Lia's First Birthday Party

Two days after Lia’s exact birth date, we celebrated her first birthday with a simple thanksgiving party. It was held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of Yishun Sapphire Condominium.

We started the day early preparing the place for the event. It was quite a task to decorate a party venue on a limited time. It is very different from prepping the house for an event. Here, we have an unfamiliar place (although I did make an ocular inspection once), limited resources, and limited time. We need to make the decor stable for it to stay up until the party ends, but it also must be removed with ease because we need to tidy the place up and bring it back to the state it was in before we came.

With little tweaks on the original design that I have envisioned, I’m satisfied with what we have accomplished. The 92 paper flowers, the frequent trips to ArtFriend and Spotlight, and the two-month preparation were all worth it.

For the second time around, we had Grandma’s Restaurant for the catering. And as expected, Grandma’s Curry chicken was the crowd favorite. They served Chicken Rice, Fried Bee Hoon, Chap Chye, Homemade Braised Beancurd with Mushrooms, Sweet and Sour Fish, and Curry Chicken. For the refreshments we ordered Orange Juice and Cendol. 

Her birthday cake was a 3D Bumble Bee Cake from Secret Recipe, because a floral-themed party needs a bumble bee, right? I’m just surprised and somewhat disappointed that they used a red logo-printed cake board. To me, it doesn’t elevate the design but made it more busy and confusing to look at. I would prefer the simple silver or gold metallic foil or even matte cake boards so that the cake will stand-out. Taste-wise, the guests loved the moist chocolate cake inside.

The Birthday Girl arrived in a long turquoise gown with a laced bodice and accented with huge faux gems. The little princess even had with a tiara on her sweet head. Good thing she was well-behaved during the entire party. She played with the balloons, slept on her scheduled naptime and swam in the kiddie pool right behind the backdrop. We also made sure we chose an early starting time for the party and that it would not end too late, for her sake. We were finished tidying up at around 8pm.

As you might have noticed, there are © LarawaNia watermarks on her birthday photos. It's because we invited my cousin who is a photographer and fortunately on a short vacation to Singapore recently. She took some snaps and did her magic. And I couldn't thank her enough for bringing her camera and doing what she loves and does best. Thanks Nia!

I love how dreamy the pictures are, and how the important moments are immortalized in a frame. Sweet moments were captured amidst the chaos of it all. So here are more unforgettable moments from her party. 

 

Thanks to all our guests who came. And to everyone who helped us, from the venue, to the decorations and even for the cleaning up. 

Lia, Happy Birthday! May you grow beautifully inside and out. We love you dearly.