Torrential downpour and flooded streets were the LAST things I wanted for Ames and Joules on the day of their FIRST birthday party. The gathering was supposed to start at our house at 3:00PM. At around 12:00PM, I looked out the front window as the water in the streets kept rising and wondered if anyone would even show up. Despite the possibilities, I carried on with my over-the-top decorating.

As 3:00 PM approached, the skies seemed to magically part, and the rain stopped - thank goodness!! The kids were fed and dressed in their prince/princess outfits. We were ready!

Fast forward 6 hours later and we were saying goodbye to our last guests. Everyone showed up and we had a GREAT turnout. People enjoyed the party, the drinks, the pizza, and (of course) the smash cakes!

For the curious minds, no the twins did NOT like the smash cakes (it was their first time to have sweets so it’s not a surprise) and yes, they tolerated wearing their costumes for about 2 hours!

I’m sharing these photos/item details as inspiration for others (in case you’re interested in a royal twin theme birthday)!

PARTY PHOTOS!

THE COSTUMES

Being the perfectionista that I am, I searched high and low for several months in advance of the party for the perfect outfits for Ames and Joules. I ultimately “piece-mealed” their whole outfits all from different Etsy shops.

Prince Ames

Ames was clearly as close to Prince Charming as a little boy could be! Look at that costume! He got SO many compliments on it. The best part was that his belt was monogrammed with an “A” for Ames. The Etsy shop that sells the prince costume usually sells it with shoes and a crown, but we opted to forgo that and buy them separately from different Etsy stores (see the moccasins and crown below). Of note, it took nearly 7 weeks to receive the outfit (from placing the order to receiving the delivery). Totally and utterly worth the wait, though! We ordered the 12-18 mo size. The pants were a little long, but we rolled them up at the waist and then it fit perfectly. Click on the icons below to shop Ames’ prince outfit.

Princess Joules

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This was probably my best purchase of the entire birthday. Her dress was GORGEOUS and extremely affordable!! The Etsy shop even custom made the color pink (it usually comes blue like Cinderella), but I wanted Joules to wear a different color than Ames. While the dress did take a long time to be made (~5 weeks from placing the order to receiving the delivery), it came in perfect condition. The dress is very stretchy and was a perfect fit. We ordered 12-18 mo size. We added some fun sneakers to go under her dress that have a crown on one toe and a “1” on the other. Way too cute! Click on the icons below to shop Joules’ princess outfit.

THE CASTLES

What royal themed birthday doesn’t need castles? We had 2 different types of castles, one for decor and one they could play in!

Diaper Castle

I made these myself! I used random items we already had around the house (FUN FACT: The blue and pink ribbons I used on these diaper castles were the same ribbons wrapped around their baby shower gifts from before their birth!) It took me 2 hours from start to finish to make these. I used about 25 diapers, 30 rubber bands, 2 pieces of paper, 4 plastic flags, and 2 pieces of ribbon to make each castle. Easy DIY project. If you don’t want to to do it yourself and are willing to spend a pretty penny, though, you can purchase them on Etsy from the shop that gave me my inspiration (see below).

Littles Tikes Play Castle

The twins adore this thing so much! We got it as a gift from their grandparents right before their 1st birthday. The kids play in it every single day. It has a slide, so that’s something that requires supervision. You can find them at Walmart’s website below.

THE CAKES

We had our cakes made at a local bakery in Dallas, called Panini Bakery. My mother found some cute crowns on Amazon that we used as cake toppers. Unfortunately, the twins did NOT like their cake - but it was the first time they had ever had sweets. I know they’ll come around!

For the record, when we told people we were doing a “cake smash,” what we didn’t tell them was that the twins’ dad and I were actually going to smash their faces into the cakes (that part was a surprise!) It was all in good fun and, of course, extremely funny. Hm, maybe a tradition? ;)

THE DECOR

Royal Theme Banners

I loved these banners so much! We had 3 banners - one for the high chairs, one for the wall, and one in the doorway that had their 12 monthly pictures hung. They all came from Etsy (like everything else!).

I hope this gives people some ideas if they’re planning a big birthday party soon - especially one for boy/girl twins! It took several months to find and plan the right outfits and decor, but I think our Prince and Princess approved of the end result!! YAY for surviving year ONE!

Hi.

Oct 24 A Royal 1st Birthday!

PARTY PHOTOS!