Big Apple Birthday

When it came time for my daughter's party this year, I was determined not to let 2020 put a damper on her 10th birthday. Double Digits is a big deal and we were going to celebrate no matter what...even if it looked and felt a little different than normal.

The invitation design by Brandy of Pretty Plain Janes was perfect and we included an insert that explained some precautions we were taking due to the circumstances.

Harper usually comes up with some pretty unique themes for her parties so it was no big surprise when she chose, New York City. A couple years back, I took her on a Mommy-Daughter vacation there and we hit up her 7 year old bucket list of things to see and do...many of which ended up represented in her party.

I already had a venue booked which now was going to be WAY too big with the limited guest count, so now I just needed to figure out how to make a big venue feel intimate and include everything Harper loves about New York and in general. 

I started by separating the space into 5 areas...City Streets, Central Park, Madison Square Garden, Broadway and finally, the Newsstand. Once, I had the layout down, then I started planning out the activities and decor that would go in each area. Here is how it all came together...

City Streets - NYC is known for its street food and they are all Harper's favorites, so immediately I knew the food area had to be themed appropriately. Multicolored city street tables featured street runners and taxi cab favor boxes plus themed centerpieces. Guests could help themselves to two NYC favorites at the Hot Dog cart and pretzel stand. And there was also authentic NY pizza up for grabs.

Find the adorable apple plates above in the shop HERE

Memorable landmark, the Statue of Liberty, cake table featured amazing custom cookies, cake pops, and cupcakes by local bakers Voodoo Cookie Co and A Custom Kreation. The table also featured NY favorites - cannolis and rainbow cookies, along with a gorgeous faux cake designed by Confection Deception.

Central Park - Harper loves animals and the Central Park Zoo was one of her favorite stops on our trip so I decided to create a mini park and hire a zoo owner as the main entertainment for the night. Kylie from Amazing Animals Inc brought out a bunch of furry, scaly and feathery friends for the guests to see. She explained a lot about each animal and answered ALOT of questions from the crowd. 

Madison Square Garden - While she is not a Knicks fan per se, Harper adores basketball! So it only made sense to include the infamous Garden in the form of a basketball shoot out game and some tabletop basketball.

Broadway - Harper LOVES Hamilton: An American Musical so using the built in TV and some seating, I created an area for guests to sit and watch the show while enjoying some popcorn.

Newsstand (AKA the Favor table) - When the party was over, guests were able to stop by the Newsstand to take home some NYC souvenirs and treats. There were various "What Was.." books with a NYC theme were wrapped in newsprint, NY themed pencils and stickers, big apple stress balls, mini basketballs, Statue of Liberty hats and replicas and typical newsstand candy.

Guests filled NYC themed bags with everything and grabbed their photo prints from the available booth thanks to Mike from Michael Mathews Photography. Everyone had such a good time and I am so glad that we were still able to celebrate this milestone in my (not so) little girl's life!

XO-

Vendor Credits:

• Balloon Decor & Styling - Literati Party - https://literatiparty.com/
• Invitation Design - Pretty Plain Janes - https://www.prettyplainjanes.com/
• Faux Cake - Confection Deception - https://www.confectiondeception.com/
• Cupcakes/Cake pops - A Custom Kreation - https://www.facebook.com/ACustomKreation/
• Cookies - Voodoo Cookie Co - https://www.facebook.com/voodoocookiecompany/ 
• Photography and Prints - Mike Mathews - https://www.michael-mathews.com/
• Venue - Waves Event Center - https://www.waveseventcenters.com/
• Entertainment - Amazing Animals Inc - https://www.amazinganimalsinc.org/
• Rentals - Xtreme Entertainment - https://party-rentals-orlando.com/
• Tableware - Jollity & Co - https://shopjollity.co/