A Disney Princess 1st Birthday Party

This party has been a year in the making! Our princess has turned ONE. I first started thinking about it as an event that was a long way off, then I started thinking about it as "okay I need to start really planning" then next thing I knew invites were purchased, decorations were being made and ordered and before I knew it the big weekend was here and I was not (emotionally) ready at all.

The Theme

The first thing to settle on when planning any party is the theme. For our princess she would be given a grand ball. A Disney princess themed party, starring her! 

Then I was tasked with which princesses I would focus on. Sleeping Beauty, my favorite, was a natural choice - it also played well into having tons of pink. I then decided I would do the big five; Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Ariel. I stopped there because I didn't want to spread myself too thin and make it too hectic with the decorations. Each table had a different princess balloon as the centerpiece and color coordinated table cloth. Not throwing all of the princesses into this party also allows to have an "Arabian Nights" themed party, Rapunzel party or a "Frozen Summer" party later down the line.

The Checklist

A few months back I started getting serious with planning because I didn't want any aspect of her party to feel rushed, even though the day did feel like it flew by in a flash! I think I sat down all of 10 minutes to quickly eat a plate of food. But having started to think about this party back in January, I put together this checklist to make sure I wasn't forgetting a single detail.

Outfit for the princess.
Location.
Guest list.
Invitations.
Table cloths.
Centerpieces.
High chair tutu. I made this myself.
​Photo Booth back drop frame; I outsourced this PVC pipe task to my dad
Photo Booth back drop. 
Other decor; read about my number one made from soda boxes
Seating chart. I can't just have open seating, it gives me too much anxiety.
Paper products & utensils; cups, plates, forks, ect.
Food.
Drinks.
Cakes; one for guests and one to be C's smash cake.
Favors.
Activities; coloring pages, arts & crafts for older children in attendance.

Needless to say, I needed A LOT. Luckily in terms of food I really only had to worry about dessert. I hired a catering company to come in provide the main course. I did not feel like cooking or having pot luck. They also provided plates, napkins, forks, knives & spoons. I did opt for the princess themed plates for dessert though.

The Activities

I printed out coloring sheets of each princess and Peter Pan that I found online. I wanted to make sure the kids in attendance didn't get bored so I set up a coloring and craft table that was equipped with crayons, stamps, sticks and temporary tattoos.

I also set up "Ariel's Treasure Trove" where kids could dig through sand to find hidden treasure; Ring Pops, chocolate coins, beaded necklaces and pirate eye patches.

Ariel's Treasure Trove

Craft Table

On the far end of the table with the "Treasure Trove" I purchased small bottles of bubbles for a "Cinderella's Bibbidi Bobbidi  Bubble" station.

Our special guest, Sleeping Beauty was a big hit! She brought with her crafting supplies to make princess crowns and pirate hats, face paint and posed for pictures with all of the kids.

The Final Touches

For all the months of planning the big day still kind of snuck up on me. I was cutting and printing things to the bitter end. But I think everything turned out great!

I utilized free printables wherever I could. I found silhouette prints of the princess that I was able to write table numbers on, I found cupcake toppers, and props for the make-shift photo booth. I printed these out at my house on cardstock and scooped up a bunch of gold frames from the dollar store for the table numbers.

High Chair

Dessert Table

Favors

Centerpieces

I now have a 1 year old and I still can't quite wrap my head around it, I also don't know what to do with all my free time now that I won't be planning this party. I guess I'll have to look to her 2nd birthday party (okay, maybe it is a little early for that​!)