Cowboy/Western Party

Sometimes the tiniest of things will spark a party idea...in this case my son saw some Pop & Snap Guns at the local toy store and fell in love with them, hence, planning for his 3rd birthday party was underway!  Cowboys and Cowgirls gathered at a Western style BBQ for pony and stagecoach rides.

After owning and managing an invitation and stationery store for several years and working as a party planner/coordinator, I can tell you the two most important components of any birthday party is, the invitation and the cake!  The invitation announces the event and stirs the excitement while the cake is what it's all about!  Everything else is lagniappe.

I purchased the invitation from one of my vendors, Julia D. Azar, which were large die cut cowboy shaped hats with a leather strap.  Most invitations are now laser or ink jet compatible and can be printed on your home printer.  General rule of thumb, purchase a few extra invites for mistakes and test print on a blank paper.  Invites should be mailed at least 3 weeks prior to your event. 

Most bakeries will customize your cake to match the invite so keep an extra for that purpose and another for your scrapbook or family album.  I wanted cowboy boots for his cake which the bakery was also able to put the cowboy hat on top!  Cake was awesome and as you can see some little fingers had already made their way into the cake before we could cut it.

We set up a buffet table of pistolet buns and condiments with bbq beef, pulled pork, baked beans and potatoe salad.  Yee-haw...that was some good grub!  We also scattered some snacks around the house like a fruit and cheese tray, a bowl of cheese & pretzel goldfish crackers and a tray of mixed nuts over at the saloon.  The Saloon was set up outside in old wooden barrels with water, soft drinks and juice boxes.

In lieu of candy or goody bags for favors, I opted for some precious straw cowboy hats trimmed in red and blue which were a nice keepsake and great for the kids to wear while riding the ponies and stagecoach.

Since I stated western attire on the invite some kids already had their hats, so I also had blue and red bandanas to tie around their necks or hang from their holsters.  The bandanas also made a great decorating accent around the cake and buffet table.  Both, the bandanas and hats can be found at most local novelty or party supply stores, if not, you can order online at Oriental Trading.

Hope these ideas helped with planning your next rodeo!  Yee-Haw!