A few months back, I had a customer come to me with an idea for her son’s first birthday party. Golf! I confess that, having no golf enthusiasts in my family, I was a little thrown at first. But soon, Amaris and I both got swept up in the fun ideas, the bright colors and a hint at warmer weather in the bleak winter months. I just couldn’t wait to see how it all turned out, and I’m here to tell you, this mama did NOT disappoint. Prepare to have your argyle socks knocked off as you enjoy Amaris’ account of Bradley’s Hole-in-One First Birthday!
The Course
I chose the red and yellow theme with lime accents. I wanted bright colors in the dreary winter…and most of the accessories and golf favors I found were in primary colors. Here’s our invitation, which we mailed in a matching yellow envelope.
The Rough
I grew wheat grass as the centerpieces for each table and as an accent for the cake. I purchased the seeds at the local organic grocery store. I started about seven days before the party–soaking the seeds overnight and then placing them in wet paper towels overnight before planting. I had several round glass bowl vases, which I filled with sand and topped off with about an inch of potting soil. The wheat grass seeds can actually go directly on top of the soil. The seeds germinate quickly, and it is amazing how fast the grass grows!
The cake was amazing! I loved the whimsical “topsy-turvy” golf flags! To make the cake display, I purchased an 18″ round plastic tray from the party store and covered the tray with about an inch of potting soil. I put a small bowl in the center of the tray to reserve space for a clear glass cake stand to hold the cake. (my cake stand measured 11″ in diameter and the cake was 10″)
and here is the matching smash cake…
I tried to carry out the “one” theme and use circles when possible, like on the stickers and favor tags. I made a Happy Birthday banner out of red felt to resemble a string of golf flags, which hung behind the cake table. I also found yellow hand clappers, or, golf claps as I like to call them.
Playing A Round
To entertain all of our golfers, I had several activities throughout the room. Guests were greeted with their party favor, a set of toy golf clubs and golf balls to use during the party and take home. I chose from several favor tag design options and went with the one with a curvy golf flag to mimic those on the cake.
The kids loved playing in the sand!
I found a Par 3 Mini Golf Course made by Step 2 toys, which was fun! It was a great interactive toy for parents and kids. The older kids especially enjoyed it, and I even saw a few daddies testing out their putting skills, too!
Here’s our birthday boy trying out his skills.
I also borrowed my nephew Jack’s golf cart rocker. It was the perfect photo-op for parents and the kids loved taking turns going for a “ride.”
We served typical golf course style food–mini hot dogs, chips and rotel dip, mac and cheese and fruit. At the last minute, I found some straw sipper cups online which were on mega clearance from Christmas and just so happened to be red and lime green with coloring page inserts. I had tons of felt left over from making the golf flags and birthday banner, so I got creative and cut felt inserts with each guest’s first initial to personalize each cup. They were perfect!
We also had stickers to give out that said, “I played a round at Bradley’s 1st Birthday!”
I must admit, with all the excitement, I totally forgot to give out the precious stickers at the party. Booo mama. However, I did put stickers in each thank you note, which, I think worked well, too! Here are our thank you notes.
I loved the Hole-in-One Par-tee theme! Most importantly, the design work that Pink Peppermint Paper did truly set the tone for the party and made it extra special. I really enjoyed that I was able to be so involved with the designs and incorporate my ideas.
Thanks for sharing Amaris! What an amazing job and a big day with their little boy! Happy 1st Birthday Bradley!
