Step 1: Make a Budget

Before embarking on planning, you must decide in advance what you wish to spend on this birthday bash. Which brings us to the big scary B-word… Budget (ha, my hubby would be SHOCKED to hear me say this)! Hey, I never said I’m an expert.. I just promised to share what I’ve learned from my various experiences. But seriously, I know it’s easy to get overly obsessed with all the possibilities and endless details. Once I start going down the Pinterest ‘rabbit hole’, it’s tough to know where to draw the line UNLESS I set some helpful parameters. A clear budget, in effect, is the only thing that saves me from myself!

 Step 2: Think of a memorable theme

Think up a theme that will make your little one over-the-moon with excitement.  This year was easy for us because ever since my parent’s showed Henry the opening scene of the movie Top Gun about 6 months ago – that’s ALL he wants to watch. He’s obsessed with the jets taking off and landing. We have since purchased a million tiny jet planes that he’s constantly toting around. On our way to preschool every morning, he say’s Mama, “Can we listen to Top Gun.” Yes, we actually listen to “Danger Zone” on the way to school…Ha, needless to say, this year picking a theme was a piece of cake. The reason selecting a theme makes party planning so much easier is if you try to stay on theme with colors, coordinating props, etc, it will help narrow down your options for every decision thereafter. 

Our color scheme was: white, navy and gold so I just ordered everything to coordinate. Easy-peasy!

 Step 3: Decide which element of the party is most important

Another helpful tip - decided what aspect: the location, food, decorations, dessert or entertainment - is most important to you. Thus, where you will want to spend the majority of your birthday budget. This year, I decided entertainment would be the most important component simply because of Henry’s age and the age of his VIP attendees. At a 3yo party, you really need to have something for the toddlers to do and/or entertain them. It’s a busy age that typically requires lots of activity - by providing lots of things for them to it makes the party more fun for both the little ones and the parents. For Henry’s entertainment I hired the most amazing kid band called, The Beat Buds. They were a huge hit! Not only did they play all sort of catchy tunes for Henry’s toddler tribe, they made it an interactive performance by handing out instruments. I could not believe that all the kidos were captivated and completely entertained for over an hour!

Step 4: Personalized details are key

To make birthdays memorable, I love thinking outside the box on details and décor. In the nick of time, I found the most amazing vendor: A Touch of LA. She created an array of décor that captured our Top Gun theme to a “T”. She created a birthday banner, invitations, giftbag tags, and all the adorable signage for our party. My personal favorite, “ I haven’t lost that login’ feeling for Pizza” sign – so good!

Our adorable cake was designed and make by this oh-so talented lady.

Step 5: Have fun and be present

Try to do everything ahead of time (as much as humanly possible). In my experience, it always takes WAY longer than I thought to set up an any party or event. Allow for lots of extra set up time so that once everything is done, you can soak in your masterpiece, take photos, and take a deep breath before your party people arrive. Then put your party pants on and have fun! Happy Planning!