Kooper and I share a birthday month! In fact, our birthdays are a week apart. This year, we had a joint firefighter themed birthday party and it was so much fun to celebrate with our family and friends. We had about 80 people at the party, but we kept it pretty budget friendly by getting the decor on Amazon (linked in Amazon storefront) and the food from Sam’s Club.
For decor, I kept it pretty simple. I find that it is usually cheaper (and looks better) to pick a theme and purchase items using the same colors instead of buying themed decor, plates, napkins, etc. I did buy the dalmatian dogs as giveaways because I just couldn’t help myself! Also, I printed a ton of photos of Kooper and taped them to the walls… cheap, easy and you can use the photos when you are done.
We like to entertain, so I also bought mini chalkboards to write on and some black tablecloths, which we can use for our next party.
Food is always tough when you are expecting a lot of people and want it to be nice, but not overspend. We find that bulk stores (Sam’s Club, Costco) are best for these situations.
We kept it simple since it was a middle of the day event and our menu consisted of burgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, salad and fruit. We fed 80 people for under $200 and it was pretty good.
Drinks can be a little trickier. For big groups, I highly recommend getting a keg (we chose our favorite local beer – Beach Blonde at 3 Daughters) and making a “signature” drink so you don’t have to go overboard buying alcohol. We made a ton of sangria – too much actually – but I’d rather have too much than not enough
A great way to step up your decor is by adding a dessert table (or two). We had a little red candy bar with swedish fish, hot tamales and twizzlers. It looks cute and tastes great. Plus, the cake is usually a centerpiece. I was so nervous about the cake, but Publix knocked it out of the park AND gives you a free cake for your one year old too.
I worked with the best designer on etsy. She came up with these awesome coordinated graphics for the party and was very responsive. I truly think these invitations and artwork took the party to the next level. If you are interested in checking out her etsy shop, I’ve linked it in the pictures below.
We were so lucky that family and friends joined us from near and far to celebrate. The party lasted until midnight! It was a good time had by all and a day that I will never forget. Plus, Kooper had a keg at his first birthday. I’m not sure how many one year olds can say that. We love you all. Thanks for celebrating with us.
We really wanted to do photos at the party, but our photographer, Leisa Baptiste Rice (side note: if you are in St. Pete, she is amazing), suggested that we do his first cake experience before the party so we didn’t overwhelm Kooper. That was the best decision! Not only was it incredibly special because it was just the three of us, but we had so much fun and so did Kooper. He didn’t get overwhelmed and he knew what to do when his birthday party rolled around. Plus, we got some great pictures!
