A first birthday is sort of like setting sail on life’s big adventure (cheesy but true, right?), so this Sailing Away Nautical First Birthday {Korean Dol} is perfectly fitting! For this special little guy’s first birthday, Angie Bae of Angi & Co was inspired by a hanging sail boat mobile in his room to create this seaworthy party! With a color palette of blues and golds and lots of natural textures like wood and rope, I feel totally transported to the high seas! ;)

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Blue & yellow striped cake pops, sail boat & anchor cookies + golden rope & anchor decorated cake with birthday boy topper
• Formal tablescape with hydrangea floral arrangements & mini wooden sail boat seat number
• Blue candy buffet with takeaway jars + colorful nautical chocolate favors in personalized anchor bags
• Lifesize wooden helm birthday sign + nautical golden anchor decorated place cards
• Traditional Doljabi career choosing game & a beautiful gold and blue Doljabi outfit

PARTY DETAILS as told by Angie…

Ethan’s 1st Birthday/Korean Dol was inspired by a Pottery Barn Kids sailboat mobile that decorated his nursery. The colors from the mobile were the inspiration for his party color palette — blues, beige and white. We also added in accents of gold to complement the restaurant’s gold toned decor.

We worked with Christine of Cakes by Christine to create a modern nautical inspired cake. Adorable custom toppers to match Ethan’s party outfit were made by Paola’s Creations.

To create an interactive element to the traditional Doljabi ceremony, where the baby “picks” their future path, we incorporated a raffle game for guests to guess what they thought Ethan would choose. At each place setting, there was a mini wooden sailboat favor with numbered flags tied to the sail. Guests were asked to submit the numbered raffle entry flags while keeping the mini boat with the corresponding number for when we announced the winners.

The kids were treated to personalized favor bags from Paper Nook with an anchor design. Inside, they received edible treats like Meli & Angi sailboat cookies as well as a wooden sailboat to color with hand made molded sailboat and anchor crayons.

We had so much fun working with Ethan’s mom to plan this milestone birthday and hope you enjoy the photos!