Thanks to Korean American mommy Anne G, we're able to share with you Monica's fabulous first birthday! Enjoy her photos and leave a message for the happy family.
After twin boys, we were blessed with our baby girl Monica and a chance for us (actually, me) to plan a beautiful dol for our princess. I started out with the idea of a butterfly theme. There is something whimsical, fresh and beautiful about the butterfly. Then, as I was surfing the net for some ideas, I came across a cupcake design for a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed party and I fell in love with that as well. So, for a very short while, the theme was going to be "Very Hungry Caterpillar" with bold, primary colors and all things Eric Carle. But, I could not get the butterfly idea out of my head.
So, after getting people's thoughts, a metamorphoses theme came into being--our little caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly--and then everything started falling into place with the help of the incredibly patient and creative Sally Shin of Harvest Event and Design.
Dohl Posters & More and Koko Printing Co. were also instrumental in tying our theme and color scheme through from invitations to doljabi raffle and poster through party favor labels.
We had just moved into our new home, so it was important to us to celebrate Monica's dol at home, rather than at an outside venue. We had to pick a color scheme that did not center around pink (which I don't really like except that we love our little girl in that color) or primary colors that would remind someone of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Harvest came up with a yellow, tangerine orange and lime green color scheme that pulled everything together nicely. Entertainment was also a large focus.
We wanted baby friendly entertainment that adults would enjoy as well. We had our swimming pool open for the kids to enjoy if they wished to, and a lifeguard on duty so that parents could enjoy themselves with a little less worry. And, after pondering several varying ideas, we honed in on Korean traditional dance--fan dance, spinning hat dance and drum dance. Booking such a vendor, however, was easier said than done. Just as we were about to give up, we found Ko's Korean Traditional Dance Institute. They sent their dance students to Monica's dol and the performances were 10 minutes each, for a total of half an hour. What was important to us was to celebrate our baby girl, but also to share our culture with our friends, so the traditional dances were very meaningful. Traditional Korean food was provided by Shinmi Catering, which did an incredible job. We ordered cake from Dorie Kinney who has always put together the most memorable creations for our biggest events and moist cupcakes from Becky Lehman of Heaven Scent Cakes (who put together a display caterpillar in two tones of green based off the Very Hungry Caterpillar cupcake set up I had earlier seen on line).
The biggest logistical issue was how to seat 70+ adults and 70+ children while leaving prime grass space outside open for the Korean traditional dancers, but ELM Concierge was up to the task in providing us with very manageable seating schemes and all our rentals. Harvest put together a wonderful treat station that kept true to the color scheme and had butterfly wings custom made as party favors for the girls and insect nets, bug jars with magnifying glass lids and plastic bugs as party favors for the boys. We also provided a variety of tattoos and silly bands.
Monica had an outfit change, of course. She started off in a pink and brown/crystal embellished top with a tutu custom made by my friend Chris to coordinate and then changed into a traditional Korean hanbok with traditional colors. During the traditional doljabi, Monica first chose a stethoscope (doctor like daddy) and next chose a golf ball (athlete). Monica was an angel until cake time at which she started sobbing likely because there were dozens of children screaming the tune of Happy Birthday To You at her. I couldn't help but laugh. We closed out Monica's dol with a butterfly release. Although it was a good idea in concept, the execution was not as smooth as I had pictured in my mind (imagine not-so-coordinated little kid fingers trying to open a delicate package with a more delicate butterfly inside...). But, a majority of the butterflies were successfully released and the kids and adults all seemed to enjoy it.
Come see a video of the party with all the gorgeous details of Monica's party!
Monica's dol was everything we had hoped for and more. We had such a great time (and stressful moments, of course) planning it (with the help of our vendors listed below). We celebrated Monica's big day and our culture with our close friends. My husband is a little worried about what it will be like when it comes time to plan her wedding, but that is years away and we plan on enjoying every moment of being Monica's parents until then.
Event Planner: Harvest Event and Design, Sally Shin (decor, balloons, dduk, party favors, treat station, butterfly release)
Cake: Dorie Kinney, [email protected]
Cupcakes: Heaven Scent Cakes, Rebecca Lehman, [email protected]
Catering: Shinmi Catering
Korean Traditional Dance: Ko's Korean Traditional Dance Institute, Sue Hee Ko, (213) 427-0525
Rentals: ELM Concierge
Invitations, doljabi board and party favor labels: www.DohlPostersnMore.com
Good to see you had fun - and managed to photograph some tricky mittens!
Posted by: cheap coach handbags | 01/12/2011 at 02:58 AM