“You make me HAPPY when skies are grey…” and so does this southern inspired Lemonade Stand Soiree First Birthday Party! Aimee with Lulu Pink Parties put her heart and soul into this super special party. After all, the guest of honor was her adorable little niece, Emery.

Some of my favorite details include the simply incredible “You Are My Sunshine” cake, a custom-made lemonade stand built by the birthday girl’s Daddy and Grandpa, the perfectly paired color palette of pink and yellow, vintage touches used throughout the party, and of course the “cupcakes to-go” party favor.

Read on for more party details + “fresh & dainty” photos. . .

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Aimee…

“What do you get when you infuse a “You Are My Sunshine” theme with a lemonade soiree, combined with TONS of vintage details? Emery’s Lemonade Soiree!

When you make the decision to launch an event planning company, and your sister’s only child turns one shortly thereafter, it’s sort of a given that you’ll be in charge of devising something special. Lucky for me, I come from an amazingly talented family and Emery’s party was a labor of love for just about everyone!

Theme

My sister and I narrowed down themes months in advance. She lives in a historic neighborhood in Ruston, Louisiana and I really wanted the party to reflect the area we were in, and work with a chosen theme since we were having the party at her home. We infused a “You Are My Sunshine” theme with a lemonade soiree combined with a ton of vintage details.  I really didn’t develop a full on “inspiration board”, but here’s a list of buzz words we factored into every decision we made: Dainty, Southern, Vintage, Fresh, Fun, & Feminine.

Invitation

Emery’s invitations – which were made by my sister – featured the lyrics to “You Are My Sunshine” which Jaime from The Cake Barn worked onto the cake. My sister also made the canvas that we had all the guests sign and write birthday messages to Emery. She’s going to frame the canvas for her room. Super cute idea!

Decor

I wanted it to feel Southern and cozy from the minute our guests arrived. I hung mason jars from Shepard’s hooks which lined the front entry sidewalk.

In the dining room, we moved all the furniture to the edges of the room, worked with the large windows in the room rather than covering them or creating any sort of backdrop for the dessert table. It was a last minute decision to add pops of hot pink to the all yellow & white gingham palette and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. My sister has an old church pew that functions as a bench in her dining room that normally sits under the large windows. We made it festive by tossing some pillows on it and attaching an applique I purchased from The Sewing Loft.

The picture of the applique monogrammed banner really didn’t photograph well, but my mom did such an incredible job on it. It’s going to be adorable in Emery’s room.  
Then we moved outside for lemonade, and man oh man, did we have a lemonade stand. It wasn’t just any lemonade stand, it was Emery’s Lemonade Stand! I gave my sister a photo of a rustic authentic stand, she gave it to her husband and father-in-law, and voila!

And yes, I could be found an hour before the party hanging poms and an obscene amount of ribbon in the trees! I absolutely loved the way the ribbon blew in the wind as people sipped their lemonade.

For the patio tables, we kept it really simple and fresh. I used antique milk bottles filled with fresh flowers and a handpainted canvas my sister made with the “You Are My Sunshine” lyrics.

Food

We kept the food really simple, as well. Sunny sandwiches, crawfish dip, chips and crackers. I used the same antique window pane I used in Lucy’s party and just updated it with an E my sister had.

Cake & Desserts

The cake was one of my favorite details of the party. My sister worked with Jaime from The Cake Barn on the cake design. My sister is so much more of a free spirit than myself and gave Jaime very little direction, used the word “dainty”, “our lil sunshine”, and gave her free reign. For a planner, had I not completely trusted Jaime’s work, I would’ve been an absolute wreck. She couldn’t have nailed the cake any better. It was stunning and absolutely perfect.

The dessert table was super special to me. Nearly everything on it was vintage. The lace tablecloth, the metal cake carrier, the glass cake stand, and the bubble glasses of lemonade that were my grandmother’s. I even worked the birthday girl onto the dessert table, because well, she’s just so darn cute!

Party Favors

For favors, I made cupcakes in a jar, added a touch of gingham fabric, and tied them with ribbon. This was the perfect sweet treat for all of the out-of-town guests who attended the party and needed a snack for the ride home.

Happy Birthday Emery Jordynn!!!! Thank you brightening my day!!”