1. Mix home decor with party decor

Using a splash of themed party decor here and there throughout the space is the easiest way to create a unique experience for your guests. For example, changing out wall or mantel decor and centerpieces to compliment the party theme or color scheme is a great way to create a cohesive look.

2. Know your audience

What I mean by this is simply, create for the specific age and interests of the guests. If it’s a kid’s party, they’re ONLY concerned about what the party has to offer them! Activities and favors need to be the focus for kids. “What did I do and what did I get?” will be the only two questions on a child’s mind when they leave a party. It’s how they’ll rate their whole experience. Make it count! For adults, they’ll focus on the food (and drinks) and how the experience made them feel. Focus on the menu, flow and overall atmosphere (smells, sounds, space) for adult parties.

3. Stay organized (FREE party planner download)

One way I stay organized on party day is by keeping all my info in one place. I use this printable to keep track and am sharing it with you as a FREE download!

4. Personal touches

I love to use the name of the person that is being celebrated as much as possible! Creating a diy sign or message board is simple and meaningful, while ordering a custom banner or customized party favors is an option for a more elaborate event. No matter how big or small, making something meaningful by adding the guest of honor’s name, will always make them feel special!

5. Be flexible

Nothing always goes exactly as planned, so plan to be FLEXIBLE! Sometimes weather won’t cooperate (see video), or a vendor will be late, or a menu item flops, cakes fall… trust me, things happen. At the end of the day, the party must go on, so being open to change and being able to adapt, will make it more pleasant for everyone involved!

I hope these tips help you when planning an event for you loved one. We ended up having a great party regardless of the terrible weather!

Watch the full video to see how it all turned out, plus more party tips! Let the party planning begin!

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

Download your FREE Party Planner

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

In the future, our girls Penelope (4) and Daisy (1) will celebrate their birthdays together with one big party. This year, we opted to celebrate Daisy with her own party since it was her first. What better way to make her day special, than a daisy & honeybee themed party?! I had so much fun with this one and really tried to make it special while keeping it simple!

Daisies are like sunshine to the ground.

Drew Barrymore

This party was pretty simple and easy to put together. Not pictured are the guest favors. We sent everyone home with a ready-to-grow pot of daisy seeds. I actually picked them up around Easter from Target in the dollar section.

Party planning advice I would give you is:

1. Keep it simple! (whatever that means for you) What I see as “keeping it simple”, some probably see as “over-the-top” and that’s okay! Figure out what works and go with it!

2. Stick to a budget! This is key. Setting a budget and honoring it is so important on so many levels. It keeps the hubs happy, the party remains a blessing and not a burden, and there’s nothing negative tied to it (like a credit card bill the following month). One thing we have always done, while the kids have been little…is… brace yourself… we don’t give them birthday gifts! Ever! Never have yet anyway! So far, their parties are their gifts. The opportunity to have all the people they love in one place has been their gift! The budget we set would include their gift, so we’ve made a decision to have a more lavish party instead of buying another “something” that will break and/or be forgotten! Get this…. they’ve never even noticed! After they climb the mountain of gifts at their party, they don’t notice that nothing said “from Mom and Dad”. This has worked for us and has been a big budget saver!

3. Ask the child’s input… and listen! Obviously this has to be age appropriate. I start asking them around age 2. Clark had no opinion whatsoever until turning age 6. His first birthday party matched his nursery décor…Pirates! Second was a vintage carnival, third was a train theme, fourth was outer space, fifth was Legos, sixth was ninja turtles and seventh was a Nerf war! He has had some epic parties! P has been a bit more opinionated (I have no idea where she gets that from btw). Her first birthday was watermelon themed, second was flamingos, third was a garden party (check it out here) and fourth was an old fashioned tea party! So far, character-themed parties haven’t been something they have wanted (we don’t have cable and they rarely watch tv, even when I want them to!) There are so many ways to make silly-themed birthday parties chic! If you find yourself struggling to make something fantastic out of your child’s idea, email me at mybloomcreative@gmail.com and I may be able to spark something you haven’t thought of!

4. Make a decision and move on! This could be my anthem… for so many areas of life! Sometimes we take too long and think too much about stuff. Especially things that are meant to be fun and bring joy, like our kid’s birthday party! If you keep checking with your child about what they want, it’ll cause problems, trust me. They’ll talk about it so much they’ll change their mind a million times and so will cause some of the joy to be sucked out of the whole thing. The earlier you start planning the better! Also, it gives you time to pick up an item or two leading up to the party. You may even find things on sale. For example, I know that next year the girls will have a joint party around the Fourth of July. I’m going to keep it simple and go with that theme party. So this summer I stocked up on “4th” themed décor for 75%+ off! This type of planning really helps with budget.

I hope this post has inspired you to keep it simple. Subscribe by leaving your email and follow me on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for more ideas, tips and DIY fun.

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo