Birthday celebrations for my kids are a personal passion project. I get to bring imagination and beauty to my loved ones by gifting them with events that include some of their favorite things. As with many of my own designs for our clients, the concepts and planning start with pen and paper. Of course, I’m such a visual person, so it’s easiest for me to draw out what the party will look like then fill in the details with color and design. As you can see, my sketches are the foundation for the decor. I have to draw my vision on paper so I can imagine the positioning of the cake, gifts, balloons, and birthday signs to ensure it's all going to look just right.
For Elle’s Moana inspired 3rd birthday party, we wanted to bring in lots of graphic tropical details with a sweet look and feel. I knew that using my hand-painted watercolor flowers would bring a relaxing tone to the vibrant hues. Inside of the invitation suite sat a liner with a sunset scene decorated with palm leaves and multicolored hibiscus blooms. The card within revealed bright orange ombre watercoloring with the same flowers along its borders. I added some playful text that said “Make way make way for Ellie Hazel’s third birthday!” as a nod to the popular Moana song ‘Where You Are’.
These flowers and palm leaves were then used in many of the event details like custom wrapping paper, confetti, personalized stationery, and the birthday signage. Ellie's signature logo that was printed at the top of the invitation was also stamped onto the cutest coconuts that were custom made by Coco & Co. All of these playful colors and Hawaiian inspired florals created the perfect luau invitation suite and accessories for Elle's third birthday celebration.
Elle loves to get creative too. Here is a picture of her working hard planning the best Moana luau ever picking her favorite color way for her birthday signage! Tough decisions.
Invitation Design & Event Branding: Ceci New York | Custom Watercolor: Ceci New York | Photography: Ana Gambuto | Floral Crowns: Tinsel Experiential Design | Cake: Sugar Monster Sweets | Cake Pops: The Poppery | Branded Coconuts: Cocoandco | Hawaiian Shirts: Reyn Spooner | Elle's Dresses: Smiling Button | Ceci's Dress: Walter Baker | Jewelry: Tiny Tags | Crayons: Art 2 The Extreme | Linens: Nüage Designs
Explore more about this event and our inspirations by reading Elle's Tropical Moana Inspired 3rd Birthday Luau.
CREATIVE TEAM