First Birthday Backdrop Rental in Lisle: An Under-the-Sea Backdrop at The Morton Arboretum
Chicago Flower Wall rents custom first birthday backdrops for celebrations across Chicagoland. The backdrop in this post was styled by our sister company, The Pretty Party Boutique, for a "ONE-der of the sea" first birthday at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle: pale lavender panels wrapped in a teal, pink and purple balloon arch, finished with a neon Happy Birthday sign, coral cutouts and white pedestals. Chicago Flower Wall rents the same kind of themed, panel-and-garland backdrop for first birthdays throughout Chicago and the western suburbs.
Two Lavender Panels, One Long Balloon Arch
The installation is built on two flat backdrop panels in the palest lavender-pink, set side by side against the room's grey folding wall. Neither panel carries printed lettering. Instead, the pair is treated as one wide canvas and wrapped in a single organic balloon arch that climbs the left panel, crosses the seam between them, and pours down the right side — so the two panels read as one continuous under-the-sea set rather than two separate boards.
That is a useful first birthday formula. A one-year-old's party needs a photo set wide enough for parents, grandparents and siblings to step into, and a two-panel build gives that width without a custom structure. A custom backdrop rental built from panels can also be re-skinned per theme: here the lavender ground does the watery, pastel work before a single balloon is added, and everything after it — garland, sign, cutouts — layers on top.
Teal, Blush and Dusty Purple: The Water Palette
The garland's colors are the theme. Deep teal and turquoise clusters carry the "sea," blush pink softens them into a first birthday palette, and dusty purple bridges the two — the same purple as the heart and coral emojis in the Boutique's caption. The balloons are mixed the way organic garlands are built: oversized orbs anchor the crown and the drops, mid-size rounds fill the body, and tight clusters of small balloons pack the gaps so the arch reads as one sculpted piece.
Two clear bubble balloons are worked into the garland, one on each panel — a small, literal joke for an under-the-sea set, and a detail that photographs well because the clear orbs catch the room's window light. Color discipline is what keeps a three-color garland from looking like a variety pack: held to teal, pink and purple from crown to floor, the arch reads as water and coral rather than as leftover party balloons.
A Neon Happy Birthday Sign Instead of Lettering
The right panel carries the installation's only words: a white neon-style sign reading "Happy Birthday" in script, mounted high where the garland frames it. There is no name on the panels and no printed "ONE" — the caption supplies the pun ("ONE-der of the sea"), and the sign keeps the set general enough that every photo is about the theme and the birthday, not about text competing with the child in front of it.
A lit sign also solves a lighting problem. This room's tall clerestory windows pour in daylight, which is beautiful and uneven; a glowing script sign holds its own against that brightness and gives cameras a bright focal point on the right side of the frame, balancing the garland's heavy left side. Hosts who want the floral version of that focal point can pair panels with a flower wall backdrop rental in the same pastels, or keep the panels-and-neon formula this setup uses.
Pedestals and Coral Cutouts at the Base
In front of the panels stands a cluster of five white cylindrical pedestals at staggered heights — the working surface of a first birthday set. Pedestals are where the cake, the smash cake and the themed treats live during the party, and where they sit in every photograph taken in front of the backdrop. Grouping them at different heights, rather than lining up a single table, keeps the display inside the set's footprint and lets each item be staged at its own level.
At floor level, flat coral cutouts in mint green and pink lean against the pedestals and the panels' edges. They are the cheapest-looking element in the photograph and one of the most effective: they carry the reef theme down to the floor, hide the panels' feet, and give the set a foreground. A backdrop that ends abruptly at its base photographs like furniture; one dressed to the floor photographs like a place.
The Table in the Foreground: A Narwhal Centerpiece
The photograph's foreground is the guest side of the same styling job: a round table in a pink cloth with folded blush napkins at each seat, in the Arboretum's wooden event chairs. Its centerpiece is a foil narwhal — teal and silver with a tiny gold crown — mounted on a small cluster of pink and purple balloons. It repeats the backdrop's exact palette at table scale, so the room reads as one designed event rather than a decorated corner.
The caption frames the scope plainly: "Book us today for full event styling," hashtagged #fulleventdecor. That is what the photograph actually shows — not a rental dropped at a door, but a room where the backdrop, the garland, the pedestals and the table centerpiece were planned together, in one palette, around one theme. For parties that want an interactive floral element in that same palette, a flower bar cart rental stocked in teal and blush gives adult guests an activity while the birthday child holds court at the panels.
A Bright Room at The Morton Arboretum
The setting does real work in this photograph. The party room has warm wood-slat walls and a band of high clerestory windows showing bare April branches and blue sky — the Arboretum's trees, present in the room without a single plant being rented. A pale lavender set could wash out in a dim hall; in this daylight it stays soft and clear, and the teal balloons deepen against the wood wall.
An April first birthday in Lisle is an indoor party with an outdoor view, and the styling respects that: a fully indoor set, built against the room's own architecture, with the gardens framed in the windows above it. The photograph was posted on April 21, 2024, and the trees outside are still bare — the under-the-sea theme brought the color the season had not yet supplied.
Who Styled This Party — and Who Rents the Backdrop
The Pretty Party Boutique styled this first birthday and posted the reel on April 21, 2024, location-tagged Morton Arboretum and hashtagged #undertheseaparty, #firstbirthday and #mortonaboretum. The post names no child's name, and this draft invents none — the set itself carries no name lettering, which is part of its design. The Boutique is Chicago Flower Wall's sister company, which is why its backdrop work appears on this blog; panel backdrops with organic balloon garlands, neon signs and pedestal staging are core Chicago Flower Wall rentals for first birthdays across Chicagoland. One honesty note: the caption's hashtags include the Boutique's soft play and bounce house lines, but no play equipment appears in this photograph, and none is described here as part of the set.
Where is The Morton Arboretum?
The Morton Arboretum is a 1,700-acre arboretum and outdoor museum at 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532, in Chicago's western suburbs. Its event rooms host private celebrations alongside the gardens and tree collections, and the wood-paneled, clerestory-windowed room in this photograph is one of its indoor party spaces. See the venue's website at mortonarb.org and find it on Google Maps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of backdrop is in the photo?
Two pale lavender flat panels wrapped in one organic balloon arch in teal, blush pink and dusty purple, with clear bubble balloons worked in. A white neon-style "Happy Birthday" script sign is mounted on the right panel, and five white cylindrical pedestals and mint and pink coral cutouts stand at the base.
Who styled this first birthday?
The Pretty Party Boutique, as a full event styling booking — the caption reads "ONE-der of the sea party for the cutest little girls first birthday!" and "Book us today for full event styling." The same photograph shows the guest table styling, including a narwhal foil balloon centerpiece in the backdrop's palette.
Is there a bounce house or soft play in the photo?
No. The cover image shows the backdrop installation and the styled guest table only. The caption's hashtags reference the Boutique's wider rental lines, but no play equipment appears in this photograph.
Where was this party held?
At The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois — the post is location-tagged Morton Arboretum. The photograph shows one of its indoor event rooms, with wood-slat walls and clerestory windows looking out at the trees.
Get a Quote for a Themed First Birthday Backdrop
Send Chicago Flower Wall your party date, your venue and the theme you have in mind, and the team will confirm availability for a panel backdrop with an organic balloon garland, signage and pedestal staging, then reply with a written quote. Start on the quote request page and mention if your venue is a bright, windowed room like this one, so panel colors can be planned against its light.