Enchanting Princess Birthday Party Ideas

Planning a birthday party for your little one is always a special occasion, but when you decide on a princess birthday party celebration, the excitement reaches a whole new level! This year, my daughter was beyond excited to celebrate her birthday and wished for a magical day filled with her favorite fairy tale characters.

From enchanting decorations to stunning princess gowns and a balloon garland that stole the show, I’ll share all the magical details that made her party unforgettable. In this post, I’ll share my journey of planning a royal celebration perfect for a princess birthday party, including creative decor ideas, the history behind our balloon garland, and tips for creating a whimsical celebration that your child will cherish, too!

Planning the Princess-Themed Birthday Party

Every year, as a birthday approaches our home, excitement starts to build. The kids excitedly discuss what “theme” they want for their celebration. Being a military family and frequently moving, we often don’t have large parties with friends or family. We usually lack a community to celebrate with, so it’s just us as a family. Still, I want to ensure the kids feel special on their big day.

A few years ago, I began a tradition where the kids choose their birthday theme. I gather all the supplies and create a balloon garland or other decorations that match their theme, decorating while they sleep. We’ve had several themes over the years: Frozen, Paw Patrol, Dinosaurs, and Unicorns, but this year was different.

Instead of opting for the usual mainstream shows or characters, my soon-to-be 5-year-old chose a princess birthday theme. You might think that’s easy—grab some Disney Princess decor. But she had a different idea: she didn’t want it to be about other princesses; she wanted to be THE princess for her birthday.

I began brainstorming ideas and ultimately decided that only a setting truly fit for a princess would do, which, in my mind, meant dedicating an entire gift to dressing up like a princess.

Princess Party Decor Inspiration

After I had nailed down the theme, princess birthday, I began brainstorming ideas for her balloon garland and a few decorative pieces.

Balloon Garland

Ultimately, I landed on this beautiful rose gold and pink balloon arch kit, which I thought was perfect for a princess birthday.

The kit includes everything you need to make the arch, from various balloons (and sizes) to the garland strip.

If this is your first time creating a balloon garland, I highly recommend you read my article “DIY Easy Balloon Garland.” If you need ideas on hanging your garland, check out “Easiest Way to Hand A Balloon Garland.”

Now that we’ve covered the basics, here are a few things you’ll want for your balloon garland.

First up is this balloon pump. Trust me, you will NOT want to blow up all those balloons yourself. Save your sanity and invest in a balloon pump to speed along your balloon garland.

Princess Themed Table Settings

After focusing on the balloons, I switch to the table settings. I usually try to find something easy for me, meaning it’ll have everything I need, so I’m not trying to coordinate plates, cups, and napkins.

I ran across the most adorable Princess birthday party supplies.

The party supply kit included a banner, foil balloon, tulle fabric, 18 pink balloons, a tablecloth, 9-inch plates, 7-inch plates, napkins, cups, and utensils. It was the perfect kit for our little family parties.

The last piece of decor I add for the kids is usually a giant balloon or marquee number that matches the age at which they’re turning. This year, I opted for a 4 ft pink marquee with the number 5 because it fit her balloon garland aesthetic.

For the last few birthdays, I have switched to the marquees over the larger balloons, and the kids absolutely love them. Once we’re finished with them, I always try to donate them on our local Facebook page, and usually, someone comes by to pick them up, so they live on for another birthday.

I tend to keep the decor minimal since our parties are just for our immediate family and, most importantly, for the kids to enjoy. I stick with our balloon garland and a party supply kit almost every birthday.

Fairytale Princess Dress-Up Station

Since my daughter wanted a princess birthday, I wanted to create a princess dress-up station for her. My kids absolutely love pretend play, which means we have a variety of old Halloween costumes to select from (we have a big family, so I keep all the costumes to use). However, we only had two or three princess dresses, and they have truly seen better days. Moreover, our costumes are thrown mainly in a tote for storage.

Keeping in mind that the princess dress-up station would be her “big gift,” I decided to find a proper storage solution for her dresses.

I searched and compared various dress-up stations and finally decided on this one. I loved that the right side had a door with shelving so we could store shoes or jewelry, and the left had hooks perfect for capes or purses.

This dress-up station was easy to assemble and adorable. My daughter loves that it has a mirror she can dance and twirl in front of.

Princess Dresses

The beautiful princess dresses were the last piece of this princess’s birthday to pull it all together. I tend to buy our dress-up clothes from consignment shops or wait until after Halloween when costumes are 50-75% off. However, her birthday falls at the beginning of October, so I couldn’t hit up the sales rack. I tried to go to several local consignment shops, but none had princess dresses, probably because we were so close to Halloween.

Instead, I headed back to Target and grabbed a few of their Disney Princess dresses. These cost a little more than I wanted to pay, but the quality is excellent. We have several cheaper Halloween costumes from Target and Amazon that need to be sown within days of being used, and these Disney dresses have taken a beating and are still going strong.

Disney Princess Dresses

Our Target has a small section dedicated to Disney, and I found our dresses there. If yours doesn’t, these are the dresses I added to our collection.

The Disney princess dresses cost a little more, but they hold up really well compared to our other dress-up clothes. I’ve bought a few costumes, and within a week, I have to sew and fix them, but the Disney dresses are not one of those, so you may want to consider that when deciding what you want to buy.

Budget-Friendly Dresses

As I said above, I try to buy our dress-up outfits from local consignment shops, FB marketplaces, or the sale section after Halloween. However, if you cannot find any of those, you can purchase a few budget-friendly options online.

We’ve had a few variations of his kit over the years. The girls love the shoes and the jewelry kit comes with it.

This is another dress-up kit we’ve had over the years. The girls loved that they could switch the tops and skirts to mix and match the princesses. It’s a great option and includes four separate outfits.