Black & white, feathers and sweet girls in ballerina tutus.......yes please!

When Elise's mom asked me to help pull together this sweet swan lake ballet theme, at first I was a little stumped. After all, when you search "Swan Lake" party ideas for inspiration, not much pops up. Well, that gave us a blank slate to work from. Ultimately, we kept things simple and focused on beautiful, unexpected elements.

Our inspiration for the party was largely derived from these fun linens found at our friends at House of Hough. For contrast and in keeping with the Swan Lake theme, we brought in black chivari chairs. Doubling as party decor and party favors were these sweet white tutus set around the base of each guest's chair.

The centerpieces are definitely one of my favorite components. White flowers in silver vases with pops of black and silver foliage just made for such a simple, yet striking contrast to the table decor. For added whimsy and fun for the little girls, we added pink & white ballet shoe placecards sitting atop silver swan place card holders at each seat.

For the dessert styling and set-up, I was thrilled that she had this striking black piece of furniture already in the room. Rather than renting additional tables and linens, we used displayed our sweet treats here. The centerpiece of the table was most certainly the stunning ballerina doll cake from Moeller's Bakery. Absolute perfection.

Adding to the whismy of the party and also tying in the feathers element were these fun swan cupcake toppers we found on etsy from a handmade artist. More pops of pink were brought through here by using pink frosting on the black chocolate cupcakes. For one final touch of sweetness, we displayed these perfectly decorated swan cookies from Tudor House Cookies across the base of the dessert display.

Guests participated in a ballet instructor led lesson followed by a taped performance in the dining room.

Overall, we love the elegant simplicity this party set-up offered. Not all parties have to be super complicated or overly styled to offer stunning details, personalization and most importantly, a good time had by all!

Vendor Information:
Party Styling & Printables: Crowning Details
Linens: House of Hough
Chair & Table Rentals: A Finer Event
Cake: Moeller's Bakery
Swan Cookies: Tudor House Bakery
Centerpieces: The Briar Rose
Swan Cupcake Toppers: Etsy (LemonSugarStudios)
Photography: Cushman Brinegar

There wasn't any doubt what theme our little girl wanted for her 3rd birthday party.....princess and pink! Pink. Pink. Pink. 

When developing the design concept for this party, I knew that I wanted to incorporate traditional princess elements, a visit by Cinderella (we were just coming off our 1st Disney trip), elements interesting to the little boy guests (favors and activities), something whimsical and a unique table backdrop design. I hope you enjoy the photos and find inspiration for your next princess party!!

The dessert table was created around this 3D, hand-painted backdrop by Created by Jackie. I wanted 3D, removable cupcake stands that would house cupcakes, just showing the pink tops so that they blended into the actual backdrop and cutouts for a single cupcake. The linen was one of my favorites....pink ruffles. The whimsical element to the party were these adorable frog princess cupcakes sitting on lily pads around the castle's drawbridge and around Nora's pink floral birthday cake. We kept the rest of the elements fairly simple; pink glitter star cookie wands were displayed atop crystals to bring in an element of sparkle to the table, custom Cinderella glass slipper napkins were paired with princess carriage plates by Shindigz and gold forks.

Keep scrolling for more fun party details.....

For the seated tables, we contrasted the linens by using crisp white, floor-length cotton linens dressed up a bit with pink, paper placemats. Table centerpieces were these fun gold modern birdcages filled with white and pink flowers. And for a bit of whimsy and fun on the tables, we sprinkled glass slippers between place settings. Nora's chair was marked by her very own mini crown pinata, created by my friend and amazing vendor @lisafrankparties on Instagram.

A favorite among guests was this over-sized princess horse and carriage from Shindigz set along the front lawn as everyone arrived. Kiddos could stand behind the carriage window for a photo op (our oldest son below getting his photo-op on).

