I don't think anyone would be surprised to know that I was SO EXCITED to plan a party for Matteo. I had a blast coming up with the theme (Matteo's first birthday sail-ebration) and thinking of a location and planning decorations. I have a February birthday so I was ecstatic to finally get to have a party outside, and we chose to go to Andrew Haydon Park, which is one of our favourites and has a wonderful view of lots of sailboats!
If you read my last post you will know that I am pretty conscious of my environmental impact, so one thing I had in mind for Matteo's party was how I could make it cute and fun without having loads of trash. It seems daunting but I welcomed the challenge, and I think I succeeded! Many of the things we used for the party will be able to be used year after year, no matter the theme or location.
Now for a few of my tips (and pics of course) if you're planning a party yourself!
My favourite part of the decorations was the drink station...
We were in need of new glasses for our house so rather than use solo cups I decided to grab some mason jar glasses from Dollarama! I used some twine and cardstock to make name tags to avoid people forgetting which was theirs and needing a new one. We also opted for paper straws!
The table cloth I used was one that we use for our dining table, rather than having to purchase a plastic one.
We also used these drink dispensers to serve water with lemon and lime, and I kept adding ice to make it stay cold!
One thing I really wanted to incorporate into the party was having everyone write a note for Matteo to read later in his life!
Having a nautical theme made it really easy to use decor that we already have since I love that style of decor! The sailboat was from a trip we had to Sauble Beach recently. I made the cake myself (with help from my sister).
Most of the foods we had were finger foods but we did use some paper plates!
The party overall was a huge success and we are so thankful that our family was able to make the trip to visit us! We loved being able to spend time with everyone, and I'm sure Matteo did as well!
One of the main things I wanted to avoid was leaving behind any kind of a mess at the park. Since most of the things we use came home with us, I think we did a good job! When the party was over we made sure that all garbage was put away properly and not on the ground. We did use balloons and I took them home to pop and throw away!
Hopefully this inspires you to think green the next time you are planning a party! As always thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who made it out to celebrate our little sailor!
- Alix