I don’t usually do birthday parties for my girls. We did a big party with a friend when my oldest turned one and the rest of the birthdays have been cake or cupcakes with family. I don’t like having them because I feel like I have to invite EVERYONE, feel guilty when I can’t, and then miss the whole point of having one in the first place. Not to mention, planning a party is stressful, and a lot of work. This year my daughter turned 5, kind of a big deal. She is a September birthday and the youngest in her group of friends. As she was attending parties for her friends, she kept telling me she wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom for her 5th Birthday to see the Princesses again, we went a year and a half ago when visiting my brother in Florida. I knew Magic Kingdom wasn’t happening because she was starting so we came to an agreement that we would have “real” Princesses at her party. After researching “Princess” in the New York area, I found New York Princess Party. Our party started with just a few girls but my daughter later decided it wouldn’t be complete without a Prince for the princess. She invited a few boy friends and asked to have a Prince visit for them.
The entertainment is the main piece of planning a party- what is going to keep the kids busy and be fun at the same time. I was very impressed by Maria, founder of New York Princess Party. It was very easy to book with her and she was accommodating and flexible with the number of kids. I also thought they are priced well compared to other entertainment I had researched. “Prince Philip” and “Sleeping Beauty” showed up right on time and were professional. The kids were so excited and in awe when they made their grand entrance. The “Prince” and “Princess” were excellent at keeping the kids engaged and redirected them if anyone got upset. There was a list of activities to choose from Activities included:
Face Painting with Magic Crayons. The kids had to blow on the crown to make it magical paint.
Royal Crown Decorating: Each child received a gold crown and was able to decorate it with foam stickers.
Stories, Songs, Princess Hokey Pokey and lot’s of Royal Fun!
After I decided I was going through with the party and booked the entertainment, the next task was figuring food. I wanted to go with the Princess theme and after some searches came up with this menu to be displayed on the table:
Some of these menu ideas came from internet searches. When I went back to get links I was unable to find them.
For the “Jasmine’s Magic Carpet Pizza”, I ordered square pizzas from Harry’s Italian and had it cut into smaller slices. For “Ariel’s Seashell Sandwiches”, I order the croissant sandwich tray from Costco. “Rapunzel’s Cast Iron Chips” were a bowl of Stacy’s Pita chips. For this I wanted to put out a pan to serve the chips in, however, I didn’t have one large enough. I ordered a vegetable tray from Costco for “Tiana’s Mardi Gras Veggies”. “Jaq & Gus’ Cheese and Cracker tray” included brie, cheddar, and Gruyère cheese. GoGoSqueez provided Apple Sauce pouches for “Snow White’s Not-so-Poisoned Apple pouches”. My girls love the pouches but they were also perfect for all the young siblings that aren’t on solids yet. I put together a “Royal Jewel Salad” with grapes, strawberries, and blueberries. Each salad was in an individual plastic decorated with silver and pink ribbon with a pink jewel heart sticker in the center. Once each cup was finished, it was placed on a cupcake stand for display. The “Magic Spell Cookies” were made by my mother-in-law. “Aurora’s Birthday Cake” was the vanilla princess cake from Costco. Fruitable’s acted as “Sleeping Beauty’s Enchanted Juice”. The “Queen’s Poisonous Punch” was a mixture of Prosecco and Orange or Cranberry Juice. There was a variety of beer for all the “Kings” present. I made place cards for each item on the menu but it happened to be a windy day so they kept blowing away.
Next up, decorations and favors. My girls have accumulated a lot of princess stuff over the years. I used some of their toys as decorations, purchased a back drop from Party Depot, and bought balloons from balloon saloon to attach to the favors. The favors were light-up star wands for the girls and light-up “swords” for the boys. Attached was a heart-shaped note which said “Thank you for celebrating with me, have a magical day”. My daughter signed each note for her guests.
After the Prince and Princess left, the princess and princes remaining headed to a little area designated as “The Royal Ball” and danced until is was time to depart. The party was a success and tons of fun. It was a Magical Day for my 5 year old Princess!
Do you have birthday parties every year? Do you keep them small or invite everyone?
Disclaimer: I received GoGoSqueez pouches for the party. All photos and opinions expressed are my own.
Tastefully Childish 
Leave a Reply