By Audrey Sellers
Thirtybryears ago, kids’ birthday parties were relatively simple. There was pizza andbrcake, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, and a refrain of “Happy Birthday.” Thesebrdays, celebrations aren’t quite so quaint. Parents are tasked with making theirbrchild’s birthday party an elaborate affair, always better than the year before.brAfter they conjure up themes that might include a circus troupe and fullbrorchestra, they must pull it all off while contending with sugar highs, meltdownsbrand surprise guests who didn’t RSVP. It’s enough to make any parent want tobrbounce through the roof of the bounce house.
It'sbrno wonder parents sweat birthday parties. We're living in the era of Pinterest,brwhere a search for children's birthday parties brings up pins for everythingbrfrom themed food and activities to decorations and goodie bags. Ideas run thebrgamut from Octonauts and Minecraft to Angry Birds and magical fairy parties—andbrthat's just skimming the surface. Many ideas have been pinned thousands ofbrtimes, most likely by parents hoping to pull off the birthday party to top allbrbirthday parties.
There'sbrno doubt an overabundance of ideas (and sky-high expectations), butbrparty-planning-wary parents have a solution: They simply outsource the big day.br
Crafting Kids' Parties … with abrLittle Help
BethbrMurray and Kimberley Vines own Two Girls in Pearls Events, a Keller-based boutiquebrevent planning company. Their mission when it comes to kids' celebrations? Makebrlife easier for parents, so they can actually enjoy their child's birthdaybrparty. “We like taking the pressure off Mom and Dad,” says Vines. “We want thebrvision to be fun for the child and the parents.”
Inbrtheir 20 years of experience, they've orchestrated kids' birthday parties withbrall kinds of fun features: ice cream sundae bars, photo booths, fashion shows. Milestonebrbirthdays such as one, 10, 13 and 16 tend to be the biggest bashes, but Vinesbrsees celebrations for all ages. Although each party is unique, some details arebrconsistent across the board. “Theme parties are still a big trend,” Vines says.br“And party favors are still a big hit with kids.”
Whetherbryou're seeking a hand assembling those favors or you could use some helpbrdreaming up the ultimate theme, get ready to invest. At Two Girls in PearlsbrEvents, services for planning a child's birthday party range from $500 tobr$1,500. The fee varies depending on what services are needed: completebrplanning, partial planning or just coordinating the day by overseeing setup,brcleanup and event timeline. “It may be a kid's party, but we still want it be abrgreat event for everyone involved,” says Vines. br
KristenbrKnight, CWP, owner of Shenanigans Weddings & Events in Trophy Club, saysbrthe first step in planning a child's birthday party is simply talking it out.br“When people call us, many times they're not exactly sure what to expect orbreven what they're looking for,” she says.
ForbrKnight's birthday-planning prowess, clients have spent up to $7,000. Like TwobrGirls in Pearls Events, Knight offers services tailored to clients' specificbrneeds. Her services can be as simple as developing a party plan—a writtenbroutline of ideas, vendors, and design and décor ideas that fit within thebrclient's budget and vision—to taking on the entire conception and execution ofbrthe event. “Basically, a soup-to-nuts approach,” says Knight.
Knightbrand her assistant, Deana Sabey, recently planned a party for a set of twin boysbrturning 10. When they met with the twins' mom, she had many ideas but neededbrhelp narrowing them down. And she also needed a cohesive theme for thebrevent—one child loved video games and the other was into dancing.
Knight'sbrsolution? A dance party/video game combo she called “10 Squared.” The family'sbrhome was transformed into an adrenaline-pumping, music-thumping venue completebrwith all the twins' favorite things: a dance floor with a DJ dropping beats andbra video game station where players could kick back in colorful bean bags.
“Seeingbreverything pulled off—we just love that,” says Knight. “There is always hugebrsatisfaction seeing the child or guest of honor having fun or hearing them say,br‘This is exactly what I wanted!'”
Knightbrand Sabey have done a little of everything in the birthday celebrations they'vebrplanned, including a Sweet 16 party that transformed the Timarron Country Club intobra scene to rival one of Dallas' hottest night clubs. They pulled out all thebrstops for the milestone bash, including a bouncer at the door, a DJ at thebrturntable … and a gorgeous, three-tier cake as the event's centerpiece. Becausebrit's not a birthday party without a birthday cake.
RuthbrRobbins of Tastefully Yours Cakes in Southlake created the cake for the Sweetbr16 party. She's been making cakes for 25 years for all kinds of celebrations.brFor birthday parties, parents spend anywhere from $60 to $300 for a custom cakebrto commemorate the occasion.
