One of our greatest honors is getting to live life alongside our dearest couples and families. You may remember the Shroff family from when we photographed their son's 1st birthday at Little Goat Diner a year ago. Sweet baby Leela joined their family last January and we again had the opportunity to celebrate another momentous 1st birthday, this time at Mino's Italian in Winnetka. Boy, do Sandeep & Divya know how to throw great parties! I'm pretty sure my standard for 1st birthday parties has been set unintentionally high by these two!

Divya is a working mom with two children two and under. When she's not raising her kids, she's a vet taking care of every type of animal (she's even helped a Siberian tiger give birth). Talk about wonder woman! Sandeep is a data wizard (I know this because I work with him), incredible and selfless father, and a fellow IU grad - go Hoosiers! There's no doubt in my mind that Rohan and Leela have wonderful parents to look up to.

With a theme inspired by Swan Lake, Divya and her sister, Deepti adorned Mino's with beautiful ballerinas and gorgeous floral arrangements. The bartender created custom signature drinks called "The Odette (White Swan)" and "The Odile (Black Swan)." The Odette featured a non-alcoholic option with pineapple juice, pink lemonade, sherbet & ginger ale. The Odile played with a mixture of black vodka, lime juice, simple syrup, and edible pearly dust. Say what?! I sound like a drink connoisseur, but really I happened to take a picture of the menu (see below) to remember these amazing drinks! ;) Oh, and the swan straws?! Such an amazing photogenic touch. Way to go, Divya & Sandeep!

Divya ordered a stunning swan cake from Three Tarts Bakery. Originally, she planned on simply having it cut and served, but the fondant swan ended up being a table centerpiece given it was too good not to be displayed! The food did not disappoint either. Before lunch could even cross our minds, a full spread of delicious bread, cheese, nuts and jams, fresh salmon, and a raw bar of oysters, crab legs, and cocktail shrimp beheld our eyes. So fresh, and the perfect way to start the party. They even had walking appetizers of lamp chops, dainty spoons with scallops and mushrooms, polenta, and pesto chicken skewers. Can I hear a hallelujah? 

One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing Leela light up and clap when it came time to blow out the candles of the cake! Sandeep held Rohan while Divya knelt over Leela and the family blew out the candles together. Leela's sheer excitement and joy at being surrounded by so many cheering friends and family was so endearing and priceless. It's also fun seeing Sandeep (who I work with) as a father and in his natural element!

The party did not end there. With so many kids in attendance, the Shroff's had a plan. Sandeep's former neighbor and talented musical performer, Ben Tatar (who has his own debut album on iTunes called Ben Tatar & the Tatar Tots) stepped onto the stage to entertain. Armed with his guitar and voice, he roped all of the kids into enthusiastic choruses of crowd pleasers like "The Wheels on the Bus" and the fun renditions of the B-I-N-G-O and the ABC's. We admire his energy so much!

Cheers to Leela and the beautiful Shroff family! I loved getting to see familiar faces even from Rohan's 1st birthday. It's an honor to walk alongside you as a friend and photographer to help document these precious moments with the little ones. They're not little for long and I love getting to help capture these memories. It's so encouraging to see so many friends and family from out of town rally and be present during this exciting time in your life. It's life with all of these guests that make life so sweet.

Here's to many more birthdays full of joy and love surrounded by family & friends.

Special thanks to the most amazing vendors who helped make Leela's 1st birthday unforgettable.

Venue: Mino's Italian

Cake: Three Tarts Bakery

Entertainer: Ben Tatar Music