Our #DisneySide Celebration Costume Party!

You may have heard the buzz on social media this past month, regarding the #DisneySide Home Celebration Party campaign.

Disney social media marketers recently packaged up some fun party supplies and tidbits, placed them all in a lovely American Tourister carry-on sized spinner bag (the official luggage of Disney), and shipped them out to around 1,000 families to host their own #DisneySide parties at home.

And if you’d like to join in the fun, Disney put together an website chock full of inspirational ideas for anyone interested in hosting their own Disney Side Celebration.

As I dug into the party planning details these past couple of weeks, I found myself chuckling and thinking, “I can’t believe I haven’t thrown a Disney-themed party before?!”   We rounded up some kiddos, and had a great #DisneySide costume party last weekend.   Here are some highlights – including our Disney invitations, games, decorations, party favors, and food.  A very good time was had by all!

#DisneySide Party ~ The Invitations

Because these turned out so beautifully, I have to start you at the very beginning… with our invitations!  I’ve never been able to pull off such gorgeous, custom party invitations before.

Inspired by the Disney party invitation templates available on Spoonful, combined with the photo cards that HP included in the party packs, we were able to print out these 5×7″ glossy beauties right from our home printer and mail them in the included, greeting card quality envelopes.

Adorable.  Now let the fun begin!

Our #DisneySide Celebration Costume Party!

My kids are 5 1/2 years apart, but for such an occasion I decided it was time to host our first party for *both* of them together.  We went with a Disney costume party, and it was so fun to see what the kids (ok, and one mom… me!) dressed up as.  From Star Wars, to Disney Princesses, to Toy Story, and not a single duplicate!

We also had Ariel, Spiderman, and a few others show up later, but by then the ‘group costume photo’ ship had already sailed.  I still thought this turned out awfully cute.  Incidentally, that’s my Rapunzel, and little disheveled, one-boot-off Flynn Rider in the front.  My mom made him that awesome costume, and he wore it for approximately 5 minutes.

#DisneySide Party ~ Decorations & Party Favors

Here’s a quick look at some of what I used for decorations and party favors.  There were so many cool ideas out there on the #DisneySide Home Celebration Party Pinterest boards.  “Disney” really is an easy and fun theme to use for a party.

My daughter and I made the Mickey party favor gift bags.  There were a few small things from the party kit I was able to include in them.  We also made some custom treat bags with animal crackers inside, and wrapped Mickey printable labels around containers of bubbles from the dollar store.  Fun!

Of course, we had plenty of Disney paraphernalia of our own to sprinkle around the house, which helped set the pixie-dusted mood.  

We had an arsenal of Disney Parks music ready at the helm, which we played in the background.  It contributed to the #DisneySide atmosphere nicely!  “WISHES…!!!”

#DisneySide Party ~ The Games

Although the age range of attendees being from 2 – 14 years old made the game planning a little challenging, it worked out just fine.

Humorously, turns out the easy games I thought I had selected for the toddler set, like “Catch the Lion King”, pretty much alluded the littles completely.

The younger ones loved it. They just didn’t get it.  Which was actually pretty funny.

They either started joining in the chase at random times, or expanding the pursuit away from the game circle altogether… and out across the yard.  I guess we need to practice our duck-duck-goose this summer?   So, I didn’t see that coming.  But the kids still had fun.

To play Catch the Lion King, you just adapt to using “lion-lion-hyena” instead of “duck-duck-goose”, and have the chosen hyena jump up, ensue chase, and try to grab the lion’s tale before the lion is able to run around the circle and claim the empty spot.

Although the website and party kit included some fun options, I actually found some additional game ideas on Disney’s Spoonful site.  We played a Pass the Parcel game as our icebreaker, with great success.

As the mom throwing the party, I find that first portion when kids are quiet and feeling shy to be the most nerve-wracking.  This game got the giggles started nicely, right off the bat.

 

The #DisneySide Celebration kit also came with some colorful cards to play Disney Bingo.  We had even more takers on this one, with some of the parents itching to get into the mix!  We will definitely keep these and play it at another party in the future.

Although not particularly crafty, when I saw this Tangled Book Marker project on Pinterest I wanted to give them as party favors to the girls in attendance.

As the party drew closer (and my remaining to-do list grew longer), I decided it would be a fun addition to just set up a craft station and let them make their own.  I laminated the Rapunzel tower printables ahead of time.  Then I provided the materials so they could finish their own, by trimming and adding a Rapunzel braid made of embroidery string.

One more Pinterest idea, for good measure… we set up a Minnie Manicure station!

 

And lastly – I don’t mean to brag, but my kids have the funnest Auntie Wendy in the whole world.   Honestly, every kid needs one.  Anyways… our Auntie Wendy always remembers that a kids party just isn’t a kids party without a good old fashioned CANDY THROW!!  (Some people “toss” it.  Wendy throws it…. watch yourself!)

Seriously.  Weeks of party planning invested, and I’m pretty sure this was their favorite part.   😉

#DisneySide Party ~ The Food

Ahhh… last, but certainly not least – the party food!

There were so many great ideas floating around Pinterest – even boards specifically for this #DisneySide home celebration campaign – that the food ideas were tough to narrow down.

We went with Mickey cupcakes, homemade caramel corn in Disney cups, fresh fruit (which I’m fairly certain nobody ate, just for your reference), and Mickey pizzas.

Aaaaannnd….that’s a wrap.  On the way out, I heard one little girl comment to her mom, “Best. Party. EVER!”  Awww, shucks.  That definitely makes it all worthwhile!

In all honesty, I feel that throwing kids parties are a lot of work and somewhat stressful for a mom.  But I have to say I enjoyed this more than any other children’s party I’ve thrown thus far.  🙂

We had so much fun showing our #DisneySide!

*o*    *o*     *o*

I was supplied with a free party kit containing ideas and items to help me host a #DisneySide Home Celebration party.  All opinions are my own.