Sydney Turns Three : A Beastly Birthday Party

When Sydney first said she wanted a Beast birthday party (as in Beauty and the Beast sans Beauty) eight, maybe nine months ago, I thought it was a careless suggestion which she'd for sure forget about in the next few days, let alone in the next few months. 

I was wrong. So wrong.

Bless my sweet girl's tender heart, Sydney has some sort of weird affinity for supporting role characters in movies and cartoons. I tried persuading her to have a Little Mermaid party; she said only if Ursula comes. I suggested a Rapunzel theme; she said she wanted Rapunzel's mom (I don't even know what Rapunzel's mom's name is). She loves the lesser known characters and has a soft spot in her heart for them because when I asked her why she wanted a Beast party, she replied, "Because he's so nice and handsome, and everyone is mean to him." 😭😍 #ohmyheart 

Fast forward to crucial party plannin' time and Sydney had thankfully come around to having Belle in the picture, and I started to realize this could actually be a really fun theme since majority of the movie happens at the Beast's castle. I talked to some creative girlfriends and Hana from  Hooray Everyday and came up with a fun color scheme that was an updated twist to the regular primary colors; instead of red, yellow and blue, I decided on a palate of cranberry, a range of pinks, mustard, gold and navy blue. 

Last year Syd's birthday party was a total shitshow, and I ended up being SO unprepared and completely ran out of time (like, really out of time...like, my florist had to stuff party favors and one of my sweet and amazing guests ended up making my mac and cheese-out of time). It was so overwhelming and so stressful, and I was soaked in sweat and tears by the time all the guests arrived. NOT GREAT. This year when I decided to throw Sydney a big birthday, I made it a priority to stay ahead of schedule, not procrastinate, and most importantly not stress because at the end of the day all that matters is Sydney's happiness. 

I'm all about DIY projects, but I'm also all about knowing my own strengths. I knew majority/all the decorations of this Beast party would be flowers, so being that I can barely keep a cactus alive I asked a friend who used to be a florist if she thought I could handle the floral arrangements I had in mind. Simply put, her answer was a very tactful, "I think this might be above your skill level." 😂🙈 I was so grateful for her honesty because a) let's be serious: I'm staring at these gorgeous roses my husband got for me for Valentine's Day and wondering HOW in the world they're already wilting; and b) it would have ended up being a h u g e undertaking I definitely wasn't prepared for. I contacted our florist  Sweet Pea Flowers (who did our wedding and Syd's second birthday) and explained my 'vision' for the arrangements and provided the color scheme---and what they came up with BLEW my mind. Everything they brought completely tied the whole party together and set such a fun tone to the party. They also put together the Beast's rose in its cloche---and it was absolutely perfect. Lisa and Lizzie, you ladies are THE BEST. 

I asked Hana from Hooray Everyday (her shop is the ULTIMATE party decor shop!) to create two custom garlands, and I'm in love with how they turned out and how they tied the color scheme together. To add a fun wow factor I purchased a gold sequin tablecloth from Amazon (which was actually ridiculously reasonably priced 🙌), and I designed and created a 'photograph' of the Beast's profile (that matched the invites) and framed it with a spray-painted Ikea frame. I made tissue poms to hang from the ceiling to add to the wall decor, and I bought a few vintage books from a thrift shop to scatter around the table. We borrowed the pendulum mantel clock that was perfect for Cogsworth, and I used my ceramic teapot and a cup for Mrs. Potts and Chip. Our florist brought Lumiere, which is still sitting proudly on our dining room table. 😂

One of my favorite parts of the party was 'Gaston's Tavern,' which was really just the table holding the punch and glasses, but I thought the added decor would be so cute, especially since Sydney wanted me to dress up as Gaston (🙈). I looked up Gaston's Tavern signs (because there's a real Gaston's Tavern in Disney World, and they sell the signs as merchandise) and thought no way was I going to pay $80 for something I could make. Plus I needed a much bigger sign than what was available, so I designed it myself and had FedEx print and adhere the sign to a foam backing. We put up the reclaimed wood backdrop my husband made for Sydney's party last year, and I added a {glam} faux taxidermy, a faux fur runner and called it a day.

