Her Royal Fiveness

If throwing parties is a love language, then that would be mine! It brings me so much joy to celebrate my special people and having had mostly experience with boy parties, you can only imagine the joy it brings me to plan an extra girly party. My premise is basic in the sense that I love to create a theme and template that I recreate year after year. With Madison it is a tea party and then we add a different element every year. Last year it was unicorns and this year she insisted on Princesses. That settled the theme: Her Royal Fiveness.

I immediately reached out to the incredibly talented Elisabeth of Pop of Color Balloons. She was instrumental at helping me create the Mood Board that also helped guide the creation of Madison’s custom birthday dress. Elisabeth created the fabulous pink bow for the Inflate 48 Bouncy Castle for last years party and for this year I tasked her with creating five bows for five years. Not only did she select the most perfect Pantone pastel rainbow shades, but then executed them perfectly on the new extra large Inflate 48 Bounce Castle. Let me just say those balloons were a show stopper!

Next was Benedicts Catering who so perfectly executed the most lovely tea party that is targeted for this age group with appetizing tea sandwiches and pastries along with “apple juice” as the tea. They also took care of the fabulous pink table rentals that are always a huge hit! I can’t speak more highly of Dawn, who helps me with all of the details down to having the best staff.

Alpha Lit Phoenix provided the light up “FIVE” which is such a fun element in my opinion and ensure you remember which birthday you are celebrating in the photos.

The gluten free/dairy free cake was done by Jewels Bakery, my go to baker in Phoenix, and represented Madison’s Birthday gift this year, a Herend pink Crown from Scully and Scully that will serve as a memento for her Princess 5th Birthday party.

One of the most important elements of this party is our collaboration with Charlotte Sy Dimby on the Madison birthday dress. This dress was very much inspired by the 2024 Chanel Cruise Collection which feature pastel rainbow hues. These Chanel shoes were part of the inspiration for the mixed thread smocking of the bows that adorn the dress.

As always I like to draw inspiration from current Fashion Collections and was also inspired by this Zimmerman white top and skirt which I will wear for the party. Mixing the elements of this White outfit with the Chanel Cruise Ballett flats seemed like the perfect way to bring to life Madison’s dream dress and pair an existing outfit for Mom.

We are so lucky to partner with L’Amour shoes for yet another year to have the most perfect white Renato dress shoes to elevate the look for this special occasion.

Storybook Goods Birthday Party Hat has been a part of her celebration for the last five parties! Something that she will outgrow, but for now is such a sweet and fun thing to bring out on her birthday. She always gets so excited when she sees her adorable “party hat!” At this point it is synonymous with her birthday!

Madison also wore a custom bow from Layette in Dallas that we ordered while on a girls Shopping trip back in October.

This years pastel rainbow bows smocking was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Truly one of a kind!

Another element of surprise was a custom bunny from Binbom bunnies which you can purchase at Charlotte Sy Dimby. This bunny is truly so beautiful and the perfect addition to any celebration. I could not recommend this heirloom piece anymore!

The Enchanted Princess Party was where I found the most perfect Cinderella, Aurora and Belle to help lead activities, apply makeup and sing to the children. This extra touch was very well received, especially by all of the girls in attendance!

The party favors consisted of these darling Her Royal Fiveness themed cookies done by the incredible Mikayla Bakes in Scottsdale, Arizona. The perfect sweet treat that the children started enjoying as they were walking out the door. They were such a hit!

Throwing memorable celebrations for my children is incredibly important to me, as my mother was incredible at doing the same for me as I was growing up. I am still very close with my mom to this day, and a mother/daughter relationship in my eyes is one that should be nourished and respected. As I plan and throw parties for my only daughter, I think about the importance of this relationship and how to incorporate her voice. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be a girl mom and I want to always remember this quote: “In the garden of relationships, the mother-daughter bond is the rarest and most exquisite flower.”

Photographer: HANNAH LORSCH PHOTO & FILM

Catering: Benedict’s Caterers

Bounce House: Inflate Forty Eight

Balloons: Pop of Color Balloons

Birthday Hat: Storybook Goods

Light up Numbers: Alphalit Phoenix

Dress: Charlotte Sy Dimby

Shoes: L’Amour

Cookies: Mikayla Bakes

Cake: Jewels Bakery

Princesses: The Enchanted Princess Party

Bunny: Bimbom

A Polar Express 8th Birthday

When we first found out we were expecting our second child near Christmas, the thoughts certainly entered our head as to how we could make his day extra special. Thankfully my Oma had her birthday in December and she thought it was the best gift in the world as we were always together and everything was festive that time of year! We embraced that attitude and thankfully so has Max! He tells people all the time how lucky he is to share a birthday with Christmas!

