We celebrated our sweet girls turning TWO & FIVE over the weekend with a pool party, it was so much fun and I am so excited to share some pictures from their special day.  I mentioned before that we decided on a joint party this year (Avalon’s birthday was at the beginning of June and Waverly’s is at the end of July), I loved the idea of it and ask me now after their party, I would 110% say the same and am totally on board to do this forever! 😉  Not only is it way easier to do just one party, but we have a lot of extended family and friends who want to celebrate the girls and this way, we get to do that but each of them also can have their own (way more low key) thing on their actual birthday with their little friends, at any place they choose to go.

This party was actually one of the easier ones I have planned, as I knew all anyone would want to do is swim and have fun in the pool (which was definitely the case!).  We went with a blue and green theme, with a few pops of pink, both inspired by the girls suits and the cutest cake idea we found on Pinterest.  We set out bubbles, water guns and water balloons in the colors of the party, and did two games (found here & here if you are planning a pool party, these were so much fun and perfect for this age group!).  For food, we did a chicken nugget tray we got at Chick-Fil-A and some kid friendly snacks, along with a blue margarita for the adults that ended up being a huge hit (we actually ended up going on an ABC store run doing the party for a second round, not sure what that says about us …).  The setup was super cute, a special thank you to my mom for helping with everything per usual and surprising me with cupcakes that spelled out each of the girls names.

I pretty much didn’t see Waverly most of the party, she was having way too much fun with all her friends and is still talking about how “awesome” everything was.  Avalon was content eating (and eating some more), and then later having her daddy throw in her in the pool 100 times in a row.  They were so sweet opening their presents after the party that night, Waverly made sure she helped Avalon with hers and they lined everything they got in the front of the living room.  I never want to forget how Avalon kept saying “my paw-ty” or how Waverly kept asking where everyone would park and how she stood out in the driveway waiting for the first person to arrive. 
Happiest birthday to my summer girls, I love you both more than you will ever know and you bring so much joy to so many lives!!!!!  XO

Over the weekend, we celebrated Waverly Maye’s fourth birthday with a brunch, donut style per her request!  This might have been one of my favorite parties yet, donuts are one of our go-to weekend treats and I also loved seeing Waverly with all of her little friends who got to come.  This was the first year that she really had a big group of kids her age and she was so excited, we all had the best time celebrating her!

I really wanted to find a fun way to display the donuts, & the cutest shop Freestyle Mom pulled through with the most adorable stand, I am obsessed with it!  I also used a wine stand from our wedding to put donut holes in, and alternated with confetti, the girls loved getting to pick out their own cone.  In addition to donuts, we did an egg & cheese casserole, blueberry muffins, yogurt parfaits, fruit kabobs, and little cups of different cereal for the kids.

Gone are the days of throwing out a few bottles of bubbles, a plastic pool, or sidewalk chalk to keep the kids entertained.  My mom took charge of planning activities for the little ones, and I was so thankful, we pretty much waited until the last minute & I’m sure I would have learned the hard way if we hadn’t (with ten four-year olds, on a sugar high, with nothing to do).  My favorite game was donuts on a string, we just hung donuts and let the kids go to town with their hands behind their backs and it was the cutest ever!  We also had pinata, we let the kids decorate their own donut with icing, sprinkles and other treats, and at the end of the party, did a little painting with washable paints.  I actually love this idea for even a fun afternoon activity, we just got super cheap foam boards from Micheal’s and put them up against our fence.  

Inside, we did cake and drinks.  We had both mimosas and then a little milk bar, with mini-donuts around the straws.  I absolutely loved the donut cake, and also cannot take any credit for it, but it was adorable and one of Waverly’s favorite parts of her day!

I have vowed to plan only one party next year for both girls (I think it was sometime that morning, while four little hands were taking donuts off the stand as I put them on, I actually laugh now thinking back on what a circus our house had to have looked like pre-party).

But regardless of how exhausting stuff like this can be, it’s all worth it.  Before long they will be in high school and wanting to spend their birthdays anywhere but home, so I’m going to soak this in while I can.  And give them all the donuts they want. 😉

And lastly, thank you for your sweet birthday wishes for our big girl, it means so much!
XO

Girls Dresses – Donut Stand – Tissue Garland 

We celebrated miss Avalon Elle over the weekend with a garden party, a theme I decided on when she was around six months old because it just seemed to fit her so well.  Anyone who knows Avalon knows how sweet she is, there really is no better word to describe her, so a sweet garden party with some of our family & close friends was truly perfect.  I know she won’t remember it, but I hope she looks back on these pictures one day & knows how much love was put into such a special day all for her.

I decided on a food table inside, with a few fun decorations and some pictures of Avalon hung into a garland, and then a dessert table outside.  The board was a labor of love, the biggest thanks to Michelle from Design with Elegance for the beautiful flowers & Hooray Everyday for the felt garland. I am definitely keeping them to possibly use in the girls playroom or Avalon’s room as a fun memory.

Outside, we had a table with the most beautiful & delicious cake (made by Rachel Bakes, if you are in the area!), as well as macaroons and little pots of dirt cake.  We used the same high chair that we found at a garage sale & painted white for Waverly’s first birthday, and around it was the most gorgeous felt garland by Erin from The Grey Rose.  We also had the biggest balloon of all time (not pictured, but seriously, it was huge!), hung with ivy as the string.
Avalon has a major sweet tooth, so I was so excited to see her smash into her cake!  She loved it & probably even loved the strawberries more, I have about 500 more pictures of her just melting us all with those blue eyes while sitting in her chair.  She could have sat there forever!  Afterwards, we changed her and let her open a few presents, by the end of the day she was completely exhausted but still hanging on just as sweet as can be.  The biggest thank you to our family & friends who came out to celebrate such a special day for our baby girl, and to my brother who face-timed in from across the country since he knew how sad I was for him to miss it.  We are so thankful that our girls are surrounded by people who love them just as much as we do!
See a full list of links below, happiest birthday to our littlest lady, you bring us so much joy and we love you so incredibly much!

Happy Monday!!  I am SO excited to share these images from my first stylized shoot today, I hope you love them as much as I do.  My love of fashion, event planning, & all things bridal made this one of my favorite things I’ve done, I’m so thankful to the talented team of ladies who made it all happen.

  An extra special shout-out to my little sister, who rocked it as the bride for this shoot, I had so much fun playing her maid of honor this time.

A full list of all the people involved is below, if you are in the area, these ladies & shops are truly some of the best and I was honored to work with them on such a fun project.
Stylist & Coordinator – Ashley Brickner Event Planning & Styling
Makeup – Dhalia Edawards
Invitations & Sign – Sami Proctor
Furniture Rentals – Bluebird’s Garage
Cake – Rachel Bakes
Photography – Elizabeth Henson Photos

And of course, email me at abrickner1@gmail.com with any event planning or styling needs, this of course was more focused on bridal but I am very open to ALL kinds of planning & styling!  Happy week ahead, friends! XO