This post is part of a two part series on how her magical part-tea came to be.

Part one: On the road to rainbow boba
Part two: Party highlights

Part Two: Party Highlights

Emma’s Rainbow Boba Milk Tea First Birthday Party is a day we will always remember. Brittany & Taylor at Unveiled Bliss made our party dreams come true and were instrumental in the planning process. Not only did they make planning a breeze, they were on site handling set up and logistics as well which allowed us to be present and enjoy the party! Because of that, I cannot recommend hiring a party planner for a first birthday party enough!

Brittany & Taylor created the mood board complete with inspiration and colors. A mood board is the best tool to create cohesiveness in the party details with your vendors. Check out part three in the series to get a deep dive and get your burning party planning questions answered.

Now let’s get to the deets!

Pretty Party Details

The custom invitation by Akula Kreative was whimsical yet modern and set the stage for the party. Balloons from Glamfetti and flowers from Jackie Trejo were the major players in the decor piece that breathed magic rainbow dust into Heights Haven. Glamfetti and Jackie Trejo created a beautiful floral to balloon cascading wall that became the picture perfect spot and backdrop, an adorable mini balloon and floral garland across the picnic table, and a jaw-dropping installation above the tables. Lavender linens from Chair Covers N More Inc. added a pop of color to the guest tables. Can we talk about the adorable mini piñatas from My Soiree Designs? She can turn literally anything into the cutest mini or regular piñata!

For The Babies

Tiny piñatas to tiny humans. Everything is just cuter when it’s tiny right?! These are all the things at the party with our tiniest guests in mind. The luxury picnic set up from Picnics In The City was the perfect height and size. We filled the 16” piñata with biodegradable confetti instead of candy since candy is a choking hazard for our tiny guests. The piñata had a pull string when pulled released pretty confetti that made for an adorable photo for the little ones. In lieu of party favors with little trinkets or toys, we got these super cute 9” vinyl donut balls that became an unexpected HIT at the party. It was another item to keep the little ones occupied during the party and for them to take home to keep the party going. The sign reads “Thanks for bouncing by my par-tea, hope you had a ball!” I’m a sucker for corny puns. Wonderland Soft Play set up an infant and toddler friendly play area equipped with a gate, bouncing balls, ball pit, and bouncer! Seriously, every toddler party needs one!

Boba & Bubble Bar

For our parents and adult guests, we had a boba milk tea and bubble bar. Teaspresso Sugarland created custom milk teas for us to match the event. We had strawberry guava, mango, and their signature milk tea for a dreamy pastel milk tea offering. The toppings were boba, strawberry bursting boba, and mango crystal boba. For the bubble bar, Waikiki Refreshing Spot made custom juices to match the theme. Orange, cranberry, watermelon juices and lemonade. They mixed the juices with prosecco to make refreshing mimosas with pretty garnishes. It was a fun and elegant station that our guests loved! Inkling Designs HTX made our welcome signage, bar menu, and name sign for the dessert table.

Dessert Table

Ahh the sweets. Since we are a custom bakery, we had to do the dessert table! One common misconception is that we do dessert table styling as well but in fact, we’re just the dessert designer and makers. I’ve always had a bit of trouble styling or designing the table concept but in comes Unveiled Bliss with the display vision to bring our desserts to the next level. Coordinated dual cakes have been trending and I’ve been wanting to do them for quite some time and was so excited to make one for Emma’s party. SHOPAALVO created the perfect custom topper that brought the cake to life. We also made a boba smash cake, rainbow macaron tower, cake pops, and mini donuts on a rainbow display. One tip that Brittany & Taylor provided us on the dessert table design is go big on the decor and simple on desserts or vice versa but not both. Since the decor was a major player in the party, we went more simple on the dessert design using whites and solid colors while keeping the over-the-top, larger-than-life designs to a minimum.

Birthday Girl

Many people say the first birthday party is really for the parents more than the baby but after celebrating Emma’s first birthday, I would say it’s not all true. Emma loved every minute of her party and was in awe all the way from when she came in to the end evident by her smiles in these photos. As a parent, the joy she experienced was priceless and is the main reason that made her party so special for us.

Thank you Arzu Vargas Photography for capturing this special day for us that we will remember for years to come. Now without further adieu, a list of party vendors below. We’re so grateful to every single creative that made Emma’s party possible. They are the best and we hope you consider them for your next event!

