Meyer’s Market
My baby is one!
I’m sure every mom will relate to my next sentence: how in the world is my baby one?! Per business as usual in the Hauste household, we pulled out all the stops and then some for Meyer’s very-first birthday (still not over it). Below we’ve compiled all of the planning how-to’s, decor details, and extra special touches that lended this nostalgic yet modernized superette-inspired party.
It all starts with a moodboard
In true graphic designer form—this event had to be branded (obviously).
Vintage was the name of the game for this theme—from markets and signage to patterns and colors. I first selected bright, bold hues to ensure the vibe felt more retro grocery than rustic farmer’s market. I then supplemented the bright color scheme with two fonts that mirror storefronts of the 50s. As for details, I leaned heavy into stripes to draw upon the market awnings found in our moodboard—and yes, yellow was the only right answer here because lemons (duh!) anchored the entire theme. To round out the design, I developed a collection of fruit-inspired stickers sprinkled with a few easter eggs: one included his birth date and last name and another his favorite fruit, bananas.
After much love on IG (for which we are endlessly grateful), we decided to offer the invite in a template form for purchase!
Now to design the event…
When creating this moodboard, we drew much of our inspiration from recent brand activations, such as Laura Mercier’s market-style pop-up that was equal parts chic and cutesy. The main decor aspects we gleaned from our moodboard were as follows: definite need for an awning, styled crates with fruit & veg, ample flowers, emphasis on stripes, touches of gingham, berry bins aplenty, and some sort of branded beverage on which we needed more noodling. It was here that we realized we either needed to become Bob the Builder or hire the talents of our family to build an awning that could style & stack the produce to perfection. *Calls dad immediately.
Decor
AWNING
Meyer was obviously the star of the show…but this awning came in at a very close second. This structure not only solidified the “market” feel, but also provided one of our better presentations of food service, if we do (and we will) say so ourselves.
Using a long, skinny table we typically used for buffets as the base, we loosely measured, picked up the necessary wood, and got to work—and by “we,” we mean my husband and Dad. First step was to create a legged frame that fit to the table. We started with two long, vertical posts (that get positioned against the back wall) and added 2 short, horizontal pieces to the bottom of each to act as the “feet.” We then connected the two long, vertical pieces at the top with one long horizontal piece along the back side (also against the wall). Next, we cut two shorter, diagonal pieces that became the actual awning structure, extending over the base table. We kept it fairly shallow so as not to impede on headspace while guests served themselves food. To finish things off, we secured the two short, diagonal awning pieces by securing a second long, horizontal piece on the outer edge.
The torch was then passed to my mom. She got to working her magic by cutting a rectangular piece of outdoor fabric that extended the width of the awning and measured a depth that created enough overhang to act as a short flap on the front edge. She then trimmed the front flap with small, white fringe. Next, she cut two smaller pieces that became the sides of the awning. She folded the trim underneath to create a clean edge, then stapled the long folded edges and the shorter folded edges to the larger piece of awning fabric. She then added small, white fringe to the bottom of each side piece. Once everything was stapled together, she ironed the logo onto the front flap. To round out the look, we stapled the extra fabric to the base table to create table skirt. It was so adorable, we’re trying to figure out how we can use it a hundred more times. Fingers crossed my loose sketch makes sense!
RENTALS
With a party was pushing 40 people, we had to call in some furniture reinforcements (and by that, we mean rentals). I ended up renting two 60” round tables, 2 bar tables, and about 20 chairs. I also ended up renting silverware (because I hate disposable ones) and about 40 small plates.
FRUIT & VEG STYLING
The styled fruit, veg, and other small bites served as the main decor for this party. Setting up the “market” area took some trial & error, but we ultimately stacked the crates and tilted the middle ones for a “display” effect. We used 9 crates for the main market area and 4 for the bar area for a total of 13. The bulk pack of 12 from Michaels for $120 is the way to go—or at least the way we went. We also used these adorable wooden berry bins (here!) with little tongs (here!) to serve our fruit & veggie platter.
The other details that helped pull it all together!
I knew I wanted to do yellow gingham for the tablecloths, and Amazon (per usual) pulled through. I purchased these 120” round tablecloths to fit on our 60” rented tables, but they are also the perfect size for the bar top tables we rented. The balance between the yellow gingham and the yellow striped awning was *chef’s kiss. As if the backyard wasn’t popping enough, we hung some simple burlap bunting. Such an inexpensive way to make your backyard feel festive. Because my little man’s name is also a lemon (and because I’m extra), I got a bunch of fake lemons and strung them together on fishing line to hang in our trees. They turned out so much cuter than I could have imagined—and provided a photo opp our guests (big and little, alike) loved.
Everything branded, always
The finishing touches and honestly the pièce de résistance have to be all the branded elements. Lea’s brain was firing on all cylinders during the party planning, and the proof is in her idea to do custom fruit stickers for all the styled fruit. It was the simplest, easiest lift that made the whole party look Martha-approved. We also did custom cups, bar napkins (from For Your Party), and ordered little juice bar bottles (from Amazon–link here) then applied vinyl logos.
Get the look!
Here are the decor finds that helped set the scene
