DJ’S FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY

WELCOME TO CAMP DAVID!

Before I could even fully grasp it, my son turned ONE. The first time I held him, the first smile, the first coo, the first solids, the first tooth, the first sit up, the first crawl, the first hair cut, the first step, and all the other little firsts that make up the first year…the longest year, yet the fastest…the hardest year, yet the happiest…And undoubtedly the most magical and emotional year…

For DJ’s Dohl* (More on the significance and meaning behind this Korean ceremony/tradition explained below), we wanted to go with a camp/woodland theme party and fell in love with “CAMP DAVID” (also a word play on the presidential retreat). As soon as my husband and I agreed on a theme, I reached out to Hannah Choi from Little Confetti Events to put everything together and Paul Kim over at BOM photography to document everything (he also photographed  my wedding, engagement, maternity, and Dannica’s Dohl). Hannah (from Little Confetti Events) was the mastermind behind my daughter’s Alice in Onederland themed Dohl, and I knew there wasn’t anyone else I wanted to work with (she is brilliant, amazing, creative, detail-oriented, and just all around the best of the best of the BEST). Below are some detail shots of the Dohljanchi table. All sources are listed at end of article.

KID’S ENTERTAINMENT (Not just for kids!)

It’s important to include entertainment to keep those little ones busy or else you will find your guests leaving before they can even finish their meals. We hired a balloon artist for Dannica’s first birthday party, but we wanted to do something that kids can do all together (but most importantly, not wait in line!). My brilliant Event Planner designed a camp themed Photo Booth station with props and polaroids for children (and adults!!) to take photos, and then make picture frames out of popsicle sticks and stickers to put the polaroid in! We also supplied camp themed coloring pages and crayons and markers.

I love these photos (there’s just something endearing about a crying birthday photo (similar to a crying Santa photo ;)–clearly you can guess which one loves photo booths 🙂

GUESTBOOK, SEAT ASSIGNMENT & OTHER DETAILS

In lieu of a traditional guestbook, we decided to go with a poster where guests can sign their names on a leaf and place it on a tree branch…I liked the symbolic meaning behind a family tree where each leaf brought together made for a full and lush tree.

For table/seat assignments, I named each table after a major national park (Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, etc)–in line with the camp themed party.

We also decided to go for S’mores kit for party favors–the ultimate/quintessential camping snack/dessert 🙂

DOHL & DOHLJABI

Dohl** is a Korean tradition that celebrates a baby’s first birthday. This ceremony blesses the child with a prosperous future and has great significance in Korean culture. The tradition came about because in the past, the death rates for babies were high and many children died before their first birthday. So it was an important milestone for both baby and parents and the whole village used to celebrate by sharing food and wishing for long life and fortune for the baby.

Dohljabi*** The highlight of the dohl is a custom called the dohljabi where the child is placed in front of a table of objects such as string, rice, books, and money. The child is then urged to pick up an object from the table. It is believed the one selected will foretell the child’s future. For example, if they pick up money, they will be wealthy. If the child picks up the thread, it is believed they will live a long life. The types of objects placed on the table for the baby to choose has evolved over time as a reflection of society’s evolving perception of successful occupations (stethoscope for becoming a doctor, gavel for becoming a lawyer, balls for becoming an athlete, and some have included mouse for becoming a computer engineer, legos for becoming an architect, etc).

Guests are asked to guess which object the baby will pick and “bet” by placing a raffle ticket in the basket corresponding to the object. The winner(s) would receive a small prize for guessing correctly. We had DJ “pick” out two objects, and the first one was money, the second was the football–so we are guessing he will hopefully become a “wealthy athlete” :). He mostly cried so much from all the attention and noise from the guests (people get very involved and excited!!), that his sister and I basically handed over whatever object we could grab, and waited to see if he would stop crying hahaha.

CAKE SMASH

We also of course love the more American tradition of a good cake smash session after singing Happy Birthday. We were actually the most excited about this because our daughter really did some damage (practically ate the entire cake) during her cake smash session. But I should have known!!–They have literally been night and day since birth, and DJ was more interested in the tablecloth than his cake!

INVITATIONS

I had DJ’s invitations designed by Jessica from Prop Shop Boutique (click links below for video). I wanted to design an interactive invitation where the tent was tied with twine, and the guest had to untie the twine and open the tent to reveal party details and logistics.

https://yourstrulyaenny.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_2254.mov https://yourstrulyaenny.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_2255.mov https://yourstrulyaenny.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_2256.mov

SOURCES:

Event Planner and Coordinator: Little Confetti Events

Photographer: BOM Photography

Cakes, Cupcakes & Cookies: Sugarsuckle

Cake Pops: Bakes by Marie

Restaurant: TORO

Photo Booth Props (click on individual item for direct link to shop): Tent, Rug, Plus Campfire Kit, Photo Booth Props

Invitations: Prop Shop Boutique

DJ’s Outfit: Suit and shirt is by Janie & Jack, Suspenders by Little Mister Shop, Shoes by The Humble Soles, Bow Tie by Wunderkin, Traditional Hanbok by Hanbok Story

Dannica’s Outfit: Black Eloise Dress by Bonpoint, Shoes by Zara, Bow by Wunderkin, Peach Lace dress by Kadime, Traditional Hanbok and accessories by Hanbok Story