Mother-of-four, Rochelle Vukelic, wanted to throw her little girl Lola a first birthday party to remember.
The 32-year-old, from Sydney, who has four children under five – three girls and a boy – adores throwing big parties for friends and family and wanted to ensure Lola’s big day was no different.
The result was a stunning summer garden/unicorn themed bash complete with pastel drapery, lavish grazing boards, ponies, personalised lunch boxes, a watercolour cake and beautiful floral installations.
‘I love throwing big parties for the children as it’s a great way to treat them and family and friends and I just love seeing everyone happy and having an amazing time,’ Ms Vukelic, a hairdresser, told FEMAIL.
Mother-of-four, Rochelle Vukelic, wanted to throw her little girl Lola a first birthday party to remember
The 32-year-old, from Sydney, who has four children under five – three girls and a boy – adores throwing big parties for friends and family and wanted to ensure Lola’s big day was no different
The result was a stunning summer garden/unicorn themed bash complete with pastel drapery, lavish grazing boards, ponies, personalised lunch boxes (pictured), a watercolour cake and beautiful floral installations
‘We are 32 and love entertaining but once you have kids it gets harder to get together with people so it’s a good excuse to get everyone together as well.
‘The parties are wonderful for making memories and because we don’t get out much we start planning early and make sure they’re an event to remember.’
Ms Vukelic invited 77 guests all up – 50 adults and 27 children – and hosted the extravagant bash at their family home on Saturday afternoon.
‘I used inspiration from Etsy and Instagram to plan it and I knew I wanted to go with pretty blushes and pretty pinks as a colour palette to reflect the summer garden/unicorn theme,’ Ms Vukelic said, adding that it cost between $20k and $25k all up.
Even the drinks station was on theme with stunning signage, florals and coloured options
‘I used inspiration from Etsy and Instagram to plan it and I knew I wanted to go with pretty blushes and pretty pinks as a colour palette to reflect the summer garden/unicorn theme,’ Ms Vukelic said
She organised a towering watercolour cake by Opal Rains (left) in shades of pastel and blush pink which she set up surrounded by florals and floral installations from Seed Flora
Ms Vukelic hired the Blonde Butler to cater the event with stunning grazing boards and bespoke children’s lunch boxes filled with fruit and sweet treats.
She also organised a towering watercolour cake by Opal Rains in shades of pastel and blush pink which she set up surrounded by florals and floral installations from Seed Flora, Pink Mix Parties balloons and Ruby Rabbit party and tableware.
Seed Flora also created a hanging floral installation in the draped marquee that resembled a little girls hanging mobile.
She used Decorative Events to style the party, hired a children’s marquee from Divine Events and used The Treasure Room for all kinds of fun and playful props to deck the place out in style.
The doting mother kept the entire space on theme and created a little girl’s dreamland complete with a giant unicorn
‘We are 32 and love entertaining but once you have kids it gets harder to get together with people so it’s a good excuse to get everyone together as well,’ she said
For the food, Ms Vukelic hired the Blonde Butler to cater the event with stunning grazing boards and bespoke children’s lunch boxes filled with fruit and sweet treats
The doting mother kept the entire space on theme and created a little girl’s dreamland complete with a giant unicorn and tiny Shetland ponies dressed up as unicorns.
Other entertainment included Ben and Ashley from Pinnacle Entertainment and an Elsa entertainer.
The entire event was captured by Rachel K Photography and snapped Ms Vukelic and her family who were all dressed up on theme as well.
‘The day was amazing, nice and sunny. Lola and all the other kids had a great time,’ Ms Vukelic said. ‘We love throwing parties for our kids and cherish these moments because we love seeing how excited they get. It’s really the best feeling.’
Ms Vukelic said her number one tip would be to start planning early to get the best deals.
‘The day was amazing, nice and sunny. Lola and all the other kids had a great time,’ Ms Vukelic said
‘We love throwing parties for our kids and cherish these moments because we love seeing how excited they get. It’s really the best feeling,’ she said
An entertainer dressed as Elsa from Frozen came along and did face painting and singing for the little ones
‘I would just say start planning very early, especially if you have a child born right near Christmas (like me)… popular companies on Instagram get booked out fast,’ Ms Vukelic said, who insists an amazing event can be thrown on any budget.
‘I get ideas from Etsy for the little details. It’s amazing what you can find on there.
‘If you can afford to have it at a licensed venue, do it. We are lucky enough to have a great house for entertaining but if you have it somewhere else then that can also take some of the stress away.
‘Have a mood board as well and forward it to everyone involved in your little one’s special day.’
She also said that the food boxes and a solid theme were important.
There were also tiny Shetland ponies dressed up as unicorns complete with tiny gold horns and dyed pink manes
‘Dessert and cake areas and displays are the centre of the party. They show exactly what the theme is and are a reflection of your child’s personality. Go all out and get creative for where you’re cutting the cake for the perfect photos,’ she said
‘Children’s food boxes done specially for each child are a great way to have an all in one easy and great looking lunch for the kids and a good option for the kids that have allergies,’ she said.
‘Dessert and cake areas and displays are the centre of the party. They show exactly what the theme is and are a reflection of your child’s personality. Go all out and get creative for where you’re cutting the cake for the perfect photos.
‘My husband and I loved the day and so did the kids. We love our growing family so much and loved seeing family and all their little friends get so excited when they saw our pink custom coloured unicorns and had their face painted by beautiful Elsa.’
The final piece of advice Ms Vukelic had was to always hire a photographer.
‘My husband and I loved the day and so did the kids. We love our growing family so much and loved seeing family and all their little friends get so excited when they saw our pink custom coloured unicorns,’ she said
‘Get a photographer, that is my biggest word of advice,’ Ms Vukelic said
‘Don’t put that stress on yourself, you want to enjoy the day you have put so much effort into for your little munchkin,’ she said
‘Get a photographer, that is my biggest word of advice,’ she said.
‘If your budget doesn’t allow, ask a really great photo taking friend or family member.
‘Don’t put that stress on yourself, you want to enjoy the day you have put so much effort into for your little munchkin.
‘These parties we share with our family and friends and especially our four beautiful children. Make the best and most fondest memories. It still puts a smile on my face.’