One of the reasons I was so stressed out from last year's birthday party and one of the reasons I felt that last year was so much freaking work was because I had to essentially cook and prepare an entire dinner for 26 adults and 24 children. 😳😐 This year -- no way. I strategically had the party start at 2:00 PM so that having hearty appetizers would be more than enough, and I also strategically planned the menu for no cooking except for a cheese dip that I made the day before. I tried to stick with French-style apps to fit the theme of the party, so I had a huge charcuterie board with tons of different meats and cheeses, fruit cones, a crudité platter and soft pretzels with beer cheese dip and dijon mustard. For dessert we had a simple chocolate cake with vanilla frosting (Sydney's request), as well as cookies and cream cupcakes that served as 'The Grey Stuff' mentioned in the song "Be Our Guest" (that even had frosting that looked like the real Grey Stuff served in Disney World!) and custom Beast cookies from  The Baked Equation. We gave away mini bags of trail mix as party favors (I created and made the labels), and I may or may not have eaten 87 leftover bags. Everything turned out perfect---no cooking = no stress! 

The coolest and arguably best part of the party, though, was hiring Princess Belle to make an appearance. Sydney originally wanted the Beast to come, but after calling around Denver and obviously finding nothing, Syd decided she actually did want Belle to come and instead wanted Jordan to dress up as the Beast. Now that I could work with. 😂

I contacted  Princess Ever After Events, which is a Denver-based company that employs actresses to portray Disney princesses for birthday parties, corporate events and more. They had been following me on Instagram for a while, and I was curious to learn more; I had heard from various acquaintances their parties are amazing and the actresses are beyond talented. I was so excited to learn the company's owner Sarah Ingle would be performing because if you haven't heard of her, I highly recommend you check out her  Instagram page and see for yourself---she is truly a living Disney princess.

Upon walking in our front door, Sarah captured the hearts and attention of not only all the tiny guests in our home but also all the adult guests as well. She didn't just look like Belle; Sarah literally was Belle, and she was exactly what the Disney animators had in mind when they created her. That sounds so cheesy, but ask any guest that attended the party and they will all tell you the same; everyone was mesmerized by her.

Sarah was there for an hour, and she conducted a princess initiation (she taught all the kids what it means to be a princess and prince), sang a personalized song to Sydney (THE MOST PRECIOUS MOMENT EVER), danced to various songs from Beauty and the Beast, organized a game for the kids, which included Syd winning a special bubbles necklace, read Beauty and the Beast for story time, held a princess coronation ceremony, posed for pictures, and helped sing 'Happy Birthday.' It was a d o r a b l e. Everything was amazing, and Sarah went above and beyond what even my wildest expectations were. Suffice to say, it was the most magical afternoon well spent. 

THIS moment. Sydney was so intently focused on Belle singing to her that she almost cried---which of course made me cry. So incredibly special. 💞

When I was putting Sydney to bed that night, she thanked me for the "beautiful party" and told me it was the best day ever. I asked her what her favorite part was, and she naturally replied having Belle there---but she also said she loved dancing with her daddy, which of course melted my heart. 

I need to quickly thank so many amazing people: my wonderful parents, who not only flew out to help celebrate Sydney's birthday but also were a huge help with preparing for the party; my awesome husband for being so patient and allowing me to exercise my creativity and love for party planning; Sweet Pea Flowers for being the best florists ever; Hana at Hooray Everyday for being the sweetest and best party shop owner in all the Instagram land; Melissa at The Baked Equation for once again nailing my custom invite and creating the most adorable and delicious cookies; Ashleyann from  Memourii and Katie from  Fancy Free Finery for creating the most perfect Belle outfit (Sydney is obsessed, and both items have been worn multiple times since); and a huuuuuge THANK YOU to my dear friend  Steph Pollock for capturing the most perfect moments of the day---you are insanely talented, my girl, and I will treasure these photos forever. And lastly, thank you to Princess Ever After Events for truly making our little girl's dream come true. Sarah, you are every bit of gorgeous on the inside as you are on the outside, and you truly have a gift---and we can't wait to work with you again!

