Warning: It’s a Circus in Here

March 14, 2018 9 Comments

Category: Kids' Parties, Motherhood
Tags: Birthday, Chloe turns 2, Circus celebration, Ring leader, Toddler, daughter

Happy birthday to our Chloe who is 2 today!

We celebrated this past weekend with a CIRCUS at the Shapiro Ballroom. From the games to the décor to the party attendees, everything was so much FUN! Check out the amazing photos.

You guys know how much I love to throw a party and what better reason to celebrate than our baby girl turning TWO! I wanted to do something really fun and unexpected – incorporating games and activities for toddlers while also making it enjoyable for our friends and family. It was the perfect combination of both!

Location: The Shapiro Ballroom 

After hosting Chloe’s 1st birthday at our house which ended in a total mess, I knew I wanted to rent out a space this year that was bright, open and interesting (and would fit the 60+ people on our list!). The Shapiro Ballroom is all of that and more – it’s truly a gorgeous venue that’s used as a dance studio during the day but as an event venue at night and on weekends. The exposed brick walls, gorgeous wood floors and chandelier centerpiece make this studio truly spectacular. It was love at first sight! When I first stepped in, I immediately envisioned the circus drapery coming from the center light, and with the help of Frost, we were able to achieve the look perfectly.

The owner of The Shapiro Ballroom, Dee McCord, was so easy to work and helpful throughout our planning process. From mapping out our event layout with their easy-to-use online system to facilitating the serving staff and day-of set-up to even ordering our bouncy house, she made the process a breeze. I can’t recommend The Shapiro Ballroom enough to anyone looking to host anything from a wedding to a baby shower to yes, a birthday party!

Entertainment & Games

Since most of the children attending were Chloe’s age, I wanted to have entertainers toddlers could enjoy like a ballroom artist and face painter.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Page Deulin Face Painting – the photos below speak for themselves. She elevates face painting to a whole new level! She was wonderful with all of the kiddos in addition to being so talented, and even dressed up for the part! Our balloon artist, Neli (nelitzayanez@yahoo.com) is truly an artist in her own right too, creating the amazing ballroom displays for the party and then creating animal balloons for the children. 

I also created a few easy, carnival-like games, like Bozo Buckets, Duck Pond and Bag Toss. These were a hit with the little kids although most left the party soaking wet – ha! The bouncy house was such a great addition too – even Chloe loved getting in there with the big kids. Needless to say, everyone slept really well that night!

Décor

The biggest focus of the event was the drapery which was done by Frost, and it turned out incredible. (Thank you to Carolann for making it happen!!) It was great a striking statement when you walked into the room. The balloon pieces from Neli were incredible too. She is so talented and did everything by hand!

I also created a photo area leveraging the look of a circus stage with a sign I made that said “Step right up”. Thanks to JoAnn Fabric and my dad for setting it up and bringing the hay, the stage looked perfect. I even dressed up an ice bucket with “TWO” and added props for extra fun. Everyone had a great time with it!

The center pieces were made from popcorn buckets, carnival tickets and lots of balloons.

Costumes

Of course we all dressed up and Chloe was our ringleader! Her costume was seriously too much… I couldn’t stand how cute she looked! She loved it too – although, as you can tell from the pics (she is a little shy and timid of the camera). I wish you could have seen her big smile! Outfit was pieced together from things I found on Etsy and Amazon.

And, I was the popcorn girl! I took my job very seriously, as I greeted guests as they came in

Food and Dessert

I wanted to keep with our circus theme and created a “concession stand” packed with mini hot dogs, soft pretzels and mac and cheese and of course, lots of popcorn!

I decided on a dessert bar because I wanted a variety of treats for everyone, including a 3-layer Sweet Mandy B carrot cake (my fav!) and circus themed cookies, cake pops and cupcakes from an awesome Instagrammer who I am hooked on for all my themed-party needed (@sprinkledbysteph). My mother-in-law, Carolann, created these adorable lollypop stands – they were too perfect!

Well, what a party! It was a little crazy (what circus isn’t?!) but it was TOTALLY worth it! Chloe absolutely loved it, and so did all the guests.

HUGE thanks to The Shapiro Ballroom for making this event a success – it was everything I envisioned and more. Thank you to my-always-there photog, Chris Ocken from Chris Ocken Photography – you’re the best! And shout out to our amazing parents, who are the kindest, most helpful and loving grandparents in town! We are so incredibly lucky to have you. Thanks for coming, everyone!!

Cheers to TWO!