Aunt Randi McBroom is no stranger to party planning – she’s the director of events for Dallas’ todd.event design.creative services. But when her sister’s son Zane Leudecke was approaching his first birthday, McBroom was stumped. “For a first birthday party, the actual party is for the child but most of the guests are adults,” she explains. “I had to find an entertaining idea that would engage both the adults and young kids.”
It wasn’t until she started thinking about Zane’s favorite toys that she uncovered a fitting theme for his party: rubber ducks! “Zane’s first word was ‘duck,’ so we used rubber duckies and bubbles as our inspiration,” McBroom explains.
The next challenge was to find a setting that would lend itself to the bathtub theme and be a comfortable spot for adults to relax. McBroom didn’t have to look far – she opted for The Apartment, a Dallas party spot designed by Todd Fiscus, owner of todd.event design.creative services. The chic venue boasts Philippe Stark-designed Louis Ghost Chairs, brown suede banquettes, plenty of space for a dance floor and lots of guests (and much more).
It’s the grown-up appeal that McBroom appreciated the most about The Apartment. “We were looking for a place that went well with the party concept; we went with The Apartment because of its clean white background and reflective surfaces,” she says.
This wasn’t the first time she’d planned an event at this hotspot. But what made this party different was who it was honoring – her young nephew. With a $1,000 budget, she had to get creative with the party’s entertainment, refreshments and décor. “I’m used to booking outside vendors to create the details, but for this event (in order to save time and money), I had to do a little more on my own.”
The event planner enlisted her own aunt (and Zane’s great aunt) to create a 3-D duck cake. She also came up with an easy and entertaining craft activity that doubled as a take-home gift: decorating plain white rubber duckies with markers. “Many people made multiple ducks to leave with Zane, too,” she adds.
One-year-old Zane voiced his approval. “He loved the balloons that we created to look like bath bubbles,” describes McBroom. “He also loved playing on the glowing floor that we added in front of the food service station so that the little kids could reach the food.”
Overall, McBroom and her nephew say the party was one to remember.
