Styled Toddler Birthday Party On A Budget : Where To Splurge And Where To Save!

Birthdays are magical moments for kids. Between balloons, presents, extra attention, and cake special memories are formed. They're also magical for moms! You get an excuse to decorate, spoil your kid, and watch them beam with joy! As for the dad's, they're probably just checking their wallet, but when it all comes together even they can't deny your child's excitement was worth it! 

During the prep phase. The B-word gets brought up again and again. Budget! So how do you create a party that looks a million bucks, but is budget friendly? 

✓ Have a game plan

✓ Get creative

✓Find Deals

✓ Use what you have

✓ DIY

✓Splurge on the right things

Have a game plan: 

First you need to have a general idea of the budget for your party. Once you've got a budget in mind it's time to settle on a theme. To keep you on track for the theme and prevent you from buying unnecessary things I recommend creating a mood board. For details and tips on creating a mood board head to my Mood Board Post. 

This is the final mood board I settled on for my daughter's birthday. I may change or add details as I move forward towards the party, but as long as what I add stays on theme the end result will be stunning!

Get Creative: 

Grasses, leaves, and flowers add so much to any setting. I love the look of pampas grass and am lucky that it grows abundantly in the Bay area.

I came across an area where this grass was being tragically mowed down near the beach. I knew I had the perfect use for it. So I collected several stems and brought it home. Before the party and I'm sure after it'll be stunning in my living room!

What grows wild in your local area? Consider a little foraging to cut costs.

Find Deals: 

Women are designed to love deals! There's that giddiness that comes when chatting with your girlfriend's and you say "guess how much it cost me?" 

Don't wait til the last minute to start planning the party. Keep an eye out throughout the year for the right deals on birthday items. Just remember don't stray from the theme or you'll end up spending more for unnecessary "deals".

This marble A is a perfect example of a deal in my book!  I found it at Marshall's for $6! Originally I bought it as decor for my daughter's room. It made it onto the moodboard when I started planning her party. And I love it!

The closet thing I could find online was $36 and it wasn't half as pretty. 

DIY:          

My sewing ability is limited, but something inside me can't say no to trying a DIY to save money. Since the style party I'm doing is picnicy and cozy I wanted pillows, but holy cow! I cannot be the only person who thinks throw pillows and covers are ridiculously expensive.                                                    

I had some throw pillows I impulse bought over a year ago, but never loved. I took off the cover, placed it right on top of my fabric and cut. It was as simple as sewing two squares together. Total cost $0 since I repurposed what I already had. 

Choose your own Adventure: 

In my opinion the outfit could be a splurge, a diy, a deal, or just a regular purchase.

Today I do not have the skill or courage to sew an outfit so I passed on that opportunity, but if you have that skill this is a perfect place to create something special and save money!

It could also be the perfect place to splurge.

This site has the most dreamy children's special occasion outfits. 

This time around I decided to treat the outfit as a normal purchase and am counting it as one of her birthday gifts. You can find the same romper here.

Deal, Splurge, and DIY:

I was searching online for a smash cake stand for a few weeks. It looked like I would be spending $20-30. Which I get, but I didn't really want to spend that much on a small detail. I walked into target with my husband one day and browsed the deals section near the front and found this $5 gem. It's glass fits my aesthetic, budget, and is the perfect size for a smash cake!

The candle holders are also a small detail, but I cared more about their overall impact so I'm counting it as a splurge. I'm sure given more time I could find a deal, but after looking at tons of candle holders in the end these were the ones that created the mood I was going for. 

The flower confetti is an easy detail I'm looking forward to sprinkling around the party. You can find the full DIY tutorial here. You can make it in advance. I've stored the confetti above in my fridge for two months. The color will change some, but it's still beautiful!

Splurge:

You already know I think pillow covers are expensive. I justified this purchase for her party by committing to a pillow I would happily style in my home longterm. 

Her party is in two weeks. I still have a few last minute things to get to prepare. Keep a lookout for the final reveal and get ready to start planning the perfect party of your own!