His first birthday started the theme of The Polar Express and we have kept that theme ever since! To keep in theme with the movie we invite the children to have hot chocolate and we of course serve hot cocoa and have a trackless train! This years train was actually electric, so it was nice and quiet and didn’t have any of the stinky exhaust that many of our past trains have had. Max was quite worried that children would outgrow the train this year and not want to ride, but quite the contrary…it was a hit as usual!

One of the other traditions we incorporate is decorating Gingerbread Houses. This year we had almost 60 children with siblings so we decided to do family houses. I purchased the premade Gingerbread Houses from Target, but wanted a way to assign them. I recently started following Courtney Whitmore of Pizzazzerie and used her frosting recipe and bow ideas to label all of the houses. I will admit that to do that for 40 houses took 7 batches of frosting and about 2.5 hours! But the end result was worth it and the children easily knew which house to decorate. We also had a candy bar with all of the containers and cute signs from Michael’s. This was a huge hit, and sugar rush!!

I would say the biggest hit though was the snow globe from Party on a Cloud AZ! The snow globe is a newer item and to say the children were entranced with what it feels like to be in a life size snow globe is an understatement! Balloon Babe of Arizona created the cute Christmas themed balloons that adorned the outside as well as all of the balloons on the inside which made for great fun!

Last, but certainly not least was our incredible spread thanks to Benedict’s Catering. We had our annual Hot Cocoa station complete with all of the toppings you could imagine. As the party was after school we featured gluten free grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers and chicken salad for the parents. The show stealer though is always the spectacular cake by Jewel’s Bakery that is Gluten and Dairy free, but certainly not fun free! It was spectacular as always! Max is quite clever and requested a snowman to top his Polar Express themed cake this year as we are all golfers, and in golf we call an “8” on a scorecard a “Snowman.” This cake was as delicious as it was cute!

The biggest lesson I have learned about having a December birthday in our family is that it is all what you make it! We make it the most special and exciting thing, and Max fully feels that way! We are truly grateful for our Christmas baby and celebrating him in a fun and festive way! Happy Holidays!

A Magical 4th Birthday

When the planning for Madison’s 4th Birthday party began, it all centered around a picture that my sorority sister sent me of a giant bow made of balloons that she said reminded her of Madison and me! That in addition to a pink and white striped jacket from the Chanel ‘23 Cruise Collection put us in motion.

The next most important item was Madison’s dress so I reached out to my favorite children’s brand, Charlotte Sy Dimby and embarked on a dream collaboration to design the perfect dress to mark the occasion. Monique, Charlotte sy Dimby's designer set out on a "fabric treasure hunt" and found the perfect pink striped organza. It was exactly what I envisioned for a standout party dress. 

Then bows! Since Madison's very first birthday I carry on a tradition passed down by her grandmother. Every year I gift her a 5-piece China set (complete with a tea pot). Charlotte sy Dimby handstitched bows look almost identical to the china decor. I instantly knew they had to be part of the design. I also love pearls and thus was delighted when I learnt the team could adorn the smocks with pearls.

L’Amour shoes were the very first shoes I bought Madison so I have always had a soft spot for them. It felt only natural to select one of their designs for the party. I chose the Josie Scallop Sandals. They are perfect for our warm weather and the bow detail instantly spoke to me.

For the hair bow, I chose a pearl monogrammed bow from @winn_and_william which can be found here.

And a party would not be complete without a party hat. Storybook Goods' pink hat with a bow and embroidery was just what we needed for the event. This particular monogrammed party hat is something we have used to mark the occasion of each of Madison’s birthdays, and is certainly something we treasure.

Madison didn’t get to have a proper first or second birthday party due to the pandemic, so we are making up for lost time! This year it was very clear that pink bows were going to be the main theme for her soiree. As she is turning four, she very clearly wanted her input to be noticed and thus requested to add in rainbows and unicorns, two of her favorite things. In fact, she asked Santa for a unicorn for Christmas, and his response was to give her a unicorn for a few hours for her birthday. It was THE big treat of this year's party!

