Curious George Themed 3rd Birthday!

I haven't blogged in a LONG time because it takes a lot of time, but being able to share the behind-the-scenes tidbits about the event, how it came together, and what the experience was like is something I truly enjoy. With COVID-19 putting a pause on most of our upcoming projects, I figured it was the perfect time to get back into it!

I want to share 3 YO Ryan's fun, whimsical Curious George themed birthday party we had the honor of working on in early March (before our social lives were upended!). Yes, most of our projects are weddings, but kids' birthdays are such a joy to plan + execute and we LOVE them! Maybe it's because I'm a mom to a preschooler, and all our lead coordinators have toddlers and babies - it's just so rewarding to see happy little ones living their best lives! It's probably also because I love crafting, and these events give me a chance to get creative + hands-on!

THE VENUE: KIDSPACE MUSEUM

Mama Lily found me through a FB mom group we are both part of, and we hit it off! She already picked out the venue - the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. I toured the space the year before with our lead coordinator Alexis for another birthday, and we both loved it! I often bring my kid Dylan to Kidspace (so many fun hands-on science exhibits!), and he's just about a month older than birthday boy Ryan, so I knew Ryan + his friends were going to have a blast. Lily told me Ryan was a bright, inquisitive little man, so this Curious George theme was perfect!

I highly recommend Kidspace Museum for kids' birthdays - they offer a variety of science activities for the kids to do together during the party (the kids made slime at Ryan's party - YAY for making a mess that mom + dad don't have to clean up!), handle the favors and most of the setup, offer really creative, yummy, healthy food catered by their in-house cafe, and best of all - the kids + parents attending the party have an all-day pass to the Museum to explore all the different exhibits + activities (and there is A LOT to do).

THE DETAILS: CURIOUS RYAN FUN!

I love it when clients use Pinterest to communicate their ideas and inspiration with me. It's such an easy way to keep track of visuals and find inspiring ideas.

Lily sent me a picture of a few Curious George cakes she liked and trusted me to work with our dessert vendor (Meebah Desserts) to execute! I LOVE how this cake turned out - whimsical, vibrant, and personalized with Ryan's name + age! The Celebration Room at Kidspace Museum where the party took place is decorated in bright, bold primary colors, so we stuck with that color palette overall.

I made this customized cupcake board based on another photo Lily shared with me on Pinterest. Such a creative way to display cupcakes and incorporate them into a playful image of George! I loved that we were able to play with different colors, textures, and dimension with this decorative detail.

Lily and I both really liked the idea of centerpieces/table decor that guests could take home and keep (events can be so wasteful)! Plants were an idea we both approved because they can be enjoyed long after the party. I found vibrant seasonal plants in the party's color palette and ordered these cute metal pails in contrasting colors to hold them. I put my Silhouette Cameo to work and made custom signs to continue the Curious Ryan birthday theme throughout.

The dessert table was the focal point of most group pictures, so we really wanted to make it special! Setup was super tricky because the venue only allowed 30 minutes of setup time. Our team had to work at top speeds.

Lily really liked the idea of a backdrop for the dessert table, but we weren't allowed to stick anything to the walls, and the 30 min. setup window was too small for an on-site build. We came up with a solution - a PVC pipe frame that could be assembled quickly and sat directly on the dessert table. I used my Silhouette Cameo to make the Curious Ryan banner and hanging circles. The circles were strung up like a curtain, so we could easily slide them to the sides and make room for Ryan + his parents for cake cutting time. Pretty proud of this idea!

I am just as fascinated with balloon art as these kids are :) It's SO AMAZING what balloon artists can create in just a few minutes with their imagination, and it gives the kids an extra fun favor of their choosing to take home. How cute is Ryan with his bow + arrow balloon?

One of my favorite things about the party - Lily prepared party favors for the parents! Kidspace Museum took care of favors and activities for the kiddos, which was so convenient.

As a mom, I know firsthand that attending kids' birthday parties isn't exactly what parents want to be doing on our day off, but we do it for our kids! It was a very thoughtful gesture for the birthday boy's mama to prepare candles (in the Curious George color palette!) for the adults and the wonderful staff at Kidspace Museum to take home to enjoy.

THE WRAPUP: THE DREAM TEAM

This party just such a joy! Ryan and the kids had a blast, the parents were happy (because their kids were entertained), and I had so much fun working on the decorative details with Lily. Just putting it out there in the universe - more kids' parties, please!

Here's the wonderful vendor lineup!

Venue - Kidspace Museum

Catering - Beansprouts Cafe

Photography - Caitlin Alohilani Photography

Cake + Desserts - Meebah Desserts

Balloon Artist - Ooh La La Face Painting

#birthday #birthdayparty #kidsevents #specialevents #celebrations