Grab your hats and binoculars, we’re going on a Wild Safari! Lauren Mace and Ruthie McDonald of Eutopia Events created this darling Backyard Safari First Birthday for an adorable baby boy who just loves jungle animals! They definitely succeeded in bringing the jungle to their backyard, with tropical plant centerpieces, bright animal prints and spider monkeys just hanging around :). Don’t blink or you might miss something wildly cute!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Zebra & giraffe print cake with jungle animals & greenery + lion, zebra & monkey cupcakes & cookies
• Orange pom topped party hat with zebra print ‘1,’ cheetah print cupcake liners & zebra print bottle wraps & linens
• Burlap wrapped tropical plants, table runners & cups + straw safari hat party favors
• Green ‘Swamp Water’ juice + green, orange & zebra first year photo board

PARTY DETAILS as told by Lauren…

We were asked to plan and design a casual but bright and fun backyard first birthday celebration for Benjamin. Benjamin’s mom told us she wasn’t sure where to start, but that he liked the colors orange and red, and that he liked jungle animals. Since it was going to be an outdoor celebration with guests aging from little babies to grandparents, we came up with a safari first birthday party theme which is suitable for all ages! We used a simple color palette of browns/tans, with pops of lime green and orange, mixed with wood textures and animal prints.

Invitations

We custom designed the invitations to reflect the theme of the celebration, and carried this design throughout the other party stationery: the labels used on the goody bags, drink labels, menu sign, and memory book sign.

Desserts

The cake, cupcakes, and individually packaged sugar cookies were created by Cakes by Amanda. We gave her the theme, color palette, some props we were using, along with some inspiration photos and let her run with it. They matched the rest of the décor perfectly! The cupcake liners even had animal print on them.

Drinks

Another way we showcased the safari theme was through the beverages. We had two drink dispensers filled with juice — one orange and one green — and appropriately named them “jungle juice” and “swamp water.” We also took mini bottles of water and simply covered the labels with animal print duct tape and put them in a zebra striped galvanized tub with ice.

Tables

Each table was set with reusable plates in orange and lime green, a zebra striped napkin, wooden utensils, and clear cups adorned with jute, twine, and cute paper straws. A simple strip of burlap was used for the table runners over khaki colored cloths. The centerpieces were a mix of small and medium sized potted tropical plants from a local garden supply that we easily covered with burlap. All of the chairs were rustic, wooden, folding chairs that used to be part of a traveling carnival and were supplied by Eutopia Events. Little stuffed monkeys and safari pith helmets hung from various chairs to decorate the space, as well as to play with and take home as favors!

Goody Bags

Boys and girls ranging in age from just a few months old up to age 12 attended the party. Each child was given an age appropriate activity bag filled with safari themed goodies! Some of the items included were jungle animal socks for the little babies, safari themed coloring books, bubbles in orange and green, safari animal stickers and toys, safari craft projects, and puzzles. Each bag was made of brown kraft paper and was decorated with a strip of animal print paper and a color coordinated name badge.

Other Decor Elements

A burlap, animal print backdrop was created to display pictures of the birthday boy throughout his first year and hung behind the desserts. Green, orange, and zebra striped paper lanterns were used to decorate the inside of the tent.