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NEED TO KNOW
- Kaitlyn nicknamed her daughter “Sweet Baby Rae” from the moment she and husband Michael chose her name, Raegan
- For Raegan’s monthly milestone photos, the creative mom took shots of her little girl with Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce bottles
- Kaitlyn dove further into the theme for her daughter’s first birthday
One family’s special nickname for their little girl turned into many moments to smile at throughout her first year.
Kaitlyn knew she wanted an “R” name for her daughter when she found out she was pregnant. After floating names back and forth with her husband, Michael, they landed on Raegan, excited to nickname their little girl Rae.
” ‘Sweet Baby Rae’ quickly came to mind, and that’s when ‘Sweet Baby Ray’s’ barbecue sauce popped into my head and I knew we had to do this theme!” she tells PEOPLE exclusively.
When Raegan was born, the family set her up with bottles of the brand’s barbecue sauce in her monthly milestone photos. As they started thinking about her birthday, Kaitlyn knew she wanted to expand on the theme.
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Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
“I live on Pinterest and Etsy and started with a barbecue theme search. I knew there would be a red and white gingham pattern and wanted to incorporate Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce. The amount of customization on Etsy (balloons, cupcake toppers, her shirt) was amazing and made it so easy!” Kaitlyn shared.
“It was important to have a different theme and one people would remember. I wanted to make Raegan’s first birthday a special and memorable time for all.”
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn Kaminski
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Though it was indoors, the festivities brought the feel of a good old-fashioned barbecue, from checkered picnic tablecloths to a barbecue menu full of delicious options for the whole family.
The self-proclaimed “Type A mom” said that many of her guests “expected it to be different,” but were “impressed” by the little details that nodded to the BBQ theme.
The celebration is extra special because Raegan’s birthday shares the day with another special one for the family.
“Raegan was born on our 2nd wedding anniversary, Sept. 24, 2024, and we wanted to give her the weekend to celebrate her away from our anniversary,” the mom explained. The birthday girl got all the attention, while the couple also got to enjoy sharing their special day with loved ones in a new way.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Loved ones also enjoyed watching the birthday girl celebrate with a cake smash as those around her shared fond memories from her first year.
Kaitlyn is excited to one day share the memories of this very celebration with her little girl. “When we look back I hope she appreciates the detail we put into this day, from the real charcoal grill center pieces to making a dessert table out of all BBQ food,” she shares.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
Credit:
courtesy of Kaitlyn K.
“We were excited to share pictures with her and show her how loved she was on her first birthday,” she continued.
“We also have a son, Rhys, who had his birthday at the same firehouse with a fishing theme (Rhys is O’fishally One) and we wanted to do the same for our daughter. As a mom, it was so important to me to give her a special day where it was just about her.”