I’m SO excited to finally share pictures from E.V.’s third birthday party in August. Our amazing photographer, Carrie Tabb, captured the day so beautifully that I can’t wait for you to scroll down! Eek! ;)
For Emma Vance’s third birthday, we decided to throw her an “Alice in Wonderland” inspired party since it’s one of our favorite books and movies. (Key word: inspired.) I always like to add a twist to my party themes (see here, here and here) because it makes planning for them more interesting, so I chose not to do the traditional take on Wonderland. Instead, I decided to imagine and illustrate Emma Vance as an Alice of sorts and go from there. I guess, then, that this particular interpretation of Lewis Carroll and Walt Disney’s works is more appropriately deemed “E.V. in Wonderland.”
It may have taken an extra month or two past her real birthday (hey, moving is tough business!) for us to celebrate our whimsical E.V. in Wonderland, but it’s never too late to celebrate, even if it is an UNbirthday, right? ;)
There were two big parts of “Alice in Wonderland” that really struck a chord with me — falling down the rabbit hole and the flowers she encounters. While with them, the flowers of Wonderland sing the most beautiful song to Alice, and in it, they say:
You can learn a lot of things from the flowers,
especially in the month of June.
There’s a wealth of happiness and romance
all in a golden afternoon.
Something about these lines has always stuck with me, and since E.V.’s birthday is in June (and because we love happiness and romance…and flowers), I figured it was a perfect notion to base her party around. With “A Golden Afternoon” in mind, I gathered a lot of golden (and glittery!) elements and added just a bit of minty-aqua blue (as a nod to Alice’s dress). I wanted everything to feel magical and whimsical, so I went with just succulents and white roses (save for one red rose in honor of you-know-who) and created a kid’s table that I thought the Mad Hatter would love (or at least that my interpretation of the Mad Hatter would love, haha!). I tried to give the feeling of falling down the rabbit hole by suspending illustrations of the Wonderland characters and items above the table, and in the wind they swayed beautifully, just as I imagined!
Everyone came and enjoyed our playroom, sipped snocones, jumped in a bounce house, ate brunch and chatted. I loved seeing our new house full and full of life! We sang “Happy Birthday” to my little E.V. in Wonderland, gobbled up glittery flower cupcakes (of course), and ended the party with a pull string piñata filled with golden sweets and treats (a repurpose from Cricket’s Gender Reveal). Overall, I was happy with the way everything turned out and hope that E.V. looks back at these pictures with a full heart one day, because we love our little three-year old beyond words. We truly hope her life is filled with a wealth of happiness and romance — and golden afternoons…