Being that it's almost an entire month after her party and Sydney is still talking about it, and being that no guests were forced to cook, and being that Jordan is now a proud owner of a Beast costume, I'd say her party was a wild success. It's funny; maybe it's the beautifully captured professional pics or maybe it's the fun food table, but I feel like this party looked like it was more work but more put together than any party I've ever thrown---but in all actuality, I feel like I did the least amount of work. (Thinking that has something to do with not grating over three pounds of cheese this year... 😂😑) Regardless, as I said before, at the end of the day all that matters was Sydney's happiness---and we had one very happy three-year-old. 

All photographs except for the last image taken by Steph Pollock of  Kole Impressions

Dear Sydney

I wrote this letter to Sydney a few minutes after she turned one year old. Emotions were running at an all-time high, as Jordan was out of town and I was listening to Taylor Swift's "Never Grow Up" practically on repeat. Hot. Mess. Anyway, I thought I would share it...

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My Sydney Belle,

I'm already crying three words in because I can't believe this day has come already. Where did the last year go? January 28, 2014 at 1:46 in the morning until now, January 28, 2015 at 2:08 in the morning, has easily been the best and fastest of my life all because of you. This year has been filled with the most wonderful memories, both big and small, and I have never learned more of myself and of life until I met you -- sweet, wonderful, gentle, loving you.

When I was little, I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Ranging from a pirate to a teacher to a doctor to an artist and more, nothing ever quite sat with me long enough for me to really invest myself. As the years went by and I grew older, I knew no matter what job I had or what I would become, the only thing I really wanted to be is a mom. A joke I had with your Aunt Suzy is that I had so much love for my unborn children -- but as much as we laughed about it, truer words were never spoken. When your dad and I were dating, he would always joke that he couldn't wait to meet our baby--this is coming from a man who used to be a self-proclaimed commitment-phobe--because he thought he or she would be an amazing tiny human. I want you to know, honey, you were so loved by Mommy and Daddy before we even knew you could or would exist. 

Your dad told me on my 30th birthday that he wanted to start trying for a baby, and I will never forget that moment because I knew we were about to embark on the most exciting adventure of our lives. Only a short 2.5 months later we were pregnant with you, and I started feeling a sense of happiness, settlement and satisfaction set in I had never felt before. While I didn't love being pregnant (you gave me a hell of a 10 months, sweetheart), I loved feeling every single kick, nudge, hiccup and jab you made. Even when you were running your hand along the inside of my ribs and tickling me so hard (which you did because we saw you doing it), I couldn't help but feel a burst of love because I loved you so much already.

Believe it or not, and I'm probably in the minority with this opinion, I absolutely loved labor and delivery. I think it was because I didn't have the easiest pregnancy and I couldn't wait to meet you -- to hold you, kiss you, snuggle you, smell you, see you. Our 3D and 4D ultrasounds were amazing, but I just wanted to kiss those big cheeks I kept seeing. After almost 36 hours of relatively okay labor, I finally saw your beautiful tiny face. In one split second, I finally understood the true meaning of unconditional love and why I was put on Earth; I was meant to be your mommy. I was meant to your protector, your caretaker, your giver. 

You were such a good infant -- like scary good. I kept asking your pediatrician if any of your behaviors were red flags because I couldn't believe how easy we had it. You were a great sleeper from the start (I swear it was because of my crazy theory! I will teach when you're pregnant), you were so quiet, gentle and sweet; your dad and I never dealt with endless crying fits or long nights with no sleep. This only made us fall in love with you that much more. As you've grown older and become more independent, it's so fun to see your little personality start to shine. You are your father's daughter. Not only do you look so much like him (including his hair, which I am so sorry about -- I tried), but your personality is so much like him as well. Your daddy is so sweet and thoughtful, careful and cautious, but really lets loose when he's comfortable. That is you to a T, little bug. You're also so smart and so funny just like your dad, and you learn new things very easily and very quickly. Your quiet and shy demeanor is so sweet, and I can't wait to see if you stay that way.

[I'm typing this letter two months after I wrote it...I think it's safe to say you're starting to break out of your shell. I would say the good employees of Target would most likely agree with this.]

