19042

Flower Girl Party -5yr- Cheesy Wedding Songs

December 2008

Brooke in St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Honorable Mention

I had a Flower Girl Birthday party for my daughter on her 5th birthday.  She wants desperately to be a flower girl and go to a wedding, but we don't know anyone getting married who might need a flower girl.  So, I decided to throw one for her myself.   

Invitations:  The invitations were on half sheets of ecru card stock, with clip art flowers scrolling on the bottom and top, and gold colored lettering written out like a wedding invitation:  Emmeline Elizabeth together with her parents invites you to be a Flower Girl in celebration of her Fifth Birthday" followed by the date and time.  I also asked parents to feel free to wear their only-worn-once bridesmaid dresses to make it more festive.  Each invitation had an RSVP card and I was surprised that everyone used them.  We invited 14 girls since I can only fit 16 people at my dining table and I wanted it to be a "head table".  

Decorations and favors:  I had bought inexpensive small white flower-girl baskets on-line and very inexpensive gold and silver crowns purple and pink fabric petals and cheap bracelets and flower rings from Oriental Trading.  I tied a calligraphy written name tag on each basket with the ribbon the baskets arrived in and lined them up on a hall table.  As each girl came arrived in her beautiful festive dress they got the basket with the petals crowns and jewelry and all the girls went into the family room to "dress". 

I was so surprised that most of the parents both mothers and fathers had had fun with the idea and come in horrible old 1980's bridesmaid dresses or suit jackets.  When parents arrived they all were handed a glass of sparkling wine.  We'd tied pink and purple tulle on the backs of all the dining chairs into bows and had set the table with a plastic floral table cloth cheap floral paper plates and napkins and set a plastic champagne flute at each seat.    

Activities and Games:  After everyone was here we put Pachelbel's Canon on and had everyone walk down our hallway sprinkling petals to the living room.  There we took a "formal" photo of everyone.  My husband had printed a photo of a princess onto large paper and we'd taped it to the wall to play "pin the crown on the princess".  Then we went to the dining room for the "reception" of sandwiches and cake.  

After lunch we went back to the living room for dancing.  A friend made a mix cd with all the old cheesy wedding songs - hokey pokey Chicken dance YMCA Celebration Macarena etc. and the parents had a great time dancing with their kids.  Actually seeing all the moms and the dads with their hands in the air to YMCA dancing or the spontaneous line of moms that formed for Macarena was amazing!  The girls LOVED seeing their parents all dressed up and having fun and I was so surprised and happy that the parents really let loose and enjoyed themselves. 

After dancing (which only held the kids' attention for about 15-20 minutes) we opened presents and then folks went home.  But a few of the parents asked if we could have another party for the adults to dance to the wedding CD.  My daughter had a great time and her friends really enjoyed themselves and felt very grown-up and special.   

Party Snacks and Cake: Parents helped pour bright pink Shirley Temples into the flutes and passed around maraschino cherries.  Lunch was Swiss cheese sandwiches cut into flower shapes with cookie cutters and egg salad sandwiches cut out into hearts on nice big platters that we served formally to the girls.  No one could believe how well behaved the girls were - they were completely mesmerized by the formality and fanciness of the party.  (The egg salad sandwiches were not very popular so I'd stick with cheese if I did it again).  Then after the lunch I'd made a two tiered chocolate cake frosted with pink and purple icing and flowers.   

Favors:  After opening presents the girls all left with their baskets crowns bracelets rings and at the door I had a basket full of bubbles in little floral bottles to take home.  Finally I might frame the invitation to hang in my daughter's room. "

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