My First Rodeo!

“My First Rodeo” is the CUTEST party theme to celebrate a spunky soon-to-be toddler in your life!

There are SO many ways to plan a party like this! One of my favorite aspects is probably how easy it is to switch it from boy to girl! Just add pops of pink or blue and you’re good to go!

This party is popular year round. At first thought I considered it to be a summer theme, but seeing the long sleeves and western wear is a vibe.

• What’s really great about this theme is that color’s aren’t super important. You can pick what you like to suit your preferences! I’m sticking with the neutrals, but it’s never a bad idea to add a pop of color to your party!
• The decor must-haves for me are cardboard or vinyl backdrops that set a scene for your pictures and make the little ones you’re celebrating smile.

Here’s how to make this gorgeous party happen.

My First Rodeo Details

My favorite items that I think are really good at bringing this theme to life are…

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My First Rodeo Products I love:

• Birthday Banner: You could pair it with other colors to make it extra girly or throw some blues in as well. There are lots of options out there, though!
• Themed Shirts! I love that the women’s shirt is a little different, but still on theme. The toddler version is adorable and comes in a few different colors, if you’re planning on adjusting this theme to suit your needs or gendered colors.
• This kit is only $20 and includes a full sized balloon garland, monthly photo banner for the first year of life, and a large foil mylar #1 balloon! I love a bundle that brings value and simplifies party prep.
• A cake topper like this one is a game changer. You use a plain cake, but dress it up to make it part of the theme!

Helpful Setup information:

For this party, I included a balloon garland. These can be a major undertaking to create on your own. To make the process as simple as possible, we highly recommend hiring a balloon designer. If you really want to DIY the process, check out our guide that tells you how to build a balloon garland!

This party can have a few different decor options. From streamers and garlands to tablecloths & cardboard cupcake tiered trays… decor needs to be setup properly to ensure a smooth, easy party. We share a guide on how to secure your party decor the right way, based on the surface and environment where you’re setting up!

It is recommend to set up the balloon garland 1 week before and store it. I talk more about that process in my how to build a balloon garland guide. I like to hang the backdrop for our pictures and cake table the night before. From there, all you have to do is add the extras the day of the party in a sometimes chaotic scramble. I prefer to prep as much as possible beforehand, but sometimes parties just don’t work out like that!

Age Matters!

Yes, the age of the person you’re celebrating is often the most important priority for your party’s atmosphere and ambience. In some scenarios, though, you’ll want to read the room and consider your guest list as well! A smooth party is filled with lots of tiny details to take your party from good to great. Check out our age appropriation guidelines here:

• Toddler Tips– If you’re celebrating a little one and invited lots of littles around the same age check out our checklist for hosting a toddler party that the little ones will actually enjoy!
• Family Oriented – My parties often look like this. I have multiple little ones and family members anywhere from 92 years old to infants that attend. These parties take a bit of extra prep to ensure there’s something for everyone. Visit my checklist for hosting a party with multiple ages and demographics attending over here!
• Teen Party – Teenagers are tough. I’m not going to begin to know what I’m doing or feel capable of actually making everyone happy. I will share my guide for intentional party prep that is my personal go-to when planning a party for a teenager.
• Adult Party– blah de blah adult party ambience guide/checklist linked.

This particular party was a family oriented party, where we had lots of ages and stages of life in one small space. It’s a little tricky, but I think we nailed it!

See my adult version of this party on my website! (placeholder for in-content link)

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a party turns out. I talk a lot more about appropriate furniture, add-ons, and equipment to use in my checklists for age appropriate party prepping above.

For this particular party, I chose a toddler bounce house from Little Tikes. This piece of equipment was cheaper than a rental bounce house, doubles as the birthday present, and it’s an item that you can use at parties for years later that the kids will LOVE.

Food & Drinks

We ordered/prepped these dishes beforehand, and stored them by doing XYZ to have them perfectly prepped for a picture perfect serving:

• corny waffles

These dishes/drinks don’t work with the amount of storage we had available beforehand, so we prepped or picked them up the day of:

• lemonade mix
• custom cake

The end result…. picture perfect: