Bunny tails & garden decor — here’s another dose of pretty party inspiration that also happens to be very timely for Easter celebrations this weekend, but with a fun twist… For her daughter’s first birthday, Veronica Spencer was inspired by her own childhood favorite bunny to create this ADORABLE Peter Rabbit First Birthday Garden Party! I am absolutely loving all the hanging decor, like the garden vine decorated antler chandelier, as well as the stunning Peter Rabbit cake (featuring hand written messages from the book). Keep reading, because all of the adorable details are just a HOP, skip and a jump away!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Carrot, cabbage & first birthday cookies + fondant cabbage & carrot topped cupcakes
• Moss, toadstool and Peter rabbit silhouette filled terrariums + a Peter Rabbit pop-up story guestbook
• Mr. McGregor’s forbidden garden patch filled with garden planted veggie crudités & dips
• Girly tulle & pearl decorated high chair + a rabbit print dress for the birthday girl
• Paper carousel with the story’s characters + DIY paper character cutouts throughout the party

PARTY DETAILS as told by Veronica…

I started planning my daughter Rose’s first birthday party while I was pregnant. Yes I’m THAT crazy. When I was growing up, I had a Bunnykins bowl and I just HAD to eat every meal from it. I saw some Peter Rabbit party supplies on sale while I was pregnant and it all just clicked for me. I wanted to give her a piece of my childhood for her to grow with, and I hoped she would love it as much as I would.

As luck would have it, Baby Gap also came out with their Peter Rabbit line that season and I was so inspired by their displays! I took photos of the store, bought Rose a few pieces (including the dress she wore), and started planning! Over the course of a year, I picked up used and vintage copies of Peter Rabbit books.

I really loved the graphic nature of the Gap displays, so I spent some some time getting friendly with Adobe Illustrator and had the graphics printed in large scale at Staples with their architectural prints ($1.47/page). I then mounted the images onto foam core board ($1/sheet from the dollar store) and cut them to shape. I think they really set the tone for the party!

I made tissue paper poufs and strung them across the ceiling, along with paper bag flowers for accents. To add to the garden theme, I bought vines from the dollar store and wound them around our chandeliers. I’m pretty sure I owe the overall look of the party to our local dollar store!!

The tables were set with white linen tablecloths from our wedding, and burlap runners I found for $2 at one of my favourite stores, Creative Bag. I made the signage for the food using classic Beatrix Potter illustrations with my Cameo Silhouette and some cardstock.

I went to a local floral supplier and bought roses, ranunculus, dusty miller, and wax flowers. The evening before the party, I arranged the flowers in some floral foam and had an hour of peace in my happy place before a very chaotic (but fun!) day. I just love how they turned out!

A very special touch for me was the bunting I strung in our kitchen. I made it three years ago with leftover fabric from our wedding projects with the intention of using it at our kid’s birthday parties over the years. It felt so great to use it for Rose’s birthday and link such momentous pieces of our life together.

During our pregnancy we took weekly bump photos, and we’ve been taking monthly photos of Rose. I printed them off and strung them as a backdrop to the drinks and crudités held by Jemima Puddleduck and some birds.

I work in weddings, so I have some insanely talented vendor friends. I asked my friend Christina to make Rose’s cake and cupcakes and I could not have been more impressed with her cake. It was absolutely jaw dropping!!! To compliment it, I made Rose a high chair tutu to complete her Peter Rabbit princess day.

I think the whole thing was a grand success and I cannot be happier to say the least! Rose and our friends and family had a fantastic afternoon. Now the only problem is, how do I top this for her second birthday?!