With Christmas just around the corner, managing finances for a birthday party around this time of year is increasingly difficult.
Parenting on Female First
Mums feel more pressure now than there was on their own parents' generation to throw a memorable party.
With many admitting to being embarrassed if guests didn't come, according to GrowingUpMilkInfo.com.
But savvy mums are on track with their finances as an average cost of a first birthday party is less than £114 with less than £10 per head being spent.
Parents choose to celebrate the milestone event with close-knit family (70%), over a bigger bash with extended family (33.44%) and friends (41%).
Steven Duggen, Party Planner To The Stars, Shares His Top Tips On Luxury Without The Price Tag
- There are many ways to achieve a stunning look at home for your toddler's party. It is important to decorate smart, for example, using recyclable products from your home and making interesting hanging features! When hanging, make sure your craft pieces are out of reach of little fingers
- The classic blue for a boy and pink for a girl has now developed into pale greens, yellows and other pastel tones to set a certain theme or 'look'
- Popular hired entertainment includes clay making, balloon modellers and face painting but something you can do at home is to have colouring competitions, cupcake decorating and decoration-making
- For the more lavish or elegant settings you wish to create, the use of a few fun props to hire, coloured wall up-lighting and even tall jungle trees will help to get a great atmosphere within the space. Themes are also impactful. You can choose anything from Alice in Wonderland, to Aladdin, to a Circus party and still be able to create the setting for less by being a little more creative
- The idea is to create a theme that is fun, as busy and detailed as possible, while using art supplies and items from around the house
- Soft play areas and mini ball pits are also very popular for the younger ones. Again you can have an entire floor of soft play and soft shapes to ensure they are safe.'
Celebrity Party Planner, Steven Duggen, believes this thrifty trend is on the rise, commenting: "Planning your child's first birthday party needn't be a time of high stress, it's important for parents to have fun too! You don't need to spend thousands to get the right look. Foliage and bright flowers from the garden, brown paper tablecloths for kids to draw on, hanging numbers or shapes cut out of colour card and a bit of home baking can complete a successful look in hours.
"Hand made cakes and cupcake towers are very popular with our clients right now. Do not be ashamed of your irregular or out of shape cakes as this homemade look is all in! Coloured icing, small toys, funky candles set off the theme you have chosen also."