Meryl Marciante had her son’s first birthday party all figured out long before little Matthew even arrived on the scene. The mom-to-be had bumblebees on the brain and collected black and yellow items over the course of her pregnancy and Matthew’s first year. Come July, when year one finally rolled around, Meryl had all of the fixings for the bee-theme party she’d spent more than a year pinning, planning and poring over.
Naturally, the Marciantes’ backyard pool was the perfect locale for the toasty Texas afternoon bash. Thirty-five of Matthew’s closest friends and family RSVP’d “Yes” to the custom invitation asking them to sun and swim the day away with Matthew and his parents. Guests were welcomed by an assortment of black and yellow balloons, and an oversized poster wishing Matthew a “Happy 1st Bee-Day,” before settling in for the afternoon. Kids dried off with monogrammed bee-patterned beach towels – Meryl’s gift to them – and refueled with fresh salads and fruits before hitting the Slip ’N Slide and finally settling in for a hearty dose of birthday cake and bumblebee-shaped sugar cookies.
Clad in monogrammed swim trunks (bumblebee yellow, of course) and a dapper white polo, Matthew carried out the all-important “smash cake” tradition from the same highchair his great-great-grandfather – yes, that’s two “greats” – had once occupied. Meryl says her son was like an old pro; he demolished the white cake with zero hesitation.
Attention was given to every detail. From the DIY honeycomb decorations adorning tables to the bumblebee-shaped goodie bags, Meryl thought of everything – including her own black and white polka-dot swimsuit. Thanks to the online resources Etsy and Pinterest, the mom says she had an endless supply of ideas. Everything from invitations to water-bottle labels to napkin wraps was customized in keeping with the theme of the day. Meryl even created a giant honeycomb on the outside of her house by patterning environmentally friendly hexagonal paper plates.
The general consensus was that Meryl’s efforts paid off and that the party was indeed the bee’s knees; Meryl credits her success to a little bit of luck and a lot of planning. “I loved all of the details,” she says. “I had a lot of time to spend working on it, and it turned out great. We had the perfect day.”