We decided on hosting an outdoor tea party for all of her closest friends with lots of fresh flowers.

The invitations features key highlights of the party : Madison in her dress, the bounce house, the unicorns and balloons. The design was created by the ever so talented Shop Love Lucy. Sweet and girly, they made our little guests very excited!

The party décor is centered around the balloons and fresh pink flowers. My biggest suggestion is to make the floral arrangements yourself. In the United States, my favorite place to get flowers is Trader Joes. You can find the prettiest blooms at a very good price that enables you to put together the prettiest bouquets.

I feel very fortunate to have Benedicts Catering to help with organizing the furniture which has quickly become my favorite party décor. Small pink tables and picnic benches are the perfect way for our tiny guests to enjoy their tea in this year's special bow adorned china set. 

Our main attractions are riding the unicorn and a bounce house. While I’m not particularly fond of jump houses, I find the ones from Inflate48 to be quite beautiful and enhance our décor. In addition, the four year old crowd seems to be quite smitten with jumping and sliding. 

The oversized pink ballon bow from Pop of Color AZwas the main desired feature to tie our theme together and was perfect in every way.

The party favors consisted of gluten and dairy free cookies from Bear and the Honey Bakery. Since two of our children have allergies we have to adapt but that does not prevent us from having a tasty party. Instead of tea the children sipped apple juice.

We also had a special unicorn cake by Jewel's Bakery which was a huge success.

The giant “4” from Alphalit Phoenix was quite literally the icing on the cake for this birthday girl!

Madison and I are so honored to also be included in an interview about the design process and the party on their website. Cheers to 4 years!

10th Masters Par-Tee

Our oldest son was born on Masters weekend and I will never forget watching Bubba Watson’s pink driver while in labor. It is quite fitting that on his 4th Birthday he requested a Master’s-themed party. I immediately accepted the challenge and have absolutely loved enhancing this theme every year and all of the fun of repeating this tradition year after year.

To enhance the theme, we brought back swag from Augusta that added an extra element for him after experiencing all that encompasses the magic of The Masters!

Benedicts Caterers brought their magic by serving Pimento Cheese sandwiches, chips and chocolate chip cookies.

Jewels’ Bakery took the cake (pun intended) with my favorite iteration of a Masters themed cake yet. The fact that it was gluten free and vegan made it extra special as it was delicious!

Scottdale Cookie Co. made the cutest party favors complete with miniature green jackets and custom golf balls.

It was a golfers dream and made double digits a little less scary for our sweet boy.

Party Vendors and Décor:

Catering: Benedicts Catering

Cake: Jewels Bakery

Party Favors: Scottsdale Cookie Co

Balloons: Balloon People AZ

Light up Numbers: Alphalit Phoenix

Tea for Three

Party planning may be one of my favorite past times generally but planning a pink fete complete with a tea party may top the list of favorites. Due to 2020 shutdowns, we never had a first or second birthday party for our darling girl, so we finally got to celebrate her in proper form. Thanks to the incredible Laura Kay of Diarysketches, the vision for Madison’s 3rd birthday came to life.

Inspired by the clothing collection from Dondolo and the incredible matching tabletop accoutrement, the theme was decided. This all dates back to a tradition started on Madison’s first birthday of gifting a set of china to round out her future collection. The three roses tied with a pink bow was an instant favorite and set the tone for everything.

The incredible Lucy Murchinson of Shop Love Lucy created the perfect invitation and accompanying decorations that gave the event it’s extra finishing touches.

Benedict’s Catering based in Scottsdale found the cutest pink melamine tea sets to accompany the Dondolo pottery and made delicious tea sandwiches and macaroons for the big day.

The most magical white bounce house from Inflate Forty Eight surrounded by balloons from Balloon People Arizona rounded out the celebration and complimented the theme beautifully.

Jewels Bakery made the most delicious vegan and gluten free cake to match the theme and Scottsdale Cookie Company made matching cookies that were beyond words.

It was a beautiful day full of feminine touches for our little girl who is adored by so many.

