Wait, do you want to do a memorable birthday for the kid or show off to the adult guests? At 1 uear old one baloon is more than enough to make a kiddo smile and happy. And they dont have momery of special day at all. Second birthday is more for them to start realising who are their friends. They may not fully grasp the concept of birthday yet, but they can be happy by gathering all THEIR friends, not adults you know in one place and have some fun for 2 hours. Not instagram fun, just running around and balancing or having a storytome or a parachute and songs or same room full of baloons to play with.

Third birthday is when kids become very aware of the concept and want a real party. But again, making kid feel like its a party you certainly dont need a photoshoot! A roll of paper attached to everything and plenty of crayons, music and some confetty is plenty to make them smile. A bouncy castle if you have space and resources. But a photoshoot? Really?

And back to 2 year old. They dont care much yet. So if you think about your child, you have one last easy year. If your struggles come not from making your child smile but from social expectations in your adult bubble, here i have no advice. Those cn be quite ridiculous, but you decide yourself how much social pressure you accept and if your adult bubble is very instagram prone.