Name: Everett (1)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
We threw my son a Lucha Libre party. I'm Mexican and wanted a Mexican inspired party with a cool "boy" theme.
Our invitations looked like vintage Luchador posters, along with regular lucha libre posters for the yard. I made canvas posters of each of the baby's names and mounted luchador masks. My son wore a custom cape, cuffs, and mask.
We had a graphic designer create a Luchador caricature of my son and made stamps and posters for the party through Zazzle.com. We asked the little luchadors to wear leggings and they were given capes as party favors upon arrival.
We created a wrestling ring with blankets in the middle of the yard for the babies. We set up the following stations for our guests: baby cantina, changing table, snow cone, photo area with props, and lucha libre thumb war (Hog Wild Pro Thumb Wrestler). The loser had to take shots of tequila. We had a parents' pinata and a regular pinata for our guests.
My mother in-law made styrofoam luchador heads with capes to adorn our straws. The tables were decorated with oil cloths from Mexico, along with Luchador prayer candles and little plastic luchador figures. Our desserts were mini bites of the following: goat cheese cheesecake bites with raspberry chipotle sauce, fruit tartlets, lemon bars, and chocolate ganache cupcakes with star sprinkles. We had a delightful taquero that provided delicious tacos, elotes, and agua frescas. Mariachis serenaded the birthday boy and played while we hit the pinatas. The party catered to everyone, with baby and sans baby. It was a blast!
Sources:
• Invitations: Viva Press Greetings
• Luchador masks: Oriental Trading
• Cape, cuff and mask: Wood Frock
• Luchador caricature: graphic designer Josh Miller
• Capes: Power Capes
• Cupcakes: Andrea of The Best for Last
• Tacos: My Taco Man
• Mariachi band: Mariachi and More
Thanks Janeesa!
(Images: Brett Snyder)
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amazing attention to detail and this party sounds so fun for kids and adults. LOVE it
...bored look on birthday boy's face, priceless.
Ooh, this sounds like fun! My husband is Mexican, not a big fan of luchas, but I know he'll dig this. Forwarding to him. Love the baby cantina idea too.
I love it! You did an excellent job!
The snarky comments best kept to one's self never fail to gross me out. "Bored look on birthday boy's face" and "lost on your son"??? REALLY??? What exactly do you believe that adds to the dialogue? It's a one-year-old birthday party. Should he be totally into ANY theme??? This is a decorating website. So the intention is to take a look at the DECOR. With your mean-spirited comments you are...helping? Suggesting? Asking? No, you're just being a-holes because you can do it on the internet in a way you would never do it if this were one of your friends' parties.
Someone...a real person, not an editor at Martha Stewart Living...labored over this party for their real-life, actual son. So if you don't like it, do what you would do in real life. Offer a constructive suggestion, or keep it to yourself and keep it moving. Grow up and get a life.
So, so gross. This pervades AT and really ruins the site. I remember when the AT community REAMED a woman for her laundry room turned nursery. Every post on here seems to provide an opportunity for attack. "It's unsafe!" "It's not environmentally responsible!" "It's ugly!"
If you wouldn't voice it in person, don't voice it on here, please!
I thought the same, Chenell. It made me not want to submit my own child's party for awhile, and when I finally did, I included a picture of her smiling for this exact reason (which doesn't seem like it should be necessary).
Just noticed that on the invitation they asked for canned goods in lieu of presents. That's a really nice touch for a child's first birthday (before he's old enough to expect/understand presents)!
Wow, a little over the top there, Chenell? This party has a lot of good ideas, but let's face it, a themed first birthday party generally isn't for the child, it's for the parents. Take a deep breath, settle down, think carefully about what you want to say, and then post.
This party is so adorable and looks like so much fun. I wish there were more photos!
Kimberly,
Not at all over-the-top.
Firstly, you make my point exactly. The party decor was for the adults, in the same way a nursery is decorated primarily for the mother who will spend the first year using it, much to the oblivious disinterest of her infant. So the need for commenting on the "bored" look on the baby's face serves no purpose outside of snark.
Secondly, I thought very carefully about what I wanted to say. I wish others would do the same. This is an ongoing torrent on AT, and many of us are fed up. It makes this a hostile community for sharing ideas.
If you disagree, I can completely respect that. But I find myself becoming less and less inclined to even look at the comments on these posts...something I used to do because readers were asking for sources or providing constructive suggestions I felt added to the article or post.
The irony here is that you believe I should settle down, but those making nasty comments about a baby's birthday party are cool. And therein lies the problem, I suppose.
Sounds like a party I would want to attend, sans baby :)
Chenell, I agree with your point completely, but not for the comments you mentioned. I really took the "bored look" comment as a joke, in response to the parents choosing to post this particular picture of the kid looking, well, bored. I thought they were being funny by posting it and the commenter was making a joke in response. Maybe parents have cherished pictures of their kids bawling at a birthday party- it's comedic irony. Chesterandtrudy complemented the party- said it was cool and a success, but also noted the birthday boy looked tired. Some AT comments are horrible and snarky, but I'm not sure these comments are deserving of your ire.
This is an awesome party! I firmly believe the first birthday is for the PARENTS (you survived!) not the kid, so I think this is absolutely perfect.
Super cute party idea. @Chenell, you're overreacting.
Team Chenell! It's not an overreaction because it happens on nearly every baby decor post.
love love love this party. i too wish there were more photos! i would love to see the wrestling ring!
Such a great idea. I would have loved to have been there.
I like how
chesterandtrudy
formats his or her
comments
as verse.
:)
Also, awesome job on the party.
"The loser had to take shots of tequila." = EVERYONE WINS!!!
@olliegraphic
I
REALLY
DON'T!
Can I ask why you do that @chesterandtrudy? It reads terribly.
Great party for parents and kids alike.... is there a one year old that doesn't get overwhelmed at some point during their party? Especially during the cake/candles, when ALL eyes are on them! Pointing it out was probably not necessary though @chesterandtrudy. It didn't come across as a joke, or friendly for that matter. Telling a mother, and family, that the party they worked hard on creating for their little boy was "lost on him" is snarky. I think this is the real problem with AT, readers presume they know everything about a person and/or their family based on one photo of one moment in their lives.
Love it! Found more photos on her Facebook link, including lots of pics of the little birthday boy smiling! So cute. Check it out:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150665291996179.388628.649436178&type=3
Is that a highchair or a barber's chair or...? Neat!
I saw your invitations in VivaPress's ETSY shop! I got the same invites for my husband's surprise 30th birthday party that's next week. I love seeing the party. It has given me some great last minute ideas. THANKS!
I like the invitation but it's kind of wierding me out on behalf of the hosts that their name/address/email is displayed. But I guess they wouldn't have included that shot if they weren't prepared for that? Hopefully they won't get any unwated visitors on London Street!
Awesome in every way! I love the idea of "adult" pinata and "kid pinata" and the adults playing games, too. Kids get a kick out of seeing their parents geting goofy!