Need ideas for a Princess Party

[BlueMoose]

My DD Emily will be turning 4 pretty soon, and she is so into girlie things and wanting to be a princess (and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, but that's another story) that I've decided to do a princess theme for her family party. This is primarily going to be adults. My mom is making a Castle Cake, but I was wondering if any of you have ideas of what to serve for lunch? I'm thinking some kind of fancy sandwiches....I don't know. I would prefer things that can be made up ahead of time. Any ideas?

TIA
Chrisi :)

[kwormann]

finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off (with her fav fillings, of course), would be very dainty and princesslike!

[foodiedelite]

How about "white castle" hamburgers with "magic wands" aka
french fries.

Dress her dinner chair up as a throne--using lose fabric and pillows below the fabric for added height and drama.

If you have a hanging light fixture that swags consider using netting and dangle that around the fixture, provided it's not touching any bulbs and supervised; hang bejeweled stars from the light fixture base. Consider a decorative/playful frog in front of the princess' plate.

I'm sure you already have a crown or tiara for her. For games, consider place the crown on the princess (similar to pin the tale on the donkey).

Good luck and have fun!

[Beth]

If you have a Target nearby, I just saw some stuffed toys marked down to $4-5, and one of them was a cute frog! You could make a crown for him and paint it gold or cover it with foil.

Another idea for wands would be to dip pretzel rods into warmed icing and then roll the dipped end in sprinkles.

Another idea for your tablemight be to hang lots of curled ribbons from the light fixture or ceiling and then put some additional curled ribbon and confetti on the table, maybe with some plastic "jewels" from a craft shop or aquarium supplies.

What are her favorite foods? Knowing that might help put food thoughts in the right direction (even if the adults opt for a different menu).

[marshalynne]

How about making your sandwiches in cookie cutter shapes to go along with the theme (ie.stars, crown, carriage, slipper etc..)? Or you can get those star shaped icecube trays and make star icecubes to go in a punch. Great drink stirrers can be made with straws and sparkle ribbon. You could make a wand for the "princess" too! I will keep trying to get ideas for you as this is a tough one! My friend made the castle cake for her daughter. It was beautiful!

[Susan]

Chrisi~

How wonderful that you've been given lots of delightful ideas so far! Since I have two dds, I will have to save this thread for future reference. The August '01 issue of FamilyFun magazine has an article about parties, including a Princess Party (too cute!). It focuses on the guests being little girls but maybe you could glean some tidbits from it. Enjoy your party!

~Susan~

[breadmama]

We had a Fashion Show Tea Party for my 8 year old daughter last month, and it was a lot of fun. We used a lot of the same ideas that were mentioned above (although there are some that I'd love to try in the future!) One thing your daughter might enjoy is a bejeweled hair brush and/or mirror. This was the craft at our party, and we just used jewels from Michael's and a special glue for them. The hairbrushes look so neat with the sparkling jewels on the backs of them...definitely princess material.

We also had finger sandwiches made with those canape bread tubes (hearts and flowers), and tiny cookies and meringues for dessert. ("Cloud cookies")

Lastly, we found some wonderfully glittery fabric that I bought 1/2 yards of and they were such fun to drape and dress up with. Sparkly and fun.

Have a great party! Your daughter will love it, I'm sure.

[BlueMoose]

Thanks for all of the ideas everyone! I don't know how my DD got to be such a "girl" with me as her mom....queen of flannel and khakis (sp?)!

[Nirak]

Hi,
I'm new to the boards but have enjoyed reading through and learning from all of you. I just had to reply to this question as I am hoping to start a party planning business in the fall. I had both a Cinderella party (age 4) and a Princess Party (age 7) for my oldest daughter. She definately has the frilly gene. Here are a few other ideas: Magic Potion Punch: Freeze purple grape juice in icecube trays; serve in 7-up. It will disolve and gradually turn the drink purple. Also, decorate the table with costume jewelry (clip-on earrings make good place card holders). Have fun!