Cosette April turned one, and what better theme for our little COCOmo than a first birthday luau party!
I knew I wanted to do a luau themed party when Cosette was just a few months old and she collected the nicknames Coconut and Cocomo. But the decorations, music, and food choices alone make this a great theme for any baby’s first birthday party!
I had so much fun planning this Luau party! When I plan parties, my goal is always to have fun with the theme, but I honestly don’t have the time or money to go overboard…who’s with me?!? So read on for some easy ways you can incorporate a Luau theme into a kid’s birthday party!
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First Birthday Luau Party Details
The Decorations
I love to search Etsy for unique and pretty decor! I found this sweet floral banner and cake topper . Then I found these rose gold streamers from Target and used them as a photo backdrop. I have a chalkboard easel, and it’s such an easy way to make a DIY sign for any theme! (If your kids don’t have a chalkboard/whiteboard easer, you NEED one!)
I ordered a bouquet of rose gold and blush balloons and a large “one” balloon. For a one year old’s birthday, I love hanging a banner of their monthly photo updates too! I just printed each of her monthly update photos, punched two small holes on top, and strung ribbon through them. Easy DIY banner!
The Food
Keep it on theme, but easy and simple! Our party was after dinner, but I still wanted some good snacks for guests to enjoy. I served ham and cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls. Serving them chilled meant that I could make them the night before! Then I grabbed small bags of Sun Chips and made a pina colada punch with pineapple juice, pina colada mix, and ginger ale.
And of course – a floral sheet cake to share and the most perfect little cake for her cake smash!
The Special Touches
We did a few little things to make our Luau party extra fun!
We had a Best Dressed contest to encourage guests to come dressed for the theme. It made for some festive attire and the winners got Hawaiian Brothers gift cards!
At a letter writing station, guests could write Cosette a special note for her to open on her 18th birthday. These will be so special in the future!
I grabbed colorful leis and sunglasses from Amazon for guests to wear when they came in too.
Don’t forget a fun music playlist. These were some of the songs we played in the background, and we even cranked it up for a little dance party at one point!
- Kokomo – The Beach Boys
- Under the Sea- The Little Mermaid
- The Pina Colada Song- Rupert Holmes
- How Far I’ll Go – Moana
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
- Surfin’ USA – The Beach Boys
Would you throw a Luau themed party? I think this may be my favorite party theme I’ve ever thrown so far!
You may also like: Cosette’s 9 Month Baby Update, Cosette April: 7 Month Update, and Cosette April: 3 month update.
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