First Birthday Garden Party Ideas

I received some of the beautiful decorations from Oriental Trading that helped me create these Garden party ideas to share. Others may be linked to affiliate websites. If purchase are made through those links I receive a small commission. 

Having a December birthday, I grew up dreaming of having a swimming party or something that didn’t involve snow or ice. As my daughters first birthday approached I decided to disregard the freezing temperatures and create for her first birthday a garden party. Using lace, greenery, florals, soft colors and both wood and glass serving dishes helped create the romantic garden scene. Let me take you through the details so you can recreate this for your own special little lady for her birthday!

Garden Party Decorations

Photo Backdrop

Following the tutorial by The Glitzy Pear I sent a photo of my daughter to a local print shop to be printed 24″ x 36″. It was only $10 to have it printed in color on paper. Then I went to Home Depot and found the least expensive trim piece I could find ($4 for 8 feet) and cut it into the sections with a utility knife to create the “frame”. A coat of craft paint turned them pink and they were ready to attach. Using a hot glue gun I adhered the photo and the 9″ lace chair sash from Oriental Trading to the pink trim pieces. The finishing touches to the lace pieces were provided by taking the flowers off of the light pink flower garland from Oriental Trading and creating a cluster in the corner. I used command strips to attach the pieces to the wall. 

Garden Party Floral Decor

Pictured above, I used a boxwood garland, pink flower garland and faux baby’s breath stems from Oriental Trading to create a garden tabletop for the food. This was placed on a burlap runner and white table cloth. 

Happy Birthday Banner

Draping the front of the food display I hung photos from my daughters newborn photo shoot with gold glittered clothespins. This was flanked on top and bottom with a pink and gold foil Happy Birthday banner from Oriental Trading. 

Garden Party Food

Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad Croissants

The food was really delicious! I made my favorite Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwiches as the main dish. You can get the recipe here. Rather than doing traditional tea sandwiches that most people would only eat to be polite, I wanted to serve something filling, yet still garden-esque. So, these chicken salad sandwiches were top of my list when I was brainstorming garden party ideas. They were a hit with kids and adults alike!

Garden Fruit

Berries in December aren’t easy to find, but they were necessary for the party! I served the delicious fruit with a simple fruit dip that consisted of Cool Whip and a few tablespoons of strawberry jello powder mixed together. 

Fruit Tarts & Eclairs

I used a local bakery (Kneaders Bakery & Cafe) for the pastries. They have amazing desserts so it was hard to choose. But, since my daughter is named Claire, I really wanted to do eclairs for her party. I may have to do them for her every year on her birthday! I love the way it looked to mix the porcelain serving trays with wood dessert stands. 

Garden Party Paper Goods

These floral Garden Wedding paper plates and cups from Oriental Trading were actually the inspiration for the look and feel of the party. They are soft, feminine and so pretty! The dinner plates are large and sturdy, which I loved!

It is hard to believe my baby has had her first birthday! It was so fun to celebrate her with a garden themed birthday party! If you use any of these Garden Party Ideas, I’d love to have you comment!