Penelope’s Winter ONEderland
A dreamy winter white first birthday
Planned: The June Design
Styled: Posh Party Bebes
Florals: Harper Road Floral
Photography: Ilennis Martinez Photography
Ilennis Martinez has become one of my closest friends in 2020. I thought my business was coming to a screeching hault by spring- covid had shut down my industry, I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease, found out I was pregnant- and had a craft room full of cancelled party product from dozens and dozens of postponed and ultimately cancelled events. Ilennis was one of my first calls when I found out I was sick, I’m not sure why, but I knew I still had important opportunities coming up in the year and I knew I needed help now, and like I so many of us I had always been too proud to ask for it. Ilennis had not only been a wonderful support for my business, but to me as a person, a cheerleader- I sent everyone I could her way because I trusted her, with my events, with weddings, styled shoots, family photos, all the important things. She helps me style if I need her to, design, make sure my setups translate for photos, calms down and supports clients during the process and treats everyone she works with as if they are the most important person in the room. So when she asked me to help her (when I forced myself on her) with her daughter Penelope’s first birthday I knew it was going to be amazing. She definitely doesn’t need my help in the styling department but she let me pretend to work anyway and the result was a magical boho Winter ONEderland. So sit back, and scroll through this beautiful gallery from one of the most talented women I know.
I am a color person, Ilennis is a boho person, but with our party powers combined I still got my little pop on pink and added some rose gold with some glam tassels in her design! Shimmery silvers, mixed metals and of course some disco balls! I have seen some beautiful boho Christmas setups this year but this trend truly made a believer out of me when I saw the ideas Ilennis had for this event- a perfect mix of boho + girly.
Teddy’s IKEA highchair has made its rounds this year- this $20 highchair is neutral and perfect for us Pinterest loving moms who want a cute setup for Bebes big day- and when you put a floral garland on it like this one designed by Harper Road it looks like it belongs in a magazine! There are so many highchair garland options these days, tassels, fringe, tutus, greenery, floral, even good ole paper banners- this floral piece was the perfect balance of girly whimsy for this stunning Winter ONEderland. Ilennis saw this balloon garland on social media being sold after another birthday and the colors were too perfect to pass up- after purchasing the garland from a 3rd party it arrived in several pieces + garbage bags. I installed the balloons onto each side of her arch, added about 5-6ft to the middle and then filled in the gaps with the bags of remaining balloons leftover from the original garland- the result was beautiful! It looked completely different from its original shape- Transformed into a new design, for a new party and saved me personally, hours of balloon time! A lot of party people don’t know what to do with their balloons after the party is over, selling them is a great way to get more use out of them, keep waste down, and an easy way to make a few bucks back on your fancy installation! For those of us who don’t want to attempt a DIY garland themselves, don’t hesitate to reach out on social media for leftover loons!
Harper Road is one of Ilennis fave local florists, and they did a beautiful job incorporating some winter greens with her boho girly vision of whites and pinks. Some disco balls and bottle brush trees made these centerpieces chic and still boho with our Kraft paper runners! Ilennis even had crayons for each table to kiddos could color the runner while they snacked!
Not all dessert tables need to be filled with treats- this beautiful display was simple, a cake, a few disco balls and a collection of boho inspired bottle brush trees was all she needed to make this a Pinterest worthy spread!
We’ve come a long way in the party favor department over the years. First birthdays can be tricky since most of the kiddos aren’t old enough to really “do” an activity or take home small toys- Ilennis hired one of her friends to make her this years trendiest winter treat for her baby’s celebration, individual cocoa bombs! We unwrapped them and placed them in Kraft paper cups solely because we wanted them to be picture perfect, but guests were able to take theirs home in an actual grab n go plastic box to enjoy whenever they wanted! A cute and creative treat for our guests to take home!
I’m so fortunate to have friends like Ilennis,
who needs no help from me in the styling department, but still let’s me feel important and get my girly party fix! Follow Posh Party Bebes for more fab DIY party ideas on Instagram and Pinterest @poshpartybebes!
Happy New Year, Bebes!