful job documenting Emma’s first birthday and we couldn’t be more happy with the result. Capturing the joy of the party was on point! If you’re wondering about Emma’s outfits, her first blue dress is from Boden, the cute personalized costume is from Etsy and the floral dress from Next.
We were planning on inviting the closest friends and family but it turned out we have so many, that the garden was filled with a lot of people and Emma couldn’t be more happy. She loves the attention! Minnie came to her party ready to play with the children, face paint, make animal balloons, and entertain. In the end I was a bit sad we only booked the place for 3 hours, as the children would’ve wanted to play more and I really felt I didn’t spend a lot of time with the guests, but if you’re in need of another party to organize, count me in!
The food was amazing, and I can’t thank the team well enough! We ordered a lot of quiches, tarts, mini pizzas and home cooked cakes, that everyone needed to have seconds and thirds. The cook had to bake some more, as the guests kept appearing. You know I am a foodie at heart, and I was so busy making sure everything runs smoothly that I really didn’t have enough time to fill in my plate. Now I crave looking at all the photos!
The cake was absolutely delicious! Honey and nuts sponge with layers of milk cream, the best homemade cake to end a memorable party! At first I really wanted a Minnie shaped cake made of marzipan but the owner said they only make a few recipes and none of them involved customized figurines. I was a bit disappointed but everyone assured me it’s going to taste amazing which is all that counts. Oh, how true! It was simply delicious, melting in your mouth like heaven. Everyone invited at the party left Emma some words on a special dedication board, which I am sure she will treasure forever. People asked me if her first birthday was like this, what should they expect for the next? Well, Emma is going to have a say in all her birthday party themes, so my days as a decision maker are over. I’ll be in charge of the budget, that’s for sure. As I can see now, she is such a lively girl, her parties will be fun and colourful, just like her!