Herbrcreations range from whimsical cakes for first birthdays to elaborate,brmulti-tiered masterpieces. For kids' parties, she says classic flavors stillbrreign: vanilla, chocolate and confetti. The trend these days is adding three-dimensionalbrelements to cakes—think sparkling wings or a horn on a unicorn cake. Whateverbrparents may dream up (or save from Pinterest), she's happy to make it.
“I'vebrseen cakes go from simple sheet cakes to elaborate tiered creations. There arebrno limits to your imagination when it comes to my cakes,” she says. “Each cakebris a work of love and art for me.”
The Joy of Birthdays
Abrbirthday party is an event to celebrate the birthday boy or girl, but PaigebrChenault knows the event ends up being so much more. In 2012, she founded ThebrBirthday Party Project, an Addison-based nonprofit that brings the joy ofbrbirthday parties to homeless children. Since its inception, the organizationbrhas celebrated more than 1,600 birthdays with more than 15,000 children andbr4,500 volunteers, a.k.a birthday enthusiasts.
Chenaultbrleft a 10-year career as a wedding planner and started the nonprofit out of abrpassion for serving others. That and the fact she's always up for a greatbrparty. “I love being able to celebrate people, whether it's watching a weddingbrunfold in a big ballroom or watching a birthday party unfold in a homelessbrshelter,” she says.
ThebrBirthday Party Project currently operates in 10 cities, including Dallas-FortbrWorth, and throws 26 parties each month. A team of birthday enthusiasts decidesbron a monthly theme (county fair is the theme for July), and then plans thebrbirthday party from start to finish, from activities, crafts and games to cupcakesbrand party favors. Then, it's party time. They gather everything and bring it tobrthe homeless shelter or transitional living center.
“Webrwant there to be joy surrounding the uncertainty or trauma that's associatedbrwith living there,” explains Chenault.
Eachbrone-hour party is a time to celebrate all the kids with a birthday that month. Everybrbirthday child receives a gift, a special birthday badge and a bundtlet. Andbrevery child in the shelter is invited to the party. “We believe in creating abrcommunity,” she says.
Thebrorganization started the “Share Your Birthday” campaign, in which kids andbradults can have gifts or party supplies donated to The Birthday Party Projectbron their behalf. Chenault also welcomes volunteers and donations of all kinds.br“We have face painters come in or we have someone who's connected with ticketsbrto a sporting event bring the kids to see a game,” she says. “We feel like thebrsky's the limit.”
Thebrmantra of The Birthday Party Project is “joy changes lives.” It's not just anbrempty expression or catchy hashtag for social media. “When we say that joybrchanges lives, we actually mean it,” Chenault says. “Our parties are anbropportunity for us to interact with people just like us, only living inbrunfortunate circumstances. We're bridging the gap between two communities.”
Chenault'sbreight-year-old daughter often volunteers with her, which means she's runningbraround with all the other kids. Chenault describes the parties as “pure chaoticbrjoy.” At a party, birthday enthusiasts form a soccer-tunnel entrance and allbrthe kids run through. Kids dance to pulse-pounding music or head to a stationbrto enjoy an activity or craft. Some of kids' favorite activities have been smashingbrthrough a paper wall with giant Hulk hands and painting a portrait at an artbrstation. About 45 minutes into the party, birthday enthusiasts line up all thebrbirthday kids, call them by name and everyone sings “Happy Birthday” at the topbrof their lungs.
“There'sbrsuch power in these tiny moments of connecting,” Chenault says. “Celebrationsbrbring out the best in people.” SS
Sidebar:
Advice for Planning BirthdaybrParties from People Who Plan Parties for a Living
“Bebrrealistic and remember kids are kids. Keep events planned age-appropriately andbrtry not to engage kids in too many activities that will over-stimulate them.brThe main goal is fun.”
—Kimberley Vines, Two Girls inbrPearls Events
“Rememberbrthe party is for the kids, so involve them in the planning process. Also, focusbron the key elements. Doing a few things well is better than doing many thingsbrhalfway. No one will notice the things you don't do.”
—Kristen Knight, CWP,brShenanigans Weddings & Events
“Thinkbroutside the box. Anything is possible when we're celebrating kids.”
—Paige Chenault, The BirthdaybrParty Project (Visit TheBirthdayPartyProject.org for details on gettingbrinvolved.)