Venue: Heights Haven, @heightshaven
Planner: Unveiled Bliss, @unveiledbliss
Photographer: Arzu Vargas Photography , @arzuvargasphotography
Cake: Wink by Erica, @winkbyerica
Cake Topper: SHOPAALVO, @shopaalvo
Balloons: Glamfetti, @glamfettico
Florals: Jackie Trejo, @jackietrejoevents
Play Area: Wonderland Soft Play, @wonderlandsoftplay
Signage: Inkling Designs HTX, @InklingDesignsHTX
Refreshment Bar: Waikiki Refreshing Spot , @waikikirefreshingbar
Picnic: Picnics In The City, @picnicsinthecity
Invitations: Akula Kreative, @akulakreative
Linens: Chair Covers N More Inc, @chaircoversnmoreinc
Piñata: My Soiree Designs, @mysoireedesigns
Boba Milk Tea: Teaspresso Sugarland , @teapressobarsltx

Emma’s Outfit:
Stripe Bow Dress: Carters
Little Boba Onesie: Mint and Orange
Pom Pom Tutu: Amazon
Bows: Saylor Bow Co

Erica’s Outfit:
White Top: Amazon
Yellow Pleated Skirt: Amazon

Confetti: Amazon
9” Vinyl Donut Ball: Rhode Island Novelty
Toy Storage Baskets, white & pink ombre: Target

Yall. My rainbow boba dreams came true with Emma’s first birthday. Given that she’s pre-verbal and doesn’t have many preferences or opinions yet, I capitalized on the opportunity to live it up on a party theme that’s for her but really for me. Before it becomes Paw Patrol or bust. You feel me?

This will be a two part series on how her magical part-tea came to be.

Part one: On the road to rainbow boba
Part two: Party highlights

How I came up with the theme

I wanted something a bit unique and original but didn’t want to spin my wheels DIY-ing or custom making everything. When you have an idea that isn’t so popular like ‘boba milk tea’, it’s great to pair it with something that is popular like ‘rainbows’, so you can find these items across party suppliers. Since boba is also commonly referred to as “bubble tea” and tea is associated with floral tea parties, we had a myriad of elements to work with - bubbles, balls, flowers, tea, garden on the boba end and then rainbow colors and shapes on the rainbow end. If you’re familiar with boba milk tea, there is even a “rainbow boba” topping!

Need party theme suggestions? Here’s a few using the formula of an uncommon theme + a common theme:

Panda Ice Cream Party
Corgi in Space Party
Guac & Roll Party
Llamas in Pajamas Party

Elements of a first birthday

First birthday parties usually cater to babies and parents. I wanted to make sure we had things that pleased both crowds such as:

Beverage Stations - Boba milk tea station and a Bubbly station / mimosa bar
Food - Easy finger food without many utensils that can be ate one handed. For us, we went with sandwiches from Potbelly. Filling and can be ate in one hand while bouncing or holding a baby in the other.
Toddler Friendly Areas - Designated play area that’s fun and safe for babies & toddlers and a picnic area that’s made for tiny people
Desserts - because it isn’t a party without sweets!
Party Time - 2-3 hours is the sweet spot for a first birthday party and plan it around baby’s nap schedule. Emma usually takes a morning nap around 10 - 11:30 and her afternoon nap around 3-4. We did 12 - 2:30PM (2.5 hours) for her party and it was perfect.

When to Start

Since Emma’s birthday is in February. I knew the holidays would take over and January would be cutting it close so I started planning her party in August. When you’re a new mom, time just isn’t a commodity you’re use to having. 6 months ahead felt perfect, I could do plan and collect things without being in a rush.

Party Planner or no?

First I decided on the date and theme then I created a pinterest board to start collecting ideas. Once I had a rough vision of what I had in mind, I reached out to Unveiled Bliss. The reasons why having a party planner was #1 on my list when I ready to start the planning process was this:

I wanted an epic, “party of the year” type of first birthday
I’m a small business owner (working mom) and a new mom, having time to shower is an ongoing battle let alone time to plan a big bash
I wanted to be present and enjoy the party instead of worrying about the details and logistics

Here are just some of the things they took off my plate:

Helped me find the perfect venue (the right vibe and the right price) when my original one didn’t pan out
Created a mood board for the party
Bounce ideas with when I got stuck
Kept us on track planning wise
Handled vendor communication for design, set up and take down

I’m so so glad we had party planners. In addition to the above, you will also have to see the party highlights to see why having a party planner is game changing.

Go to Part Two: Party Highlights

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Rainbow Boba Milk Tea First Birthday Part Two

Rainbow Boba Milk Tea First Birthday Party