Party Planning Themes and Decor

Birthdays are a big deal in this house. I worked really hard to carry and deliver my babies and therefore it’s as much of a celebration for me as it is for them. However, this idea is complicated by the fact that our children are born very close together, both in years and months. The boys are only 22 months apart (JJ born in September and Westyn born in July). I would no sooner finish planning one party and would have to quickly pivot to the next. Not to mention our amazing friends and family completely overlap with both parties, so, the combined party was born. By only doing one party for my boys, I can go a little bigger and funnel my creativity into one party. The best part of it all, is our boys love it and totally embrace the combined party. We still go to extra lengths to make their actual birthday super special. Now that you understand the thought process behind the combo shindig, I did a round up of all our party locations and party themes. My hope is that if you’re also planning a party, this can provide some inspiration and direction!

Pirate Birthday - For JJ’s 4th and Westyn’s 2nd, I planned the most unique (and most insane party). Our friends and family are true troopers as I had them drive a little over an hour to the Jersey Shore where I booked Pirate Adventures. We essentially chartered a small pirate ship equipped with the crew. They drive out to smaller boat housing a pirate with “stolen treasure”. The two boats then have a water gun battle. This birthday was so much fun and the kids loved it. In all honesty, I wish I had saved it for when they were a little older. We may have to circle back and repeat this party again.

Invites: click HERE

Pirate Decor

If you are in NJ or traveling here to visit, I highly recommend checking them out. They do private parties but you can also just take a ride on one of their boats: https://www.jerseyshorepirates.com

Boys’ shirts were from HERE

Dinosaur Birthday - For JJ’s 5th and Westyn’s 3rd, we stuck a little closer to home and did a Dino party at Field Station Dinosaur. We recently just revisited and I did a blog post on it. You can find it HERE. While the park was open to the public, they did a fantastic job of giving us a party “hut” and ushering the group from activity to activity. They also made sure that our party had front row seats at all the attractions. I also didn’t have to do much for decor since the park is very well themed and decorated!

Boys shirts were from JCrew. I wore shorts from Revolve and snagged this safari like top off of Amazon.

Invites we used were these

Surf Party - JJ’s 6th and Westyn’s 4th landed in the summer of COVID. So while we couldn’t do a grand party out, we made the best of it in our backyard. Because I love a good theme and don’t go off brand. I found an awesome surf themed bounce house/water slide that the kids loved. Honestly, it was the least amount of planning I’ve put into a party and it was certainly one of the most cost effective. But our kids LOVED it. They still talk about the gigantic bounce house in our backyard and ask for it frequently. It truly shows that sometimes, less is more! We also did COVID friendly foods and snacks. It took a little bit more prep work, but we did individual veggie cups with prepackaged/individual hummus and guac. We also did individual chip bags. Dessert was cupcakes and a cookie cake that was easy to cut and serve. The goal was to make everyone comfortable during such an uncertain time but still celebrate our little men.

Party Decor

Outfits were our favorite swimsuits!

Ninja Warriors - If you have been following my stories, you know that our most recent party (celebrating JJ’s 7th and Westyn’s 5th) we planned a Ninja Warrior party. As the boys get older, the more physical and active they want the party to be. Which is why High Exposure in Northvale, NJ was the perfect solution. They offer a wide variety of high impact activities. Their party team was fabulous matching my boys’ energy level. We ran with the Ninja Warrior Theme and planned a Ninja party.

Favors and Invitation shop linked HERE

Boys’ Shirts linked HERE

The only birthday party that does not follow the combo party are First Birthdays. Those are generally done in our backyard and are solo celebrations.

JJ’s First Birthday: We did a Circus theme which included a DIY Circus Tent (my sister-in-law and I stood on my roof in the dark, draping fabric). And a flip book station, a fun take on a photo booth.

The invite we used were THESE

Love this invite!

The flip book company: http://www.themastersoffun.com/local-guide/new-jersey-flip-book-photo-favors

Westyn's First Birthday: For our wild Westyn, we did a Wild West theme. This included cactus balloons a mini photo jail and a backyard betting zoo, equipped with pony rides.

Not our exact invitation but this one is pretty close:

Also, love this invite.

Makenna's First Birthday: Makenna was born April 1st, making her 1st birthday, her “golden” one. So we did all things gold. Makenna was the exception to the backyard rule. Due to the pandemic, we held her baptism in the backyard (normally this we do out). In the spirit of being fair and equal to our kids, we decided to do her 1st birthday out at restaurant.

Balloons linked HERE

My outfit link HERE

Favors linked HERE