As a parent, one of the most thrilling milestones to celebrate is your child’s First Birthday! If you have a little one – or remember being there – that first year of life goes by in the blink of an eye. That’s why we love this airplane themed Time Flies 1st Birthday Party! An aviation inspired celebration lends itself to so many creative decor options and we can’t wait to share some of those with you! Join me as we take a look at this unique party held at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum!
This Time Flies First Birthday Party is near and dear to my heart because it’s the theme I chose for my son’s first birthday celebration! One of his favorite things as he approached his first milestone birthday was airplanes – he just loved seeing them flying in the sky, so it was the perfect party theme for us at the time. If you have a little one – girl or boy – an aviation or travel themed party (perhaps “She’s Going Places”) is a great option! Ethan’s parents chose an airplane themed party for his birthday because of the extensive travel he had done in his first year of life. Whatever reason you have for choosing an airplane themed party, keep scrolling for decoration inspiration and grab our Party Planning Checklist to capture all of your ideas.
Airplane Themed Birthday Invitations
You know I love finding the perfect birthday party invitation so let’s start there! You can see Ethan’s darling invitation right here and to discover a few options for you, I turned to my favorite party decor shop – Etsy! And remember, this Time Flies theme works for any age, so even if you aren’t planning a first birthday, you can adapt it to your needs by customizing the invitations. Here’s Ethan’s invitation and then a few of my Etsy favorites…
Vintage Passport Invitation with Boarding Pass | Lyons Prints
Airplane Boarding Pass Invitations | Little Mountain Top
Vintage Airplane Invitation | Design My Party Studio
Aviation Party Decoration Ideas
Ethan’s parents hosted his birthday party at the stunningly beautiful Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum! I can’t think of a more perfect location than this venue with airplanes hanging from the ceiling over the guest tables!
Decorations were coordinated in a lovely sage green and gold color palette and themed signs were placed throughout the event, directing guests to food and entertainment.
Guest tables were decorated with miniature balloons reminiscent of clouds and each table was labeled with a call letter like this table which was “T for Tango.” The wooden airplane as a centerpiece was also a beautiful touch.
A unique guest book was created by asking guests to take “passport photos” with a Polaroid camera and adding it to a scrapbook with washi tape and a note. It’s something he and his parents will be able to look back on fondly for years to come!
Time Flies Dessert Table
The dessert table at this first birthday party definitely caught the guests’ attention with its large balloon arch and matching tissue paper garland across the front. The word “FLY” sparkled at one end and candles and small airplanes were mixed throughout the sweet treats like cupcakes, brownies, cookies and a custom cake designed by La Palme D’or. And doesn’t the red airplane look amazing over the dessert table too?!
Aviation Themed Party Activities & Favors
Guests enjoyed a variety of games and activities themed as “Flight School” with an opportunity to compete as Ethan’s Wingman. Such a cute idea, don’t you think?
And guests took home party favors – a yummy furikake (a rare okoshi) from local vendor Huff ‘n Puff) – which were packaged in these adorable suitcase favor boxes. You can find similar suitcase favor boxes right here for your party!
It’s so important to stop and celebrate important milestones like a First Birthday in our little one’s lives because time truly does fly by! I hope you were inspired by this beautiful airplane-themed celebration! Be sure to Pin this post for later party planning!
Featured Vendors
- Photographer: Little Bird Photography + Films
- Balloons: Hullaballoons Party
- Cake Designer: Patisserie La Palme D’Or
- Caterer: Taniokas
- Venue: Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
