A Parisian Flower Stall Birthday Party

“What Fun to Be Un!” Take a look back with me at that time we celebrated my little girl’s first birthday in true-ish Parisian style with this sweet flower stall birthday party, complete with French-inspired foods and DIY floral bouquet take-home favors.

The Inspiration

As I’m sitting here planning out my oldest’s TENTH birthday, my daughter’s SEVENTH birthday, and my youngest’s FOURTH birthday (what?!), I can’t help but reminiscence on the birthday-parties-of-yore. Where does the time go?!

The inspo behind my girl’s first birthday party was none other than the gorgeous outdoor flower markets peppered throughout the streets of France.

I fell in love with these flower markets (and all-things-French, really) long before I lived abroad, but nothing prepared me for how incredible they are in person. They’re full of life and color and incredible floral scents. Almost-endless varieties of flowers and greenery grouped together by type and color and texture, carefully arranged in such a way that everything feels effortless and natural.

When it came time celebrate little Charlotte’s late-summer birthday, I wanted something fit for a one-year old princess without necessarily screaming “princess”. Cute and delicate. Sweet and dainty. Extra (because I’m me), but still intimate and “effortless”. I knew what had to be done.

A French flower stall birthday party.

Makes sense, non?

Decor to Set the Scene

Creating our little Memphis-based fleuriste was honestly easier than you might expect. Authentic French flower markets have a bit of a rustic feel, so the mid-twenty-teens timing couldn’t have worked out better for us! Chalkboards, kraft paper, faux florals and greenery, aluminum buckets – all widely available thanks to the current wedding trends.

Since this was a small party just for family and close friends, I kept things relatively simple. A few well-placed balloons. A free-standing chalkboard to welcome our guests and set the scene. Handwritten chalkboard table cards to mimic the signs placed throughout the stalls. Fresh florals were grouped within aluminum buckets and set up on tiered wooden stands built by my dad.

All-in-all, very quaint.

Maybe my favorite touch, and definitely the one that had the biggest impact, was the black-and-white striped valance behind the food table. They couldn’t have been easier – I just ordered the valances from Amazon and pinned them to my already-hanging curtain rod. So simple, but instantly transformed the room and really contributed to the overall vibe.

Party-Perfect French(ish) Foods

When it came to the menu, my goal was “French-inspired, but easy”.

I’m going to be 100% honest. Costco was the real MVP for this flower stall party. Michael’s and Amazon lent a hand, don’t get me wrong, but the food? The fresh florals? All Costco, my friends.

What we served:

• Frozen mini quiche
• Frozen spanikopita
• Croissants stuffed with Costco chicken salad
• Madeleine cookies
• A charcuterie and cheese board
• Kale + brussels salad
• A mimosa bar with chambord, St. Germaine, lemonade, orange juice, and fresh fruit

Again, all from Costco. And no, this is not a sponsored post, I’m just a big fan (but Costco, if you’re reading this… hit me up.)

The Cake (and the Smash Cake)

Allow me to really show my millennial for a moment. I don’t know if smash cakes and naked cakes are still “things”, but in 2018? They absolutely were.

We topped the cakes with a layer of wax paper and then just placed fresh flowers on top. So simple, so pretty, and so, so easy.

The cakes themselves were homemade using tried-and-true box cake mix, frosted ever-so-lightly to get that semi-naked cake look. Perfect for the rustic, lightly-French aesthetic we were after.

Baby girl was a big fan.

The Pièce de Résistance – Build a Bouquet

Of course, what would a Parisian flower stall party be without oodles of fresh flowers?

I called up the flower lady at our local Costco and met with her to place a custom order. Essentially, she told me what would be available, and then I was able to pick-and-choose what I wanted when I was there.

Let me tell you! This was so much cheaper than any other option I could’ve gone with, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. The quality of the flowers? Superb.

(Again, not a sponsored post! I just can’t pass up the opportunity to rave about Costco, ok?)

We separated all the flowers and greenery by type, arranged them in tall aluminum buckets, and placed them on the rustic-chic tiered stands my dad built for the occasion. Our very own Parisian stalls!

The flowers weren’t just decoration, though. Oh no! They also served as interactive party favors! After all the cake and presents and general camaraderie were finished, each guest was able to make their own custom bouquet of fresh flowers to take home. We even offered large squares of butcher paper and pre-cut twine to wrap up the finished bouquets, again contributing to that fleuriste feel.

I love this option for party favors not only because it made for less clean-up but also because it kept the party going for a few more days after everyone went home. Besides, who doesn’t love a lush, fresh floral arrangement?

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