Today’s Real Party feature – a colorful Curious George-inspired birthday party – comes from the talented Esther of My Bride Story.

There are so many things I LOVE about this party, but here are a few stand-outs:

1. From the “milk shooters” topped with chocolate chip cookies to the colorful & contemporary DIY felt garlands, this party is filled with wonderfully creative ideas that are both stylish & budget-friendly!

2. In lieu of regular birthday presents, all gifts were given directly to charity.

3. The concept behind the party is very inspiring…and is even reflected in the chosen venue. More details on this below, but here’s one of my favorite comments from Esther: “It has been an incredible journey for our family this year, and we wanted to use this occasion to honor those who have supported us and Grant with their gracious support and wisdom.”

Read on for LOTS more pics and all the party details, as told by Esther…

“One of the first things you may notice about our son, Grant are his “monkey ears”.  They stick up a bit and it always reminded us of the book, “Curious George“, so this was the perfect theme to go with for his first birthday party!

The main concept behind the party was to provide a fun and casual atmosphere at a photo studio where the kids and parents could have opportunities to take their own fun family pictures while helping us celebrate Grant’s first year of life.

Since all gifts/proceeds were going directly to support the foundation, “Giving Children Hope” (due to the recent events in Haiti), I wanted to keep things in line and make the party simple and budget friendly. We raised a total of $900 for the foundation and sent the check right after the party!

OUTDOOR DECORATIONS

The blue lanterns that hung from the tree were borrowed from my sister. We placed a red wagon, (which was borrowed from Kristine of The Final Touch), in front of the couches and stored ice-cold drinks in it.

The wheat grass boxes and the floral arrangements were donated by Jina from T.H.E. Flower, and I made paper pinwheels to line the the walkway in the grass that welcomed the guests.

INDOOR DECORATIONS

The dessert table rang with the colors red, yellow and blue, and (along with the help of one of my assistants – Angela) I made some garlands featuring these colors out of felt and yarn.

These garlands are actually hanging next to Grant’s crib as we speak, because I didn’t want to throw them away after the party!

Kayla of Kayla’s Kakes kindly provided the cookie lollipops with mini cupcakes, and the monkey logo was made by Heather of Chickabug.

The jelly beans, lemon drops and twizzlers were purchased from Sweet Factory and Smart&Final, and the blue runner and 6-ft tables were rented from KiKi Events.

On the other side of the dessert bar were rows of milk shooters with chocolate cookies on top, popcorn chips, and bottles of fruit juice from Cost Plus World Market (I LOVE THIS STORE!).

I made the birthday hats out of decorative paper, attached some pompoms on top, made a small hole and tied the elastic bands together and secured them with staples.

The main course was tacos provided by Aldofo’s Mexican Food catering truck and we also served some Costco pizza for the inner-child in all us grownups.  For those opting for a healthier meal, we offered fruit skewers and triangle-cut sandwiches.

Don & David Photography contacted us a few weeks before the party and generously offered to take pictures and also all our friends’ baby and family pictures!  Thank you!

It has been an incredible journey for our family this year, and we wanted to use this occasion to honor those who have supported us and Grant with their gracious support and wisdom.

The goal was to make this event meaningful and memorable, hoping that this will lay the foundation to teaching and educating our son to care for others when he gets older.

At times, we can whine and complain about what we don’t have, but as we took a step back to analyze this past year with Grant, we realized how lucky we are to have our basic needs met and loved ones around us.”

A big thanks to Esther for all the wonderful inspiration – in regards to both the party details and life in general!