As you've started to explore this big world on your own, you've definitely opened up and started challenging me in ways I never knew I could be challenged. I've never considered myself a very patient person, but with you I find myself continuously surprised by the amount I have. Even so there are days when I wish I could take a time out, but then you go down for a nap and I miss you terribly. When you wake up refreshed, I'm refreshed as well and ready to tackle our next mini adventure.

In the last year I feel I have taught you so much -- to roll over, to crawl, to sign, to kiss, to hug, to walk (we're almost there!) and more. But really it's you who has taught me so much; you've taught me how to be more loving, more patient, more grateful, more appreciative, more humble, and more at peace with who I am. You've made me want to be a better person because I want to always be the best mommy I can for you and our family. I want to be the best role model, so you can look up and be proud. I want to be caring, creative, fun and unconditionally loving. I want you to know every day how much you mean to me, and if nothing else I want you to know how much you are loved.

I have so many hopes for you, sweetheart. I hope you live a life with no regrets. I hope you make mistakes but learn from them. I hope you make good friends and are in turn a good friend yourself. I hope you stay safe and make smart decisions. I hope you meet someone as wonderful as your dad and get to be a wife and a mother. You are turning into such a beautiful little girl, and I hope your dad and I can teach you to live a life with Jesus so that you're as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. I pray for your guidance and your heart every single day, and I want you to know there is nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it. I want to be your biggest cheerleader and support and encourage you always, and I want you to always know I will be there when you fall. But most of all, I hope and pray for your happiness, health and safety. Always and forever.

I love you so much, Sydney, and I am so thankful God chose you for me and me for you. You are the best thing to ever happen to us, and you are our greatest blessing and biggest piece of our hearts.

Happy birthday, sweetheart. We love you forever.

Love,

Mommy

{1.28.15}

Sydney's First Birthday

I'm fairly certain I spent more time planning Sydney's first birthday party than our own wedding. When did birthday parties get so big?? I blame Pinterest. And Etsy! And myself. :-/ I don't even know how many times Jordan looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but I'm willing to bet it was no less than once a week - ha!! I knew I had a keeper, though, when he walked downstairs at 5:00 in the morning and saw me not only still up but watching sewing tutorials on YouTube while simultaneously assembling five-piece invitation ensembles, and still managed to somehow say, "Looking good, babe. You're doing great." Because I'm pretty sure his face while walking away looked like the big-eyed WTF emoji. 

But it was all worth it in the end, and even though there may have been a few tears shed during the process (and/or hours before the party started), I was really happy with how everything came together. We decided to have Sydney's party back in Minnesota because all of our family and the majority of our friends are still there, and it meant so much to us to have our loved ones help celebrate her big day. Sydney did so well throughout the party (the mini pancakes definitely helped) but was as disinterested in her smash cake as if it were a huge broccoli head. In fact, she kind of hated it. Anyone else's kid hate their cake?

Thank you to all the incredibly great small shops I used for Sydney's party decor and apparel; I couldn't be more thankful to work with all of you! It made planning her party so much more fun (and pretty!!). Also thank you to Paulette Lisa Schraeder Photography for capturing all the beautiful images below while I was running around finishing the last details. And lastly thank you to all our family and friends who came to the party, sent texts, cards, gifts, etc. You guys are too good to us, and our little girl is so lucky to be so loved!!

And a few pics from various guests' phones . . . 

Sources:

Invitations: Kelli Murray

Glitter and Pom Garlands and Cake Topper: Little Dovie

Fabric Garland: The Olive Grove Shop

Tassel Garlands:  Glam Fete

Black & White Teepee: B.E. Little You and Me

Custom Cookies: The Baked Equation

Birthday Cake and Smash Cake: Queen of Cakes

Sequin Dress and Flower Crown: Avery and Ry

Feather Crown: A Tiny Arrow

Birthday Crown: Little Blue Olive

Special thanks to my parents for graciously allowing me to take over their home for a few days in prep for Syd's party -- and of course for helping out and hosting! You guys are the most wonderful people I could have ever been blessed with loving, and I hope to be half the parent you guys are. Also special thanks to my wonderfully sweet, generous, kind-hearted and T A L E N T E D friend Calli Fox (owner of Avery and Ry), who not only created the absolute most darling birthday attire ever, but also so generously helped me with so many other things!