When Josh and Virginia Pope were planning their son Gaines’s first birthday, they knew just the perfect theme: golf. “We both love to play golf,” Virginia says, “so there couldn’t have been a better theme for our son’s first birthday!”
About 30 adults and 12 kids attended the bash.
Virginia’s penchant for crafting and Josh’s talent for building came in quite handy. The couple were able to make most of the decorations themselves, including the putting greens, flags, sign, and front door hanger.
Thanks to their skills as well as their bargain-hunting, they were able to stick to a reasonable budget. “Pretty much everything we used was purchased second hand if we didn’t make it ourselves,” Virginia says. “Even the miniature motorized golf cart was found on a Facebook resale page for $25!”
They made a couple of special splurges. Dreamcakes Bakery in Homewood made the green cake and golf ball smash cake, and they purchased the highchair banner on Etsy.
Part of the fun was coming up with games that fit Gaines’s party to a tee. Guests enjoyed the miniature two-hole putt-putt course and golf green (both made by Josh). They played in the “Clubhouse” (a toy playhouse Virginia fixed up and painted), romped in the “Driving Range” (a ball pit), and zoomed around in a motorized miniature golf cart. The party favors? Toy golf sets, of course!
“We had so much fun planning and creating everything for our first child’s first birthday party,” Virginia says. “I enjoyed it so much that I wouldn’t mind making party planning my second career.”