29 Aug A Bohemian Backyard Birthday Party
Photographers Carisse & Benjamin from the Blue Mountains, NSW, share their daughter Phoebe’s bohemian backyard themed 1st birthday party with us – celebrated with close family and friends.
We chose to have Phoebe’s 1st birthday celebrations somewhere she was most comfortable, so we held it in our little backyard in the Blue Mountains.
We knew we didn’t want tonnes of people, and have Phoebe get too overwhelmed by all the faces, so we just decided to invite a handful of close friends and family.
The theme started out a bit crazy with bold colours but my thought process changed (hallelujah thanks to inspiration from Pinterest!). We knew we wanted something more intimate and a little bit more suited to our style, so we decided on a Bohemian style backyard celebration.
Celebration Style
Phoebe’s little outfit is by Marlow and Mae, I searched high and low for the “perfect” outfit for her but in the end realised I had just the thing already in her wardrobe. I wanted her to be comfortable and of course warm, with that winter mountain breeze, so she also wore a lovely oversized cardigan we picked up from a small shop in Newcastle called Rosie’s Closet. We also paired these with socks from Cotton On Kids, moccasins from Mocked and a teething necklace from Summer & Storm. The greatest part of her attire was her beautifully made feather crown from Nature Crowns engraved with her nickname ‘Little Viking’, it will make the perfect keepsake and is now part of the decor in her bedroom.
Special Touches
Lovely local Creative Director Nicole from Penny Lane Studio helped to strike the creative flame of our decorating vision which turned more than we even could have ever imagined. Nicole came up with a cosy, bohemian setting that was fitting for our teeny backyard, and we just added a few little bits like the teepee and the wooden signs and play-mat.
The beautiful flowers were provided by our very talented friend Rose, who is an aspiring florist and we can’t wait to see what happens for her in the near future.
If I had to give any tips it would be – find the perfect space and if your budget allows, hire a stylist and caterer, just so you can be more involved in the special day.
I stumbled upon yet another beautiful creative, Cheryl of Behind Green Doors, on Instagram and we worked together on a custom design for Phoebe’s milestone poster, it turned out so lovely and is now a part of her decor in her bedroom design.
On The Menu
I knew in a heartbeat I wanted Erin from Unplanned Bakery to cater for the occasion. Erin and I worked together to come up with a menu that worked within our budget and the end result was beyond perfect. We wanted more healthy options for the food and Erin provided vegan, gluten-free goodness with a triple layer, naked chocolate cake with vanilla butter cream, red lentil dahl with fragrant rice, mini “sausage” rolls with homemade tomato relish and some steamed greens with lemon and fresh herbs. Besides the cake, we also had Erin’s delicious dark chocolate & nut slice and a lovely apple, berry pie. We also had little mini cookies as favors for guests.
Photographing Kids Parties
We have our own photograph businesses, Delphine & Eyre, that focuses on intimate family/maternity photography and Kings & Thieves which is more about weddings, elopements and couples.
Even if you are not the most creative with a camera, capturing the moments of our little ones is so significant and I think everyone should be doing it more. If you’re photographing your child’s birthday or any special event, remember not let the pressure of getting a perfect shot get in the way of celebrating and being present in the day.
I love that I can be inspired by our wild child, we take many photographs of her and that helps me capture the wildness in other little ones, the love in a parents eyes and the special moments.
Favourite Moments
The most memorable moments of the day was probably just watching our little wild child Phoebe soak up all the love surrounding her – she just loved being the centre of attention. Her favourite part of the day was eating the delicious food and cake baked with love by Erin. We gave Phoebe her own cake to smash at the party – she loved it and ate the whole thing!
The Beautiful Blue Mountains
We love it here in the Blue Mountains, everyone is so welcoming and friendly and you get a real sense of community. It’s always lovely when the weather is cool and we can rug up with family in front of the fireplace.
Some other local Blue Mountain faves is coffee from Cassiopeia, it’s certainly the place to go up here, as well as the Blackheath Growers Markets which are on the second Sunday of each month – it’s the perfect family outing for local produce and goods.
The Team Behind the Celebrations
Photography Delphine and Eyre / Catering + Cake Unplanned Bakery / Decorations + Stying Penny Lane Studio / Flowers Rose Tweedale / Tepee Mocka / Milestone Artwork Behind Green Doors / Feather Crown Nature Crowns / Wooden Sign Noc Noc Wooden Toys / Play-mat Little Wishes Boutique
Get The Look
Love this bohemian kids’ style party? Make a patch with these pieces – don’t forget to include your backyard!!
Tan Sandals Mocked / Boho Wooden Blocks Noc Noc Wooden Toys / Teething Necklace Sumer & Storm / Party Hire Props Penny Lane Studio / Bebe Raglan Lurex Cardi Rosie’s Closet / Payton Play-mat Little Wishes Boutique / Raccoon Knee Socks The Gathered Store / Chai Romper Marlow and Mae / Invitation Printable Behind Green Doors / Personalised Wooden Wall Sign Little Birdy Finds / ‘Gypsy Soul’ Feather Crown Nature Crowns / Rusty Brown Suede Baby Moccasins Little Wild Child / Tepee Mocka
Photographers Carisse & Benjamin live in the Blue Mountains, NSW. You can find more of their work at Delphine & Eyre and Kings & Thieves as well as find them on Instagram here + here.
We also had the opportunity to share the delightful Erin from Unplanned Bakery’s motherhood story recently too on the CHILD Magazines website. Read it here.
