How in the world can you plan a little girl’s birthday party on a budget?
I have 3 “minis” that deserve the absolute best! They may be young, but they certainly appreciate every detail that goes into event planning. (Of course, “they’re MY CHILDREN”)
I’ve learned that there’s a significant difference in having one child, and having three.
It was a lot easier planning big birthday parties for my oldest. I was a single-mom working two jobs, building my own business, and somehow managed to make time for my daughter’s annual birthday bash. You know how birthday parties used to be… back when it was REALLY for the parents;)
I’d invite Liyah’s classmates, all of my clients, my friends; married, single, ones with kids, no kids, co-workers, neighbors… you name it, they were invited!
And I had to feed EVERYONE! One year our backyard was packed with over 65 people!
You can imagine how much money we spent on food and drinks.
And how long it took us to clean up after setting up a whole water park in our yard!
Listen, it was a lot of fun, but that was when I didn’t have to plan birthday parties for 3 children!
Moms, if you have more than one child, I am sure you totally “catch my drift”. ?
About 4 years ago, we decided to give our children
one out of three options:
1) Birthday party
2) One big birthday present
3) Out of town experience
What?! Go out of town?! Believe it or not, sometimes taking a road trip out of town, when planned properly can cost merely as much as planning a party. As we factor in stress, planning time, cost of event, clean up time, and exhaustion. Those are hours we can not have back. In my eyes, traveling is much easier. Planning trips out of town must be done in advance to stay within budget.
Between our parents, my husband, myself, our children… All of a sudden there’s a birthday celebration just about every other month!
I’ll have to be honest with you guys, I’m not sure how to juggle it all in steady rotation. Most of the times I find myself with my head down lost in between responsibilities. By the time I look up, I have less than a week to figure out how to pull it all together!
Thank God we are blessed with super-mom powers! Because no matter how big the load is, us Moms will make it happen!
For both times this is exactly what I did to make this happen:
I gave her a list of questions:
1. What is your vision?
2. Colors?
3. Theme?
4. Who do you want there?
5. What is your goal?
6. What do you want to eat?
7. Games?
8. Gift bags for friends?
This year she envisioned Blush and Rose Gold.
Named it “All That Glitters is Gold”.
She gave out invitations to 8 girl friends.
(We expected 5 or 6 to r.s.v.p.)
The goal is to spend time and make memories with her friends.
Created a menu herself, she decided on
Fried Spring Rolls, Chic-Fi-La Nuggets, Cheese, Celery, Carrot Veggie tray and pink lemonade. (70.00)
Deserts included birthday cake, Rose Gold glittered donuts, white powdered donuts, and a variety of chocolate-caramel candy. (Food choices determined time of event) (50.00)
Games were Pictionary, Guesstures, & Twister.
We made gift bags full of her favorite candy, a gold diamond ring and blush beaded bracelet as party favors. (60.00)
*The key is to keep invitation list down to cut cost of food and details. What means the most to the birthday girl is making memories with her closest friends.
Board games can add up, but at least we can use them as a family during game nights.
Below are photos of what I used to create a memorable birthday party for Sydney. Although you can find inspiring ideas floating around the internet, these “ideas” can become very expensive! In the perfect world, I’d love to splurge on my babies but I have to keep in mind we 3 children to send to college and 2 girls to plan weddings for. ?
Rosegold Birthday Decor
The rosette fabric was actually from our wedding years ago. You can find a similar pattern on Etsy. I used double-sided tape to attach it to the wall. But make sure. I free-handed these cursive letters. Took longer than I thought, but it was worth it. I bought rose gold card stock booklet from Michael’s. (5.00) Pearls are from the David Tutera at Michael’s as well. (10.00) Butterflies and vase came from Hobby Lobby. (10.00) (I already had the hydrangeas.)
Table Centerpiece
Rose Gold sequins fabric from Hobby Lobby. (14.00)
I used White Copper spray paint (4.00) and painted the 2 mason jars I already had.
Blush hydrangeas came from Michael’s.
DIY Gold Birthday Hats
Gold glitter hats from Hobby Lobby. (4.00)
I accented the the top of the hats with tulle and ribbon:) (5.00)
Gold Table Setting
Plates, napkins, cups, balloons, and gold utinsils came from a Target. (21.00)
Table cloth came from my mother-in-law.
Rosegold Mini Desert Bar
“All That Glitters is Gold”
Here’s what the desert bar looked like.
I found fabric and tulle in my linen closet that was perfect to use as a back drop:)
Easy DIY Party Favor Gift Bags
These cute bags came from Hobby Lobby. (4.99)
We already had gold ribbon and white ceramic basket at home.
Diy Rosegold Centerpiece
Bought 2 bouquets of fake flowers from Michael’s. (12.00)
Glitter beads I already had.
DIY Gold Glitter Donuts
A box Krispy Kreme donuts and added Rose Gold sprinkles. (9.00)
White Powdered donuts (4.99)
Oreos (3.99)
Rolos (4.00)
Werthers (3.00)
Twix (4.00)
Rosegold and Gold Glitter Birthday Theme
How cute is the table setting? And it’s all paper and plastic.
Blush Rosette Mini Birthday Cake
My kids always request a cake baked by Mommy, but there was not enough time. I actually saved time and money by ordering a 6” Blush rosette Cake at Publix. (19.00)
Gift Table
Glitter wooden letters purchased from Hobby Lobby for 3.99 per letter.
Birthday Girl OOTD
Here’s our 9 yr old in a Cat & Jack dress and “It’s My Birthday” crown from Target. (27.00)
I hope this helps you with future birthday ideas. It helps to be a DIY Mom. Although it’s overwhelming at times when I have too much on my plate, but at least I enjoy the projects.
It is always worth it after it’s all put together and I hear her cute little voice screaming,
“Thank you Mommy! I LOVE it so much! You know how to make me happy and I am so excited!”
*all photos captured by me
1 Comment
Maisha Addai
December 1, 2017 at 7:18 amThis is literally the most beautiful display of love…. Happy Birthday and great job putting your heads together and making beautiful memories.