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Doljanchi Flowers: What People Send These Days
As first-birthday parties get smaller, how to choose a flower basket or potted plant instead of a wreath
As first-birthday parties get smaller, how to choose a flower basket or potted plant instead of a wreath
If you have been invited to a 돌잔치 (doljanchi, a baby's first-birthday party) and start looking into flowers, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the three-tier standing wreath you have seen at wedding hall entrances. But these days a doljanchi is often a small meal with just family and close friends, and at that scale the wreath's size becomes a problem rather than a gesture.
Seen from the recipient's side, the standard is simple: the flowers should not take up space, and the parents should be able to carry them home when the party ends. That is the standard this post is written by.
If the doljanchi is held in a restaurant's private room or a small banquet space, there is often no good place to even stand a three-tier wreath, and dealing with it after the event ends up being the parents' job.
So the recent shift is clearly toward flower baskets that can sit on a table, or potted plants the family can take home and grow. A basket placed beside the photo table doubles as decoration, and a plant stays on long afterward as a keepsake of the baby's first birthday.
| Type | Where it goes | After the party | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flower basket | On or beside the photo table | Parents carry it home in one hand | Restaurant rooms, small banquets |
| Potted plant | By the entrance or on a table | Kept and grown at home | When you want a lasting keepsake |
| 축하화환 (congratulatory standing wreath) | On the floor at the banquet hall entrance | Collected by the vendor or discarded | Events held in a large dedicated hall |
There is no single right answer. For a large event that has booked an entire buffet hall, a wreath is still perfectly natural. The deciding factor is not the sender's sincerity but the space the flowers will occupy.
First, the venue's rules on outside flowers. Some hotels and dedicated banquet halls restrict outside wreaths or allow them only in designated spots. Once the venue is set, one phone call ahead of time is the safe move.
Second, size and materials. The baby is the guest of honor, so avoid strongly scented flowers and anything that sheds pollen, and a size the parents can carry in one hand is a sensible choice.
Third, arrival time. Most doljanchi take place at lunch or in the early afternoon, so the standard is to have the flowers reach the venue in the morning, before the event begins. Arrive in Bloom starts deliveries at 8 a.m. and takes same-day orders until 5 p.m., so ordering by the afternoon of the day before leaves comfortable margin.
The recipient's contact number must be a Korean phone number. The delivery driver calls that number on arrival.
The basic rule is a short ribbon and a slightly longer card. Ribbon messages like these are enough:
For the card, one or two sentences that include the baby's name is all it takes. Add one more line addressed to the parents — something like "Congratulations to the two of you as well, for everything you've put in this past year" — and the family will remember it for a long time.
Arrive in Bloom writes your ribbon message by hand and attaches it, and once delivery is complete, sends a photo of the actual arrangement taken without staging or retouching. Even when you order from far away, you can see exactly how the flowers arrived.
Flower baskets and potted plants suited to a doljanchi are at flowername.co.kr.
The standard is a morning arrival, before the event begins. Arrive in Bloom delivers from 8 a.m., and same-day orders close at 5 p.m.
Some venues restrict outside wreaths. It is safest to call the venue and confirm before sending.
Overseas orders with Arrive in Bloom are priced and billed in USD, and you can pay without a PayPal account. Flower baskets start at USD 39, and the recipient's contact number must be a Korean phone number.
No. Pass along your wording when you order, and Arrive in Bloom writes it by hand and attaches it for you.
Arrive in Bloom delivers from 8 a.m. through more than 500 partner ateliers across Korea, and sends a photo of the actual arrangement after delivery. See flowername.co.kr.
Published September 6, 2026 · by Arrive in Bloom · Flower Editor
