Patrick turns One! Preppy Green Alligator Party

Posted on July 02, 2018 by Kelly Lyden | 0 comments

It's hard to believe it, but my darling little Patrick turned one in April! There's just something special about a first birthday party - I like to think of it as a celebration for both the baby and also the parents/family surviving that first year with so many life adjustments. And, if I am being honest, it's also a chance for me to throw a party with my aesthetic without having to take my child's opinion at all! :)

Patrick has always loved the song from the Irish Rovers that talks about Noah's Arc and exclaims "there were green alligators and long necked geese, some humpty back camels, and some chimpanzees." I wanted it to have a preppy vacation feel to it - bamboo, palm leaves, seersucker and green alligators just works, am I right?! I designed the invitation to reflect those concepts, and included a few verses of his favorite song on the back.

The party was set for brunch for 30 guests, so I set two long tables with coordinating looks. Big palm leaves, woven placemats, seersucker napkins monogrammed with a big L, and little wooden alligator toys made for a whimsical and festive table. Since it was a first birthday, I incorporated pictures of Patrick's first year on the tables.

I set up a buffet on the kitchen island for easy serving. White serving pieces really made the brightly colored food pop, and instead of traditional food tent cards, I wrote names on artificial palm leaves using a white sharpie marker. Foil-Stamped straw flags and cocktail napkins were another personalized touch. You can see I played around with the lyrics of the song for the napkins - I just love how they turned out!

When it came to Patrick's first taste of cake, I knew he needed his own smash cake. He was very sweet and very interested! The rest of us munched on cupcakes and macarons while watching him get messy!

I just love for my boys to wear on-theme outfits for parties! Patrick wore the sweetest white jon jon with embroidered alligators on it from Janie and Jack, and big brother Daniel wore the perfect alligator belt with his outfit from Brimmer Boys.

It was such a fabulous day celebrating our little man! And I certainly had fun planning and executing this theme. I hope you enjoyed this peek into our party!