“Why’d you choose a lemon theme?” is a question I’ve been asked over and over. It’s a vision I’ve had for a long time, something out of the “norm,” and a super fun concept to work with and curate items for! Gotta love a good challenge, right? I knew I wanted a lemon themed first birthday party, cutely coined “Evan’s Lemons,” before she was even born. I originally wanted a lemon themed nursery, but didn’t really feel like that could grow or transition into a “big girl room” down the road. So, birthday party won! Anytime I saw something that fit the theme during Evan’s first year of life, I hoarded it away in my closet until the big day arrived. You can imagine how my closet evolved over the year..
We had the party in a local neighborhood’s clubhouse – I did NOT want a bunch of babies and toddlers running around and/or coloring on walls in my house (if we’re being honest, LOL). But with such a blank canvas I was able to decorate exactly how I wanted. I knew the key items I wanted for the party were a lemonade bar for the adults, a lemonade stand for the kids to play with, and a lemon flavored cake. CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!
The lemonade bar was modeled after a typical bridal shower mimosa bar with customized cups with straws, guests’ choice of berries, two flavored fruit juices (guava and mango), 2 pitchers of stevia sweetened lemonade (True Lemon brand), and a couple bottles of prosecco for whoever was feeling frisky. The bar was fun to decorate and we hung Ev’s monthly photos across the front.
The hunt for a cute but “chic” lemonade stand was mostly easy, surprisingly. I had the (hilarious) thought that I could build one from scratch with wood and power tools, but then fortunately (for everyone) found this one online.. that still took hours to build. I love that it’s versatile, we can continue to use it at home, and it’s pretty legit. It wasn’t cheap ($99), but that’s why I love that we can keep using it at home.
The cake is and always has been something that I always have to go a little “extra” on. I’ve never been one to just order a vanilla cake.. even though it’s just a kid’s party. I ordered an ombre yellow buttercream 2-tiered lemon cake with raspberry filling – H E A V E N! It was perfect.
As for the other little details, we had one of our fave mommy & me teachers come do circle time for the littles, cake pops in the shape of lemons & gorgeous themed cookies for guests to take home in lieu of goodie bags, a yellow and shades of pink balloon arch above the cake, a second cardboard lemonade stand for the kids to color on the patio, and balloons all over the floor that entertained the babies.
I have only sweet memories from the party and I gotta say I think I pulled off the theme pretty well! Of course any kids party is a little chaotic no matter how organized you are.. but chaotic in the best way possible.
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