One of my favorite parts of Motherhood has been getting to throw epic birthday parties for my girls. I have a blast doing the event design, and I totally “get a high” off the satisfaction of seeing how it all comes together. The best part is that I’ve worked with some incredible vendors over the years, which I can pass on to all of YOU! Stevie’s Barnyard Bash was no exception. When my tiniest babe decided to grow up and turn two, I got to work thinking about what I wanted to do. I decided on a “Holy Cow!” farm theme, and it turned out seriously cute! Read on for all the details and photos from this event to inspire your next kid-friendly soiree!
I always lock down my venue first, and there are a few farms in the area that we frequently patronize. I landed on Ort Farms, a family run (but quite large) farm with animals, pumpkin picking, and cider donuts – everything you’d want for a September birthday party! Initially we were scheduled to do it on Saturday, September 23rd but we wound up doing it the night before because the forecast was looking really bad. I want to start by saying thank you to both Ort Farms and ALL my vendors for being able to accommodate this last minute switch. There were several guests who couldn’t make the new date… but I figured a small party was better than no party, right?
Ort’s party package had several options for add-on’s… so we chose pizza to eat and pony rides as an extra activity. I’m so glad we did! I also set up a pumpkin decorating station, which the kids enjoyed. All in all, it was a very laid back party. The kids ran around the field, used the playground, looked at the animals and rode Ralphie the pony. There were no real structured activities aside from the hayride over to the pumpkin patch and I thought it was a lot of fun and stress-free to just let them roam free and enjoy themselves. Pro Tip: Have a party on a Friday night! The farm was nearly empty and we felt like we had it all to ourselves. One of the guests even asked if we rented out the whole farm! Had the Saturday party happened, there’s no way the kids would have been able to roam like they did without a chaperone. We had line of sight throughout the entire field, and the kids were having a blast!
As far as what was happening beneath the tent… I’m super excited to let you all know that this time around I worked with several new vendors that I haven’t featured before! I had a lovely couple through a Facebook group build the barn backdrop that we used as our focal point for the party, and they rented it out to me (plus the white wagon, hay bales & picket fences!) – so special thanks to Gabriela Fonseca of Morris County… I was happy to be your first paying customer for your brown barn! If you’re local and interested in Gabriela’s contact info, shoot me a message on Instagram and I will send over details about her budding little business! Balloons by D did the most outrageous organic balloon garland with cow print accent balloons, and French Rooted came by to decorate our tablescapes with beautiful flowers that she grows in her own yard! The last new vendor I used was Emma James Gifts – a small shop out of Warren, NJ (but you can shop online!) – who made personalized backpack/diaper bag tags for each kid! She even helped me with some signage, making the “Grazing Station” and “Pig Out” tabletop displays. The quality of everything was beautiful, and the parents LOVED this party favor! How often do you receive something to take home that’s a keepsake? I thought it was the cutest thing, and we have ours on the girls’ diaper bag & backpack, respectively.
As far as the vendors I’ve used before – I had AR Workshop of Westfield make my large entry signage. AR Workshop has many locations around the US, and through them you’re able to DIY a project or simply hire them to do it for you! It would be so much fun to have a wine night with friends and DIY a project for your home, or even to decorate a party so I highly recommend checking them out, and I’m happy to be the one to remind you all that if you simply don’t have the time for that, they will make everything you need for you! I always get so many compliments on these pieces when I display them at our parties! I make mine personalized and specific, but you could very easily have signage made that’s neutral enough that the pieces can be used for all your parties moving forward! Such a great idea and really elevates the space.
Chloe from New Moon Photography photographed the event. She is amazing with a great eye and a quick turnaround, allowing me to do all my edits and get my blog post up while everything still feels relevant! I love that New Moon offers such a variety of family photography. Their photographers are capable of doing more organic lifestyle shoots, as well as studio photography – the best of both worlds! And their studio is conveniently located right in the heart of Montclair. I had Splurge Bakery in Millburn do our super cute cow-cake. They can always perfectly recreate my inspiration photos (and then some!) and they literally nail it every single time. Sweet Charlie’s Confections came back to do some cupcakes for the kiddos! One of my favorite things about this vendor is that we often add in a little sprinkle of something outrageously detailed and unique… for Stevie’s first birthday (70’s themed) we gave out tie dye cake pops as favors but decorated our dessert table with cake pops that were designed like vintage VW busses! For this event, we had cow print cupcakes with a little added flair from a handful that were decorated like highland cows!!!! One of my favorite animals. They were so adorable I almost didn’t want to eat them (but we sure did). This baker is truly an artist… she amazes me every time I work with her!
And now for the little details that I added myself! Each place setting was flocked with all the country patterns! Bandana print napkins, gingham plates, cow print cups, fresh strawberries and faux-fresh eggs (because I don’t trust these kids not to start throwing real ones!). I decked out our “grazing station” with some of my favorite photos from Stevie’s birthday session with The Deerwood Company (which I also included in the gallery below) and got pumpkin decorating sticker kits (mess free) from Oriental Trading Co. I used traditional country style red checkered tablecloths on our display tables, and did the picnic tables with a burlap runner that came on a roll – I used scissors to cut each one on site and it was super easy! I got some tractor toys on amazon that I filled with rice krispie treat “hay bales” and the star of the show was a basket full of “popcorn on the cob” – I posted an Instagram reel showing each step so you can do this yourself! It was such a cute touch! Each kiddo also took home a cowboy hat from their place setting and of course their own pumpkin! We had perfect crisp fall weather and a gorgeous, multicolored sunset to enjoy. After all that… it worked out so beautifully! Thank you to everyone who made this party a success! Follow along on Instagram for more party inspiration and of course an abundance of silly mom reels – and check out the galleries below for all the details from this fun day. Yee-haw!
2ND BIRTHDAY PHOTOSHOOT BY THE DEERWOOD COMPANY:
EVENT PHOTOS BY NEW MOON PHOTOGRAPHY:
