If you live near the St. Croix Valley Wisconsin area, check out this list of amazing local businesses to help you plan the perfect first birthday party for your little one!
Your baby’s first birthday is such a special milestone worth celebrating! How are they one already?! Where did the time go? If you live near the St. Croix Valley or Twin Cities areas, I’ve put together a list of my favorite local businesses to help you plan the perfect first birthday party for your little one. The only thing better than planning an awesome first birthday bash is supporting small for all your party needs!
6 tips to help you plan the perfect first birthday party in the St. Croix Valley area:
1. Schedule a One Year Session
What better way to celebrate your baby turning one than with a photo session? They grow and change so dang fast (as you already know too well), and you don’t want to miss out on capturing precious photos of them for you to have to look back on in the years to come!
Let’s get you booked for a one-year session in my studio (located in Somerset, WI). These sessions are short, sweet, and so FUN! Add on the smash cake to your session for baby to squish between their toes. They’ll have a blast, you’ll get a bunch of adorable photos, and you’ll create some fun new core memories together as a fam!
Plus if you schedule your session for about one month before their party, you will have your gallery delivered in time to print a handful of photos to double as party decorations that everyone will love!
2. Order desserts for the party
What’s a birthday party without cake? When planning your baby’s first birthday party, make sure to order a separate mini cake just for them to play with! And don’t forget to have the camera ready for some priceless photos of them with cake in their hair and between their fingers.
These local bakeries are all absolutely wonderful:
- St. Croix Baking Company – Hudson (this is where I get the smash cakes for my one year sessions!)
- Sweet Beet Bakery– New Richmond, WI
- Evergreen Bakehouse – Somerset, WI
3. Find the perfect outfit
When it comes to finding an adorable outfit for your little one to wear for their birthday party, consider bypassing Amazon or Target and shopping small instead. Here are a few of my favorite local shops and small online shops for cute baby clothes:
- Luna + Luca – Hudson, WI
- Baby Moon & Kids – Duluth, MN
4. Rent out a party space
Depending on how many guests you are planning to invite, you might want to look into renting out a space to host the party. And that way you don’t have to deep clean your house! If the weather is nice, a nearby park pavilion with a playground for the kids is a great option. If you’re feeling something a little more fun and different, I highly recommend Hullabaloo Indoor Playground in Stillwater, MN! They have tons of fun toys and playground equipment that is geared more towards toddlers. I have 3 young kids and they absolutely love it there! If you’re just looking for a space that isn’t your home, check out The Social Space in New Richmond, WI. Who doesn’t love the idea of not having to frantically clean your house the morning of your party?!
5. Decide on party decor
Here’s your reminder that it is OK to keep the party decor simple. You don’t need to spend hours scouring Pinterest and stressing out about planning the perfect birthday party theme. To keep things simple (but still super cute), focus on only 2-3 different types of decorations. I always recommend going with photos and balloons! This is what I have done for all of my kids’ birthdays and it always turns out great (and is relatively inexpensive too!).
You can easily print a handful of your favorite photos from your baby’s Newborn Session and their One Year Session to decorate with. Your family and friends will love looking at all of the cute photos of your baby!! The Staple in Osceola, WI is the best local spot for getting high quality prints! I love ordering a combo of prints to hang on a wall with twine and clothespins, and a handful of prints to frame and put on tables.
And don’t forget the balloons! Check out What’s Popping for all your needs. They designed the cutest set up for the grand opening of a local coffee shop in town and I can’t wait to work with them on some of my future needs!
6. Buy gifts
Looking for sweet gift ideas for your little one? I highly recommend visiting Lil’ Tulips in Stillwater MN! This cute little shop has a bunch of adorable outfits and fun toys that your baby will love. It’s the perfect one stop shop where you can pick up all the gifts you want and check it off your to do list.
I hope you found this list of party planning tips helpful! Congratulations on one whole year with your little one! I hope you have the most fun and memorable time at their birthday bash! Happy planning!
I hope you found this list of party planning tips helpful! Congratulations on one whole year with your little one! I hope you have the most fun and memorable time at their birthday bash! Happy planning!
Don’t forget to book your baby’s One Year Session!
Still need to book your baby’s one year milestone session? Just fill out my inquiry form to connect with me and we can chat details and get something on the calendar! I do typically book out a few weeks to months in advance depending on the time of year, so don’t wait to reach out if you want to have your gallery delivered to you before their birthday!
Check out these posts to prep for your upcoming One Year Session:
