May 03, 2020Interview

Decoration, food, outfit: Secrets of a throwing a successful child's birthday - Momterview #1

In this series of three episodes on the blog, we interview 3 moms from around the world to give us their best advice and the challenges they face when planning a child's birthday party.

Today, let’s travel to Podgorica (capital of Montenegro) with Nina, mom of little Julija, graduate in economics and professional makeup artist.

Nina: I live in a beautiful little country and I advise all your readers to visit it. We have mountains, the sea, lots of nature and greenery.
In my spare time, I love to organize events and especially birthdays. I organized my daughter's 1st birthday last October and more recently I helped organize my nephew Vujadin's 1st birthday.

My 1st tip: Find the right professionals

Montenegro is a small country but we have great photographers, videographers, animators, confectioners, decorators and musicians.

It is very important for me to have nice pictures on D-Day, which will convey all the emotions we have experienced and which I can show my daughter later. This is why I called my wedding photographer, Nikola Novovic.

Then, finding someone to do activities is essential because all children like to be entertained and this also allows parents to have fun or rest.

When it comes to birthday food, I think the best option is a buffet. In Montenegro, it is still quite rare to see them at private parties unlike France or other more developed countries, where it is quite common.

If you are celebrating a birthday in a family home, you can also have an outdoor barbecue so that food can be cooked directly on site and make the party more intimate and relaxed.

My 2nd tip: Choose the right theme

As Julija celebrated her 1 year birthday, I preferred a simple and natural theme.

Her birthday was at a time when it was still sunny and I think it is important to connect the theme to the place of the event. So I preferred to organize it outside with a little music and entertainment for children.

Regarding invitations, Montenegro is a traditional country and family is very important to us. Even if there are no fixed rules, we generally invite close family, godparents and people who are close to us.

My biggest challenge:

My nephew Vujadin’s birthday came in the middle of Covid-19. Long distance traffic was prohibited for a few weeks so we didn't know if we were going to be able to reunite our whole family.

The ban was lifted a few days before the event and we knew that the party would be organized at my parents' place because celebrations in restaurants were still not allowed.
In the end, we were delighted with this choice because the birthday went very well and was pleasant and intimate.

Why did I choose a Kidiwi dress for Julija’s birthday?

We searched all the shops in Podgorica and we didn't find anything that matched the theme and the decor.

Luckily, a cousin went to Vienna and visited children's clothing stores in search of THE dress for Julija and sent me photos. It was then that I discovered the brand and fell in love with it.