If you love vintage style, prepare to fall head over heels for this sweet and adorable “Vintage Pumpkin & Roses” first birthday party and all of it’s lovely burlap, lace, and fall-inspired goodness! Nicole from Million Dollar $mile Celebrations dreamed up this adorable celebration for her daughter’s first birthday, and not only is this it beautiful to look at, but it’s full of sentimental, family memory-filled details…

For example, the party was held in in Papa Jim and Nana Wendy’s charming, elm-filled backyard, while Grandpa Walker’s 1940’s Ford pick-up truck was used to display some of the tasty treats she served. And for the icing on the memory-lane cake, birthday girl Evelyn enjoyed her smash cake in Great-grandma Rose’s 1950’s pink highchair!

Read on to check out LOTS more lovely images and all the incredibly creative details… including sepia-toned pictures of the birthday girl displayed as mini garlands in open-backed vintage frames and giant pumpkins used as stools for the hay bale kiddie table, which was covered with a lacy fabric overlay. So much thought and care went into the food & drink presentation too.. from pumpkins used as serving containers for hummus to a cake pop “pumpkin patch!

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Nicole…

Theme

Vintage Pumpkins & Roses 1st Birthday

Inspiration

“When planning Evelyn’s first birthday party, I envisioned creating not just a party, but a memory.  Memories are forever… whether they come in the form of treasured possessions, photographs, or happy feelings that come from down deep in the heart.

Evelyn’s great-grandmother, Charlyne, passed away before she could cuddle this precious baby.  Taken by Alzheimer’s, the disease took away her memory but couldn’t take the decades of memories that she created for those that she loved.  The inspiration for the party came from a flurry of memories… farm life, pink Depression glass, roses, and lace. I mixed that with the sweetest little girl turning one, shades of pink, peach, coral, and orange, and the ‘Roses & Pumpkin’ party was to become a special memory with a special meaning.  Justine from Justine Miller Photography was kind enough to capture this one day in photographs to keep forever.  In lieu of gifts, party-goers brought donations to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Decor

Pumpkins.  Roses.  Lace… and lots of them! My husband’s parents, Papa Jim & Nana Wendy, allowed me to create something a little bit country and a little bit chic in their charming backyard.  Fabric covered straw bales became a lounge area under a large shady tree adored with hanging mason jar lanterns. The kiddos had a more fun area to dine…  A hay bale covered in lace served as their table, and 6 pumpkins created a fun place to sit back and enjoy a treat or two.

Grandpa Walker’s 1940 Ford Pick-Up Truck served as the backdrop to the photo opportunities.  Surrounded with roses and pumpkins, the truck became ‘Evelyn’s Pumpkins & Roses‘ produce truck – Established 2010.  Papa Jim & Nana Wendy’s antique ‘press back’ chairs accommodated conversations between sips of lemonade and bites of cookies.

In the Elm trees hung frames filled with photos of Evelyn’s first year, month by month, and in Great-grandma Rose’s 1950’s pink highchair, sat a pretty little lady smashing her fingers into a delicately decorated cake.

Food & Sweets

Grandpa Walker, my dad, lowered the truck’s tailgate down and we loaded it up with food.  Fresh veggies, cheeses, crackers and breads were served next to pumpkins hollowed out and filled with hummus and ranch dressing.  Fresh-baked cornbread muffins, mixed gourmet nuts, and Chick-Fil-A nuggets (a family favorite) completed the buffet-like spread.  Guests used pink depression plates, wrapped burlap napkins, and bamboo cutlery.

Grandma Dianne – my mom – created the elements to the most yummy treat table. A rose-adored grapevine ‘E’, grapevine baskets holding pumpkins and roses, stained crates, and lots of pink Depression glass presented treats by some of the best in the business. Cake Pop My Heart featured a ‘Cake Pop Patch’ of simply divine pops set atop a bed of green coconut shavings and delicate and delicious pops in shades of pink and coral with tiny handmade roses stuck into hay bales.  From perfectly decorated sugar cookies by Casey’s Confections to chocolate-covered Oreos by Sweet Temptations, the pumpkins and roses theme stayed true even to the sweet stuff.  Brittany, goddess of fondant from Edible Details, put the sweetest touches on the cake and cupcakes, which were made by The Coffee House (winners of the Cupcake Wars!).  The heavenly French macaroons were bite-size and pumpkin and rose flavored. Add some caramel apples tied with lace, and the treats table was perfectly pink and precious!

Favors

After the food, treats, and lots of running and chasing around the expansive lawn, the little ones picked pumpkins from the patch and visited the ‘Pink or Treat’ candy display.  Each guest was given a mini burlap and lace treat bag (sewn by Nana Wendy… did I mention she did all the pennants and fabric details too) and filled them with all things sugary and pink!  Before guests left, they used their thumb and an ink pad to leave a ‘print in the patch’ on the canvas painted by yours truly.”