Birthday’s are big in our house! We love celebrating each family member in a unique way that feels special to them and we love getting family and friends together to do so. We were so excited to create a special day for our daughters 2nd birthday and are thrilled to share these amazing local vendors with you for some inspiration when planning your next birthday party!
Our daughter loves animals so when I stumbled upon the Safari Animal supplies from Meri Meri (the most magical party supplies company) we knew “Party Animal” was the perfect theme to celebrate Sawyer’s 2nd birthday.
Apparently this theme was popular this year because the Safari Animal décor was sold out everywhere, lucky for us Alara and Zane in North Hills sells Meri Meri party supplies and was able to get ahold of the décor for our event.
Alara and Zane also happens to be the venue we chose for our event! Their beautiful and thoughtfully designed indoor play space is great for ages 2-6 and they offer full service party planning (down to the balloon garland) to make your birthday party experience a breeze.
We typically host our children’s parties at home but after my experience with Alara and Zane there is NO going back. The team at Alara and Zane thinks of everything, helps you before/during/after the event, and will help organize as little or as much as you need/want. Having someone carry at cut the cake, engage kiddos in games, and clean up allowed my husband and I to be fully present for the party which was such a gift.
Having a venue for the birthday was also amazing because it meant our other vendors could easily drop off at Alara and Zane so I wasn’t running around town the day of the event picking everything up.
Invitations set the tone for the party and give guests a sneak peak into what to expect! Katelyn from Humble Hippie Studio knocked it out of the park with our custom Party Like an Animal invitation! She’s a local Raleigh mom and offers custom invitations and graphics.
Our beautiful and delicious cake and cake pops were made by Amelia from AE Cakes. The cake was SO tasty and the cake pops were probably the hit of the party. The little popsicle shapes were so unique and we loved how Amelia nailed the party animal theme with these fun cake toppers. She can even accommodate gluten and dairy free requests!
We loved having A Glass Above make a signature fruity birthday mocktail for the event and our guests LOVED the fun drinks and accessibility of the resealable lids. A Glass Above also offers full service mobile bartending services which we will definitely be utilizing for other events.
Birthday’s are always a fun opportunity to capture family memories to cherish, especially when family and friends visit from out of town. We were so grateful to have Glynnis from Glynnis Christensen Photography snapping photos during the event. We love her light and airy style and appreciate her creative eye for getting the best shot. She is offering fall mini and Santa mini sessions and we highly recommend her work. You can check out those offerings here!
Leaving a party is the hardest part (especially for kiddos) which is why we always prioritize a great party favor for our guests! Crayon Fanatics is a local Raleigh company that makes custom crayons and chalk. The owner is super responsive and so kind, we loved working with her to make custom crayons for our guests. Each guest left with 2 crayons, the first letter of their name and an animal!
We are so lucky to live in an area with amazing birthday party vendors! We highly recommend everyone linked in this post and know your birthday will truly magical if you work with any of these vendors.
Triangle Families Explore 