Gavin Kramer’s 1st Birthday: A Construction Party!

When I first met the Kramers, I was totally blown away by their down to earth demeanor and gracious attitude. That initial meeting at our store at Party Magic really set the tone of our relationship for the party to come, and what a party it was going to be for it was the 1st birthday of their baby boy, Gavin Kramer! 

 Here’s a shot of us at the Party Magic store. That giddy girl on the right is my sister, Nikki Yeung, of Simply Paris fame. We were naturally ecstatic to have the privilege of styling this most important celebration!

One rule I have in styling events is to never go against the venue. What I mean is, to look at the venue’s existing aesthetic and adapt your materials and colors in such a way as to match the venue’s to create one cohesive vision.

So keeping that in mind, here’s what the Party Magic team and I had to work with: 

 

OK, technicolor is not so bad. Based on discussions I’ve had with Chesca Kramer, she preferred a more lively, colorful palette, so I decided to match the venue’s colors with our own set of vibrant hues:

 

We blasted the place with blue, red, and green lanterns, yellow caution tapes, and (see below) red, blue, and yellow construction caps.

 

For the photo-op area, I thought that it would be fun to recreate a construction scene, therefore the undone red brick wall with actual gravel and shovels on the floor, plus a few construction-related signs.

 

The stage was the most troublesome (not to mention expensive) element of the set-up, but also the most satisfying once we had installed it on-site. I decided to recreate Handy Manny’s workshop, complete with display shelves containing toolboxes, and hanging blueprints. Gavin’s letter blocks were printed with gear graphics to maintain the construction theme.

 

A fantastic work of art, I must say though, is the dessert table by Simply Paris! Just look at all those tools, and that huge Tonka truck! The highlight of the table though, are the desserts themselves. The toffee crunch cupcakes (the ones at the 3-tier cupcake tower) were especially a hit with the guests, with some taking more than their fair share home!

And now, since you made it and read this blog post all the way to the end, here’s a surprise gift for you:

 

Here’s to one of the most adorable families in the country, the Kramers!

‘Til the next party!

Michelle