Dylan's Christening & First Birthday

Creating celebrations that feel personal is always at the heart of what I do, and Dylan's joint christening and first birthday near Walton-on-Thames was a perfect example of how thoughtful details can transform a day. He was being christened and turning one on the same day, and his family wanted the two milestones to share a single look rather than compete for the room.

The venue was an event hall with a black starlight wall already built into one end - beautiful to work against, and a real gift for an evening celebration. It let the palette stay soft and quietly special: blue, but not a nursery baby-blue, and gold that felt warm rather than glitzy. The kind of palette that can hold a christening and a first birthday at the same time.

One hoop, two milestones

Designed to celebrate two important milestones in one special day, the setup combined soft blue tones, warm gold accents and personalised touches that reflected the family's vision. I worked closely with Dylan's mum, who had lovingly made the gold hoop centrepieces for the tables herself, so every element of the styling felt beautifully connected from the moment guests arrived.

A christening and a first birthday pull in slightly different directions - one asks for quiet and a touch of ceremony, the other wants to feel like a party. Rather than split the room in two, I built everything around a single balloon hoop and a personalised backdrop, so guests had one clear, welcoming place for the eye to land. The hoop wasn't an arbitrary shape: I wanted the main display to speak to the centrepieces Dylan's mum had made rather than sit apart from them, so the installation became a gold hoop too, dressed in balloons.

Building it in blue and gold

One of my favourite aspects of this celebration was the way I brought the artwork from Dylan's invitations into the final design. The sweet bunny and lamb illustrations were transformed into bespoke cut-outs and became a key feature of the backdrop, a playful nod to the original stationery that helped tell a cohesive story throughout the event. The lamb is printed onto the panel, and the rabbit sits as a painted cut-out holding a little gift box at the foot of the hoop.

The statement balloon installation framed a personalised arched backdrop, creating a focal point for photographs and family memories. The palette did the rest: sky blue, a deeper dusty blue, chrome gold and ivory, mixed across the hoop in different sizes and finishes so it read as organic rather than evenly spaced. A few chrome golds through the hoop catch the light and tie the display back to the gold of his mum's table centrepieces.

To soften the join between balloons and floor, I tucked a few faux stems in soft blue and white at the side, echoing the table styling - there for a little texture rather than as a focus, so every detail still worked together seamlessly.

The beauty of combining two celebrations

When families choose to celebrate multiple milestones together, it matters that the styling feels balanced and appropriate for both occasions. For Dylan's day I wanted something elegant enough for a christening while still capturing the joy and playfulness of a first birthday. The soft palette, the personalised details and the whimsical illustrations let me strike exactly the right balance, so the celebration felt both grown-up and child-friendly rather than two events sharing a hall.

Why I love this part

The most memorable events are often the ones where every element feels connected. By taking inspiration from Dylan's invitations, coordinating with the table décor his mum had made and threading the same palette through the room, the day flowed beautifully from one moment to the next. These are the kinds of projects I love most - bringing together personal details, meaningful moments and beautiful design to create celebrations that feel truly unique to each family.

If you're marking two milestones at once - a christening and a birthday, a naming and an anniversary - and you'd love one considered look rather than two competing ones, I'd love to hear from you. Tell me what you have in mind and I'll design the room around it.

Laura x