Party guests took home these fun favor bags filled with goodies for both boys and girls. The little girls took home princess wands, princess tiaras and princess stickers while the handful of  boy guests took home green wands, inflatable knight swords and knight & dragon stickers.

Vendor Credits:
Party Design & Printables: Crowning Details
Table Backdrop & Once Upon a Sign Designs: Created by Jackie
Cake: Frost Bake Shoppe
​Cake Balls: Angie's Cake
Crown Cake Topper: Etsy (AtarahsCreations)
​Custom Napkins: Etsy (WithInkandLove)
Pinata & Tassle Garland: Handcrafted Parties (@lisafrankparties on Instagram)
Glass slippers, princess carriage standee, horse & carriage standee, princess carriage plates: Shindgiz

 Hi! I am so excited to share all of the fun party details from our youngest son's 1st birthday party!

When deciding what theme best fit our big baby boy, something about lumberjack just spoke to me. So, I set out for some fun rustic details, party props that could double as gifts and overall look that was streamlined, yet a bit whimsical for his big day.

We love burlap linens for rustic events, so that was our table's base. To layer patterns, we chose to add a black & white buffalo plaid table runner, a green & white buffalo plaid Happy Birthday banner from our printable collection and a pine cone garland to the table.

The main dessert and snack table sat against our woodland backyard as a backdrop, so rather than compete with it, I decided to add these fun Alpine trees to bring the green into the tablescape and for height variation, leaving much of the yard in view. The centerpiece of the table was this amazing 3-tier rustic wood stand from Shindiggity Shopped filled with S'mores cupcakes from our local favorite, Frost bakery. On either side of the cupcake stand sat working white lanterns, which we turned on for added light at dusk. The simple 3 layer cake resembled a rustic log, topped with a "1" and Alpine Spruce paper toppers from our printable collection. 

Doubling as a party prop and birthday gift was this amazing handmade felt fire. The kids definitely enjoy role playing with is in their tent, shown below, that was also a birthday party gift and a party activity for the guests. Inside of the tent was a campfire kit, complete with a working green lantern, campfire stove, cooking tools and even a compass to play with.

For snacks, since our audience was preschoolers, we served bulk bear graham crackers and goldfish, appropriately labeled with "Go-Fish" and "Don't Feed the Bears" sitting atop rustic wood round holders for a bit of humor for the adults. For a child friendly beverage, we served apple juice aka "Ale" in a mason jar beverage dispenser.  We used simple square red plates for a pop of color on the table, rippled kraft paper cups to easily eat the bulk snacks, red paper drink cups and personalized Leo moose napkins. After dinner, we lit the fire pit and roasting S'mores for some added party fun!

Guests took home sets of rustic twig colored pencils tied together with favor tags reading, "I'm Plaid that you came", Leo.

Our oldest two kiddos had a ball at their little brother's 1st birthday party, both gearing up in their respective buffalo plaid outfits; red & black for Harrison (4) and blues & gray for Nora (almost 3). Daddy wore white & black buffalo plaid along with mommy. And the birthday boy had a custom green & black moose shirt personalized with his name.

We ended the evening by roasting S'mores in our fire pit; a hit with everyone who attended.

I hope you love all of the fun details we included in Leo's special day and that you find a bit of inspiration for your own upcoming events.

Vendor Credits:
Party Styling & Printables: Crowning Details
Cake & Cupcakes: Frost Bakery
Alpine Trees: Amazon
Table Runner: Etsy (Maria Claire Interiors)
Pine Cone Garland: Etsy (Denise Piper Designs)
3 Tier Cupcake Stand: Etsy (Shindiggity Shoppe)
Mango Wood Divided Tray: Amazon
High Chair Banner: Etsy (Raw Edge Sewing Co)
Felt Fire: Etsy (MME Embroidered Gifts)
White Lanterns: Amazon
Photo/Food Label Holders: Amazon- Kate Spade
Napkins: Etsy (Personal Kitten)
Twig Pencils: Amazon