Nothing really prepares you for your baby’s first birthday – for me his birthday jumped up on us, we glanced at it with a fright, as the year had gone. How did we go from tiny bundle to an almost walking, babbling boy.

With the impending birthday, we were in a tailspin to have a party or not. It was a debate, that we finally settled on (obviously). I know some parents choose not to have a large celebration for the first birthday – with many saying ‘because they won’t remember’ – my response always is, but I will remember. A birthday is not just a celebration that the person who is turning experiences, it is all the people in their lives. We as parents are celebrating his life, his sister wants to celebrate his life and so do our family and friends. If its your choice not to have a birthday, there is nothing wrong with that, we all parent differently.

Theme:

This did not take a lot of deliberation to reach the decision for the theme, it was easy – it would be a western theme. Why? Well his name is inspired by one of the most well-known western figures. Also his room is a Western theme, and I wanted to use some of the decor on the day.

Venue:

Where best in the upper highway, but Lucky Bean to celebrate a baby becoming a toddler, and for a mixture of ages of kids to have the best fun. Lucky Bean is situated in Assagay and open 7 days a week, it is a venue exclusive to parents (or guardians) and kids to have a safe play environment, where parents can relax to, while the kids can be kids and just play. They have a large indoor area as well as the playground under the trees.

The day before Wyatts birthday and the early morning of, we had rain, the original setting was moved from outdoors into their indoor section, which actually turned out even better than expected.

On arrival the staff were on hand to help put everything into place, they were also kind enough to organise hay bails for extra seating that worked with the theme.

To find out more about Lucky Bean – see here: https://www.luckybean.co/

Outfit:

Wyatt wore a custom T-Shirt from Lucky Little, one of my favourite local brands. Robyn will bend over backwards to ensure that you get the best of the best in design, and style. I can highly recommend getting a custom T for your little ones birthday.

All the Delicious:

Nita from Sprinkles Confectionery made sure there were plenty of oooohs and ahhhs at the party – we collaboraed on the amazing cupcakes and crunchies that were adorned with the famous western novelist Louis L’Amour book covers (Which I had scanned by the amazing Annabell from Bella Poppelina). Nita also supried us with special orea dipped cookies that looked like cacti, brilliant. I was so upset though…. people loved them so much, I had nothing to take home… he he… they were so delicious.

You can follow Sprinkles Confectionery on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/sprinkles_confectioners/?hl=en

Every year I have baked Skylar’s birthday party cakes, or had help to put it together. For Wyatt I knew I would be a little stressed for time, and I have been lusting over the delicious cake art creations of Smith’s Bakeshop. Taryn was a dream to work with, and she is a whizz with flavours. I gave her a brief of what I was looking for and left everything else in her creative hands, I was blown away with the results. Each cake is an individual work of art, I love the abstract take on the theme.

You can follow Smith’s Bakeshop on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/smithsbakeshop/?hl=en

The next yummy delights might not have made the party, but they did make it to my tummy. The Artful Biscuit Co made for us the best in the west cookies, handmade to perfection. Then the courier decided they want to act like the box they came in was a bucking bronko and destroyed it in transit. Note this was a totally isolated incodent and by no means is a reflection of the brand. They send their biscuits all over SA, with no trouble, this was just a freak accident. We ended up eating the biscuits anyway, even though they were broken.

You can follow Artful Biscuit Co on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/artfulbiscuitco/?hl=en

The Table & Decor

Poster Illustrations by Mayalief (Cactus and Bison)

Waytt large wooden wall Plaque by Declan and Leah 

Large W flet ball sign by Zoe Bird

Western Theme Wooden Blocks by YogiBlocks

Teepee by Totem Teepee

Pillows and blankets for the hay bails- by my dad

The serving plates , containers and cake stands were from either Mr Price Home or Pep Home Stores

Say Cheese!

Without a doubt I could of not done this blog post without the help from the amazing Jade of Capture It. Jade was there to snap away and let me not stress about the perfect shot of the day being captured. I could not stress how important it is to have a photographer at special occasions. It really lets you just be in the moment, and leave the photography to the professional. I have been working with Jade for awhile and I love her family too, she is also my friend. If you are Durban based and need a photographer, please get into contact with her.

Follow Capture it on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/captureitjade/?hl=en