Erin’s 4th Birthday – The Party Planning

Erin turned four on Monday, and the planning for her fourth birthday party is well underway. This year, due to me being on maternity leave, we have been unable to afford a nursery party as well as a family party, simply opting for a family party at home. You could be forgiven for assuming that this would therefore be a small affair – but we have a LOT of children in our family, and as such, there are 13 kids and 20+ adults who will be descending on our house this weekend! 🙂

We decided to use Bidvine to help us with our party planning; helping us source a bouncy castle hire company that would deliver and collect a bouncy castle on the day. For those who aren’t familiar with Bidvine – you simply enter the service you require and your postcode. Bidvine allows you to specify what you are looking for (whether it be party entertainment, a cake maker, a caterer) and then answer a few questions before waiting for the professionals to come to you. You can then look through the bids that you receive and learn more about each professional and what they can offer, making the whole process much easier and far less stressful!

Here’s what we have planned this weekend….

The Bouncy Castle

We are lucky enough to have a GINORMOUS garden, and as such, have lots of space for a big bouncy castle. After doing some research of bouncy castle suppliers with Bidvine, we have chosen a giant platform slide, which is so big that even the adults can go on it! This could be an interesting afternoon when a few drinks have been consumed! lol 🙂

The Cake

What four year old’s party would be complete without a princess cake?? I had a ‘trial run’ of my home made princess dress cake on Monday and it wasn’t too bad (although the icing was a little on the rustic side!!). I now have a few days to try and improve the design for Sunday, although this time Erin wants Elsa (it appears her infatuation with Frozen is never going to diminish!!). I have used this fantastic princess cake mould from Hobbycraft which made the dress sponge much easier to create, but this time I am going to have to cut out more of the centre in order to pop her Elsa doll inside. I have no idea how this is   going to work – but may end up being  a bit of a Pinterest fail!!

The Theme

Unexpectedly for a four year old girl, her theme of choice is a Princess (and Super Hero) theme. The majority of the event will be princess based, with the range of Princess party plates, cups and napkins from Party Pieces. I didn’t want the boys turning their noses up at all the pink however, so their wands and tiaras have been swapped for marvel superhero masks! 🙂 I am really looking forward to serving dinner in the princess carriage food trays which come with their own cup and food scoop – they look like so much fun! 🙂

The Photobooth

I have a bit of an obsession with photobooths, and at any party or event that has one, I am quite literally the first person to get in when they open! We created our own one last year for Erin’s Alice in Wonderland party, and I made the accessories myself. This year I have cheated a little and we have this fantastic Princess Stand In photo prop, where the children can pop their heads through the holes and automatically be transformed into a beautiful princess! I know they are going to love it!

The Food

We have decided to go for simple on the food front, and ordered some platters of sandwiches and wraps from Sainsburys Deli counter. We have used them many times before and have always been really pleased with the quality, and it saves any additional stress that may have been involved with making all the food ourselves. You simply order with at least 3 days notice from the counter in store, and pay on collection the morning of your party. I am looking forward to tucking into a wrap or two!! 🙂

The Games

With the bouncy castle out, we have decided not to opt for any traditional party games like pass the parcel, as we are anticipating spending most of the time in the garden. We will however be bringing out some garden games such as our ring toss, bat and balls and the fabulous Big Jumbo Four Game from Big Game Hunters. Whilst Erin doesn’t fully understand the rules yet, she really enjoys putting in the disks and letting them all fall out again once its full! 🙂

and finally…

The Weather

So far the weather forecast is good, and I am praying that it stays that way!!! If anything I am now wondering if we will have enough shade for the little ones, and considering getting another parasol! It’s always one extreme or the other!

Wish us luck! 🙂

Lucy x

*Disclosure – this is a collaborative post. Some items featured have been sent as a review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links*