Monday, October 3, 2016

Isla Turns One!

Hello, blog friends!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  We recently just celebrated Isla's first birthday (I can't even believe that I'm writing that!) and I wanted to share some of the details of her party with you all......assuming anyone is still even checking out my blog from time to time.  

This past year has gone by in the blink of an eye, and I'm really happy that I made the decision to take time off from here, as well as slow down with social media posts.  I wanted to truly focus on quality time with Isla during her first year, with no pressure on myself to blog, post, photograph, etc.  But, with that being said, I'm starting to miss this space!  I miss the creative side; my recipes, staging & photographing, and also the friendships that I've built with you all.  While I've said in my last few posts {the last of which was 9 months ago} that I plan on posting more content soon, I truly mean that now.  I'm ready to start blogging again....and I'll start with these photos below.



Cake topper {here}







Planning the party for Isla was very last minute.  Originally, I thought that I just wanted to set up a cake smash session with a photographer, and then do a little bbq with family for her birthday, but with about 3 weeks left until the actual date, I completely changed courses and decided to do a small celebration with friends + family at our condo (we live in a condo now!  I really need to do a life update soon...).

I decided against an actual "themed" party, and opted instead for a color palette of pale pinks, creams, and gold.






I found this poster on Etsy in a standard A1 photo size {link to seller here}, and took it to Walgreens to have it printed out.  After printing, I brought it to a local frame shop and had it professionally framed.




Cake topper from Etsy {link to seller here}


I wanted the decor of the party to be soft, and girly.  I scoured the internet in search of "non cheesy" party supply stores, and found Shop Sweet Lulu, and Paper Boy Party to have the cutest party decor.  I bought most of the supplies needed from both of those websites.  I purchased this tiered stand for the cupcakes, this white flint glass stand for her 3 tiered cake {which was mostly fake tiers since we only had about 25 people in attendance}, and the milk glass stand for her smash cake was a major score from Homegoods!  Her birthday crown and the small glittery party hats for the little guests were from Easy {seller linked here}.  The lace table cloth was actually the canopy from our huppah that we used during our wedding!  






I had the idea of adding a floral wall as the backdrop for Isla's cake smash, and my florist did an incredible job of making that vision come to life.  










One of the luxuries that we have indulged in this past year is hiring a private chef to come to our house on occasion and cook "date night" dinners for Adam & myself.  Since Isla came along, we don't go out to dinner nearly as much as we would like, so this is our way of having a nice date night in the comfort of our own home.  For Isla's birthday, we had him prepare finger foods & easy appetizers.  If any of my South Florida girls want his info, I would be happy to share as I highly recommend him.






With all the excitement of setting up her party, Isla completely skipped her afternoon nap and was a hot, cranky mess by the time guests started arriving.  It was quite difficult to get a photo of her smiling....until we introduced her to cake ;)










She absolutely loved her cake.  I had given her small bites of sweet treats here and there, but this was the first time she had ever indulged in a large amount of sugar.  Needless to say, she was on a bit of a sugar high for the next couple of hours!





Both of my brothers, and my mother flew in from the West Coast to celebrate the big occasion.  It was extra special that they were able to be here for her.....even though both of my brothers were obscenely hung over from the night before haha!  








We kept the party short and sweet, around 2.5 hours.  I didn't want for her to get overwhelmed and have a major meltdown from all the commotion.  This ended up being the perfect length of time to mingle with guests, open her presents, and enjoy birthday cake.  In the end, I'm so glad that I decided to throw her a small party.  Even though she won't remember this day, the photos turned out to be so beautiful, and they serve as wonderful memories that we can share with her for years to come.








Donuts - Nani's Dough


Isla's Dress: Janie & Jack

My Dress: Saylor {available here}





18 comments:

  1. This turned out so beautiful!!! You look adorable in your little white dress.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a beautiful party I can't believe your little girl is 1 already!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm in complete denial about 1 year mark already :)

      Delete
  3. So excited that you are blogging again! I always looked forward to your posts :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrea, love the pic of you, Isla and your brothers! Isla is beautiful. Enjoy that baby girl. It goes by too fast!
    ~Katie Klevens

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Katie! Hope you and you're family are doing well! xoxo

      Delete
  5. So perfect!...and YAY so glad you're back to blogging! xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. The party looked perfect! I would love the chefs contact info that's a great idea for date night!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Carolina! If you send me an email to andreaadler4206@gmail.com, I would be happy to forward you his contact info! xx

      Delete
  7. You did such a great job on her party!!! And your dress is beautiful!!! Isla looked liked she had a blast! I was so excited to see that you did a new blog post!!! But I totally respect your decision to be fully devoted to sweet Isla!! But if you wanted to post some new recipes, I wouldn't oppose!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Megan! I plan on blogging more and will definitely start back up with the recipes. Stay tuned! xoxo

      Delete
  8. Love that your blogging again! This party turned out absolutely beautiful. You have such a great eye for the little design elements. I especially appreciate the little bits about Isla missing her nap, or the fact that your brothers were hungover. We just celebrated my son's first birthday (in total denial as well!) and I really love the realness of this post, because I can SO relate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congrats to you on your son's first birthday as well! Isn't it funny how it's not just a celebration for them - it's also a celebration that we survived the first year!! :)

      Delete

 

design + development by kelly christine studio