I am pretty notorious for planning and dreaming ahead, from Halloween costumes to birthday parties. I’m also a big fan of puns. So at some point last summer, it dawned on me that Margot’s first birthday party would absolutely have to be a Jimmy Buffett-themed extravaganza called Margot-ritaville.
As a lifelong Parrothead thanks to my mom, I’ve seen Jimmy in concert dozens of times. His songs are tied to so many memories made on boats, in the sand, in the pouring rain, under the summer sun, and everywhere in between.
First birthday parties are usually when the parents can get away with something a little more adult-orientated since the guest of honor doesn’t really know what’s going on anyway — hence why Stella’s first birthday party was Academy Awards-themed with a faux red carpet and caramel corn for favors.
As a Michigan-born January baby, Margot is sort of doomed to celebrate her birthday parties in the winter cold. But being able to ignore the freezing cold for just a day made having a Buffett paradise party that much more fun.
Here are some of my favorite details and how things all came together for Margot’s birthday party.
My wonderfully talented friend Stephanie created Margot’s birthday invitation, which captured the theme so well. We wanted to make sure everyone knew to expect a lot of Parrothead fun and to dress up! Stephanie does custom work through her Etsy shop, Millstar Creative.
I ordered Margot’s smash cake and cupcakes from Batterbee Cakes, after seeing several recommendations made on a Lansing-area women’s networking group on Facebook. I had taken a look at her Facebook page and saw little burger cupcakes, which sparked my imagination for Jimmy Buffett-themed cupcakes. I order a dozen Cheeseburger in Paradise cupcakes, as well as ones decorated with shark fins and flip-flops. Margot’s smash cake featured a parrot, of course.
The signature cocktail for Margot’s party were the Margot-ritas, provided by my mom. These blender-less beer margaritas are famous and a must-have at our family parties, especially in the summertime. This recipe from Genius Kitchen is pretty similar to how my mom makes these. She uses Patrón Silver.
Saddleback BBQ recently opened a second location not far from our house. Since everyone loves BBQ and it feels very summery, we ordered their pulled pork, pulled chicken, cornbread pudding, and coleslaw. My aunt Fran made her famous spinach pie, and I made a simple macaroni and cheese using this recipe from Genius Kitchen. All of this paired with classic King’s Hawaiian rolls made for a fun and easy Buffett buffet.
Fins up! This fantastic inflatable shark fin cooler was my favorite find on Amazon as I looked for party decorations. I had a tough time deciding between this and a pirate ship one, but I’m glad I went with the shark fin. It’s humongous and will be so fun to have at future gatherings. This was $16.
Amazon was also great for other party decorations and favors, such as dozens of leis, summery garlands, and these nautical anchor totes. I can never seem to have enough reusable bags for the grocery store; I thought these would be great for our guests to use for that purpose or even at the beach.
Inside the gift bags were little individual sunscreen packages and another gift. I found these mermaid bottle openers at Hobby Lobby — it helps that they are always months ahead on seasons, so right now their store is filled with summery items.
I also died when I saw these cheeseburger kitchen timers at Hobby Lobby. Too perfect for a Buffett party.
The beautiful tissue garland on our mantle also came from Amazon and was only $6. Considering most party decorations are pretty poorly made or don’t look very nice, I thought this was so lovely and reasonably priced. Plus, it scrunched right back down to its small size when I took it down, so we’ll be able to use it again if we’d like. The glittery ONE garland was an inexpensive find at Hobby Lobby.
We had such a fun afternoon celebrating our sweet Margot and putting together a party for our family and friends. Even though the details set the scene, having so many special people gathered together to celebrate her birthday made it a most wonderful day.
There was snow on the ground, but it felt like an island day in Margaritaville.
