Our At-Home Korean Doljanchi

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A few months ago, we celebrated our son’s first birthday. With the pandemic still ongoing, we decided to host a small get-together with our closest relatives at our home. While many Doljanchi (Korean first birthday parties) are held in grand wedding halls or restaurants, we wanted this event to be intimate. It took the pressure off of me as I planned and decorated this event along with the help of my dear mother. It also allowed our one-year-old to be in the comfort of his own home and truly enjoy the company of those who attended!

I wanted to write this post to show that you don’t need to spend thousands on creating a Dolsang, which is the main table at a doljanchi; nor do you have to hire someone!

What is a Korean Dol / Dohl Party?

A Korean Doljanchi is the first birthday celebration for Korean babies. Friends and family gather together to share the special 1-year milestone over food and fun. The dol party is known to be an extravagant event in Korea and even America. Many compare their cost to that of weddings! There are often raffles, prizes, and games in honor of the baby.

What Do You need for a Korean DOL?

Even outside of Korea, Koreans are honoring the tradition of a doljanchi by dressing their babies up in hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), including a doljabi (which are items laid out for your baby to choose from, “predicting” what their future holds), and serving delicious Korean dishes.

Most Dolsang (Dol party table) include the following:

• Rice Cakes (an assortment of rice cakes, with the most important being the baekseolgi cake which is white)

• Fruit (typically round, unblemished fruits with a smooth surface ex. Korean pears and apples)

• Dol Towers (a cylinder-shaped tower decorated with beads that typically display the child’s name)

• First Birthday Sign including baby’s name

For our small table, we opted for an elegant cake centerpiece surrounded by lush flowers and a balloon arch. I wanted to keep our table small because I found that it was much easier and looked fuller even with just a handful of plates and decorations. See the complete details below!

Details from our Korean Dol IN NEW JERSEY

• Backdrop balloons from Popfest on Etsy

• Foldable 48” table from Amazon

• Tablerunner, flower vase, and marble cake stand from Target

• Wooden cake stand from Etsy

• Table linen, serving plate from Crate&Barrel

• Marble cheeseplate received as gift

• Hanging Dol sign from Etsy

• Clear acrylic decorating stands (assorted sizes) from Amazon

• Yarn and table decoration from Etsy

• Flower arrangement and square box DIY by my mother

• Gold rings/bracelet gifted by family members - on Etsy as well

• Baby’s hanbok (traditional garment) gifted from Korea - can find on Etsy

• Food

  • Cake and cookies from @sweet_blooming

  • Rice cakes gifted
    
    

Shop the Details

I had so much fun decorating my son’s first birthday and I absolutely can’t wait to host more (post-pandemic) parties!

Hope this helps anyone who is looking to decorate their own Korean Dol party.

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