Party Vendors and Décor:

Photographer: The Lauren Style

Portrait: Diary Sketches

Invitations and Signage: Shop Love Lucy

Catering: Benedict’s Caterers

Bounce House: Inflate Forty Eight

Balloons: Balloon People AZ

Birthday Hat: Storybook Goods

Light up Numbers: Alphalit Phoenix

Clothing and Pottery: Dondolo

Cookies: Scottdale Cookie Co

A Spring Themed Baptism Party For Our Baby Girl

In the days leading up to my Baby Girl’s First Birthday, I have realized there are so many special memories I have yet to share. One of those being her Baptism Day! As our faith is a large part of who we are as a family, her Baptism day was a very special occasion marked with our nearest and dearest! My fabulous Mother-in-Law hosted the chic affair that was made extra special in that it was the same location where we celebrated our Rehearsal Dinner exactly 10 years to the day!

Theme

The theme was “Spring!” A whimsy combination of pink and white ranunculus, peonies, hydrangeas and dahlias were the highlight of the event! As this event had an equal mix of children and adults there were elements that catered to both! Special pink cocktails and bubbles for the grown ups while the children had a coloring station and fun balloons.

Invitations

The invitations were created by Pixie Ink Prints on Etsy! They had a remarkably quick turn around time and the colors and design were superb.

Décor

The floral arrangements stole the show and were highlighted with the live ranunculus napkin ring holder. Such a bold and chic statement! The pink chargers served as exclamation points for our sweet baby girl, as it could not have been any more feminine placed on top of the pink paisley linens.

Food

While the adults had a beautiful lunch the children were delighted by their masterpiece of the ever-so-popular combination of butter noodles, hot dog and grilled cheese. I especially love these thrilling plates as it made the presentation of all three items that much more appealing to the under-7 crowd. The dessert special was unfortunately not caught on camera, but a fabulous selection of sorbets and truffles that were light but delectable.

Favors

The favors consisted of miniature Nothing Bundt Cakes that could be taken home, but in honesty were devoured by the children during the event. Pixie Ink Prints made these darling Favor Tags that perfectly complemented the Invitations.

One of the items that I would be remiss not to mention is the Baptismal Candle from Tierno Portugal. It features a beautifully hand painted gold embellished monogram and Baptismal Date and is a keepsake to be treasured. It was a highlight on Madison’s special day!

Overall, the day was spectacular! During the actual Baptism, the Monsignor was kind enough to surprise us with a Renewal of our Wedding Vows to mark the Occasion of our 10th Anniversary! A memorable day to say the least! We are forever grateful for these special memories!

Valentine's Day Baby Shower

One year ago, we were so fortunate to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a beautiful shower for our baby girl on the way! My dearest friend threw the loveliest pink sprinkle imaginable that truly got us excited for all of the pink that was about to enter our lives! Reflecting back I feel so fortunate that these memories were captured on some of our last days as a family of four. We all feel so blessed to have Madison in our lives and this pre-celebration of her arrival couldn’t have been more perfect!

Theme

The theme was “everything pink!"

Invitations

The beautiful watercolor bow invitations were so feminine and perfect! Luckily my best friend and I happen to be paper/letterpress connoisseurs! Hand mailed invitations are a must for both of us and these were prettier than I could have ever envisioned!

Décor

My thoughtful mother was in charge of the decor and wanted to incorporate balloons as opposed to flowers for a feminine and fun twist. With the help of Sparky’s balloons, this vision came to life. The darling centerpieces were adorned with greenery for an extra touch of elegance and the balloon arch made for a welcoming entrance. The hot pink table linens were the perfect pop of color and each place setting had a menu that doubled as a place card. Literally every detail was perfect!

Food

The luncheon started with a vegan cauliflower soup and up next was a delicious salad topped with salmon. It was the perfect luncheon that accommodated all of my food allergies (the big ones being gluten and dairy). The standout item was this delicious Gluten Free and Vegan pink bow adorned cake! Not only was it the best tasting cake ever, it was too cute for words!

Favors

My darling girlfriend came up with the cutest favors imaginable! A bottle of rosé champagne for each guest with instructions to open the bottle and “Cheers” upon hearing of Baby Girl’s arrival! This could not have been a bigger hit and you better believe we were one of the first to open that bottle promptly after Madison’s arrival!

This sprinkle was a dream come true and I am so happy to be able to share it with you! My heart is forever grateful for my dear friend Anna and my mom for bringing us so much love and happiness during one of the most love-filled times of the year! We will treasure these memories (and photos!) forever!

