The Fascianella Family: Joey's Teddy Bear Birthday Bash

The theme of Joey's 1st Birthday was predetermined before he was even born. My mom, had bought teddy bear themed party supplies for my baby shower but when it came it was actually geared towards a 1st birthday.

Unfortunately, my mom passed away when I was 7 months pregnant so it was very important to me to keep with the teddy bear theme. Teddy bear decor isn't as popular as I thought so I decided to stick with a brown and blue color scheme, working in teddy bears when ever I can.

Joey's invite

All the stationery items (invitation, banner, escort cards, cupcake toppers, etc.) were designed by me and printed with Vistaprint. We had the party at an oriental restaurant owned by a friend of the family. It's actually a place we've used in the best for holidays, celebrations and other parties, including my bridal shower. The food is beyond delicious and the service is always great.

Tissue pompoms & photo garland

I made 40 tissue pom poms, half in each color: mocha and fiesta blue. We had latex balloon centerpieces in the same two colors with a bear mylar added in as well to stick with the theme. The weight of each centerpiece was surrounded with plush teddy bears from Oriental Trading.

Also for decor I made photo garland using over 200 photos of my son over his first year. It was approx. 144 ft and we strung it all around the restaurant. The sheer length of the garland was an impact piece that had all our guests in awe.

Popcorn balls and rocky road treat bags

The guest favors were two-fold. First attached to the guests escort cards were handmade ceramic teddy bear ornaments made by my uncle. I gave him a copy of the invitation and he matched the bear perfectly! On the back he even added Joey's initials "JTF".

The second part of the favor was found at each guest place setting. It was a treat bag with a popcorn ball (made by me) and a piece of rocky road (made by my mother in law).

Pretzel crayons

The numerous kids at the party were spoiled! Their escort cards were attached to tiny gable boxes filled with bear bubbles and assorted candy. We also set up a candy bar for them. Of course the adults took full advantage of it as well. I made pretzel crayons (which were a huge hit), chocolate covered oreos and packaged rice krispy treats for the table in additional to all the store bought candy. For dessert in addition to the cakes from BJ's, my mother in law made rice pudding and her famous "dirt". My aunt in law also made biscotti which went perfectly with the coffee and tea. The kids were treated to teddy bear cupcakes that I made especially for them.

King Henry with some of the kids

Since it was a 4-hour party we decided to hire entertainment for the kids. We hired King Henry Entertainment. King Henry himself showed up and was a complete hit with kids and adults alike. King Henry is a local "celebrity" and works in conjunction with the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league baseball team. He was funny. Between the magic show and the balloon sculptures all the children were thrilled.

Here are some photos from the party. We also hired Personal Paparazzi Photography to capture the day. After a slight miss communication, I am happy with the photos. I'd recommend her but I'd suggest clarifying your editing preferences.