When it came time to plan my son’s first birthday party my two main goals (besides throwing a fun party!) were to come up with a concept I hadn’t seen before and incorporate personal details. When we found out we were expecting we were living in Texas at the time but moved back home to Arizona about half way through the pregnancy. Texas holds a special place in our hearts so I decided to take a modern spin on the state for his party theme. Everything was black and white with pops of green, yellow, and silver. I used mini cacti as center pieces, put together a nacho bar (because everyone in Texas loves queso), and assembled a simple back drop for the smash cake. I wanted there to be hints of Texas (like the cowhide rugs and stars) without over doing it.

We live in a neighborhood with a great park system so I also wanted to utilize that resource. I had planned on everything taking place under a really neat ramada in our main park, but when the day came it had already been claimed! Everything in the neighborhood is “first come first serve,” so I knew there was a chance we wouldn’t get our ideal location without the ability to make a reservation beforehand. Despite the set-back we decided to set up shop on the baseball field next door and make do, and thankfully everything came together just great! Because of this experience, my advice to any parent planning a birthday party that isn’t taking place at home is to just be flexible and enjoy the day!