Polar Express 4th Birthday Party

One of my favorite hobbies is party planning! If I could easily transition to another career, I think it would be event planner. I just get so much joy out of the process. When I initially found out that our middle child was due in December, I was crushed that he would never have a “fair” birthday with the proximity to Christmas. I quickly changed my attitude after speaking with my now 96-year-old grandmother whose birthday is December 15th! She told me of her joy of having her birthday so close to the Holidays as everything was already festive by nature and family members were more likely to be together. I decided that we were not only going to embrace this birthday, but convince our child that he was the luckiest to have such a special birthday during a special time of year!

Theme

Leading up to his first birthday party, I knew we were in need of a strong theme that could carry out this excitement! Enter…The Polar Express! One of our older son’s favorite movies and such a classic for the Holiday’s. We have stuck with the same theme every year and tweaked little things to make each party unique. All that matters is that the Birthday Boy is happy, and thus far he has loved every second of it! The best part is seeing all of the children arrive in their Christmas Pajamas!

Invitations

Every year has been a little different, but centers around the premise of the book (and movie) with a ticket to board The Polar Express. This year’s invitation came from Pristine Print Co on Etsy.

Décor

I was fortunate to find a great Etsy shop that sold printable signage with all of the Polar Express quotes from the movies as well as darling Hot Cocoa Station signage. Confetti Momma Party (also on Etsy) made these darling snowflake cups for the hot cocoa which added a fun and whimsical element. Also, one of the most adored items that we include every year are the “Walking” Reindeer Balloons available on Amazon.

Food

As the party typically takes place in the morning, the food centers around breakfast treats. Cinnamon rolls, egg sandwiches, fruit cups and of course the infamous Hot Cocoa station complete with marshmallows, whip cream and sprinkles. Even though it is a morning party, I insist on having a Birthday Cake and have an incredible bakery that does everything gluten and dairy free. It is always delicious and such a strong piece of decor with a different take on the theme every year.

Favors

This year we made a “trip” to Santa’s workshop and his elves helped each child paint and assemble a Melissa and Doug Train which they could take home with them. Santa also made a special appearance and gave each child a Silver Bell from his sleigh and told them “ that only those that believe hear the bell.” Santa also signed copies of The Polar Express book for each family and everyone received a picture with Santa in their darling pajamas. In year’s past the favors consisted of a cookie or cake pop, but seeing as though this party was four days before Christmas and there were already a lot of sweet treats being consumed, we veered away from the dessert favor.

We truly embrace the Polar Express and Christmas theme and absolutely love celebrating our darling boy in such a fun way!

Halloween Party

Every year we host a Halloween Spooktacular for our Family and Friends! This year was our 7th year and I have learned a trick or two over the years for easy planning :)

Target is my store of choice for all decorations, games and incidentals such as plates and napkins. My party planning format is as follows:

Theme

This is easy for Halloween! We like to incorporate all aspects of pumpkins, witches’ hats and black cats!

Invitations

This is one of the only parties of the year that I use Paperless Post. It is the easiest way to track for an Annual party and allows people to forward on to Grandparents as we always tell our friends to invite their parents as well!

Décor

This is where Target becomes my best friend! They have the best Halloween decorations and activities at amazing prices!

Think..

Food

We live in California where taco trucks are a dime a dozen. One of our favorite traditions is to have a “taco cart” come to our house and to have a Taco and Quesadilla Bar for both the children and the adults. Most children eat their fair share of candy this one evening of the year, and my goal is to fill them up with some protein and carbs to prepare for their “sugar high.” I have also found that people love this quick and tasty option as they can stop in, have a bite to eat and then head back out for trick or treating!

Favors

Since the children don’t need any extra sugary treats, our favor is always to take a high-resolution family photo of everyone in their Halloween costumes and send it to each family. As busy moms, it becomes increasingly difficult the more children you have to ensure you capture a family photo with mom in it as well! I loved the campaign that came out a few years ago about getting mom in front of the lens, and it has become one of my favorite Halloween traditions to ensure this happens for every family in attendance! We also had lots of fun Halloween games to keep the children entertained before Trick-or-Treating commenced. Target has the best selection of low cost crowd-pleasing games like the ones below.

Hope everyone had a safe and special Halloween with their loved ones!