A VERY MERRY UN-BIRTHDAY PARTY

A Very Merry UnBirthday Party

BY KIM PANKO GREVELL FROM KIM’S PARTY PLANNING

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION BEHIND THE STYLING FOR THIS PARTY SHOOT? The world has been crazy in the last couple of years. Sometimes the world seems like a wonderland but dig deeper and you see it’s like a Mad Hatters Tea Party. As parents, we want to protect our children from this, but we can make sure they have opportunities to escape down the rabbit hole, into a Wonderland of possibilities. I felt this Unbirthday party was a perfect way to combine the Wonderland that I want my kids to experience with touches of the chaos of reality, by embedding the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party inside the atmosphere of Wonderland.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF THIS SETUP? I was looking to create something unique and FUN. The venues greenery provided a perfect setting for this Unbirthday party. The life size Alice and White Rabbit next to the extralarge foam flowers gave the illusion of being in the movie Alice in Wonderland. The detailed 3 tiered cake and the movie inspired cookies brought the theme to life Custom bubblewands designed to look like the blue caterpillar on a mushroom and party favor boxes decorated to look like Alice’s dress were a big hit with the kids. The most exciting and craziest part was getting a bunch of babies to join in at a crazy tea party, in exquisite costumes with amazingly detailed face painting, particularly on the Cheshire Cat and March Hare. SHARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR THOSE PLANNING CHILDREN’S PARTIES AND CELEBRATIONS Kid’s party planning should probably be considered an art! Key points to consider include: • Location, Location, Location. Think outside of the box. • Go Big or go home doesn’t always apply to activities.

Don’t try to cram too many things into a two-hour party. • Plan with the Birthday Child. The key ingredient is to have the kids in mind when planning. Kids like to have a good time and get excited for parties. • Picking a theme. Having a party theme helps you tailor and personalize everything. • It’s a numbers game. Keep the birthday child in mind when inviting guests – some thrive with lots of guests and some really shine when it’s just a few closer friends.

VENDORS

STYLING, COORDINATION, DESIGN, SETUP, DÉCOR, TABLEWARE, ALICE’S DRESS ON PARTY BOXES, CATERPILLAR BUBBLE WANDS, AND KIDS COSTUMES. KIM’S PARTY PLANNING www.kimspartyplanning.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY FOTOS BY MILLY www.instagram.com/fotosbymilly.inc

EAT ME & ALICE IN WONDERLAND DECAL COOKIES OH TASTE AND SEE www.instagram.com/oh.taste.and.see

WELCOME SIGN & INVITATION, PRINT & CUSTOM DESIGN STYLA PRINTS AND DESIGN www.instagram.com/styla_printsanddesign

PROPS: 2M ALICE, 2M WHITE RABBIT, FLAMINGOS HONEY TUB EVENT HIRE www.instagram.com/honeytub_events_hire

PARTY FAVOUR BOXES, FLORAL PARTY HATS, FLORAL PLATES, FLORAL NAPKINS THE POP UP PARTY CO www.instagram.com/the_pop_up_party_co

PROPS: GREENERY WALL, LARGE TEA CUP, MUSHROOM TABLE & STOOLS, CHECKERBOARD MAT, STANDEES, WONDERLAND SIGN HAPPILY EVER LAUGHTER PARTY HIRE www.happilyeverlaughterpartyhire.com.au

MAD HATTER CAKE & EAT ME CUPCAKES CAKE ABOUT www.cakeabout.com.au

LARGE FOAM FLOWER CREATIONS CHANGE SCENERY www.instagram.com/change_scenery

FACE PAINTING FANTASY METAMORFACES www.fantasymetamorfaces.com

VENUE VEND MARKETPLACE www.instagram.com/vendmarketplace