Whimsical & Colorful Pastel Rainbow First Birthday Party

May 3, 2023 Carolina Villarreal

Photography by CLN Photography

As parents, we all want to make our child's first birthday special and memorable. When we were asked by Emily of Champagne and Chanel to help her friend Lauren of Secrets ‘n’ Such celebrate her daughter Olivia’s first birthday, we jumped at the chance to plan and design a pretty pastel rainbow-themed party. With its soft, dreamy colors, this party theme creates a magical and fun atmosphere that everyone will enjoy. If you want to throw your own, I've got you covered with everything you need for your guests to be swept away by the whimsical charm of a pastel rainbow first birthday party.

Welcome

First, we set up a welcome sign in the front yard. The sign was made of clear acrylic painted with brushstrokes of pastel rainbow colors and handwritten by Jen Krause Paper Co. We set it up on an easel stand and added a bubbly pastel rainbow balloon garland created by Pop and Drop to the side of it.

Rainbow Balloon Backdrop

Inside the house, we used more balloons to create a giant rainbow balloon wall.

This balloon wall provided the perfect backdrop for family and guest photos, as well as for the guest of honor’s seat.

Lauren added some multicolored tulle to the high chair and gave her an adorable party hat to wear while she had her cake.

Cakes

Speaking of cakes, we had Sweet Treets Bakery make two for us - a simple yet gorgeous pastel rainbow-striped cake for guests, and a small pink smash cake for the birthday girl herself.

The smash cake was embellished with a fondant “1” and a 3D rainbow topper, while the main cake featured Olivia’s name on the front.

Dessert Table

A pastel rainbow party deserves more than just cake - it needs a table full of candy-colored sweet treats! We set up the dessert table with colorful paper honeycomb decor and pretty pastel floral centerpieces.

Then, we added a variety of rainbow-colored desserts: macarons in a cool acrylic holder, cupcakes with rainbow swirled frosting, and amazing personalized and themed cookies from Cookies by Megan on beds of pastel rainbow candies.

I love to use mini easels to showcase decorated cookies. Treats that do double duty as decor!

Food & Drink

We used a larger floral arrangement for the food area, to tie it to the rest of the party, and had Hank’s Catering bring us tons of food to make several food stations.

We also used colorful pastel food labels for the food and drink stations. These added pops of rainbow color throughout.

Entertainment

To keep the kids entertained, we had a white cloud-like bounce castle outside, that we adorned with more pastel rainbow balloons.

We also set up an array of pastel rainbow toys, including giant blocks, a ball pit, and bubble wands. Even the family dog was entertained!

The final piece of entertainment for all of the guests was an exciting surprise announcement from Lauren - Olivia was going to be a big sister! This was such a fun and cute way to break the news.

A pastel rainbow first birthday party is a fun and festive way to celebrate your little one's big day. Whether you choose to DIY or hire a professional, a pastel rainbow party is sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike.

If you’re in the Austin area and want some help planning or styling a celebration, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

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