Doll-Themed Galentine’s Par-TEA (Part 1)
THEME
When you’re the daughter of an event planner, you learn early on that you can dream big when it comes to your birthday! My daughter has enjoyed planning her birthday party details starting at the tender age of 4. And as far as I can remember, she has always wanted to be a part of all the detailed planning and setting up! This year, she determined she wanted a doll themed party, similar to last year’s L.O.L surprise doll party but inclusive of American Girl / Our Generation Dolls and Barbie too.
VISION
She knew she wanted: everyone to bring their dolls, have a fashion show, have a fancy tea party where everyone dressed up, include a pinata, cake and cupcakes and get to have her hair done with a super long black braid. (it was just the world’s longest wish list from a not-even 7 year old!) Thank you Style by Vee for the amazing hair extension with heart-shaped beads to go with the galentine’s theme!! I could never have made her hair dreams come true without your help!! Check out those glittery, heart-shaped edges that she created with her new “party edges” product! So cute.
From there, I let her choose everything from the party colors, to tableware set, and final invitation approval. And I learned that she is a very decisive, discerning little client!
Thanks to my photographer, Andrea Kay Images, we have the most picture – perfect photos to help us break it all down!
DOLL
What’s cuter than a bunch of little dressed up girls walking around with their dollies? AHH I had heart eyes the entire party!
It was so adorable how everyone arrived with their favorite 18″ doll! With their dolls, they played pretend at the dolly tea party setup, cruised around in a motorized BMW, crafted a new dolly hat, and walked the runway.
All guests left with a new dolly dress of their choice and a backpack made to specifically fit their dolls in.
Thanks to American Girl Brand, Juliet had a new dolly to accompany her to the party! Thank you for gifting this to us, American Girl! We love all the AG doll books too.
Getting DOLL-ed UP!
Thanks to Blinger who sent us these amazing hair blingers (did you know they can also be applied to fashion? How fun!! Sparkly hairdos and nail art were all the rage at this party. Pink Princess Nails, one of our beloved sponsors, came over to apply all the gems AND create nail art for the lucky little girls.
These glam girls loved getting doll-ed up! Pink Princess Nails has an adorable pink kiddie nail spa in the Bronx but also sends their mobile beauty team abroad for events like ours! What a treat it was for all the girls to get glam right before accessorizing and getting ready for the big runway show! (see below)
RUNWAY & PHOTO BACKDROP
The girls all took turns walking the runway with their dolls (after accessorizing themselves at the dress-up station).
We parents couldn’t help smile ear to ear as each one took their turn sante’-ing down the catwalk. The beautiful backdrop shown here was a collaboration between Marijo Creations who spent hours perfecting the stunning balloon garland and Paper Flowers Garden who customized the life-sized doll box. Don’t you love how everything was SO perfectly coordinated with the pink ruffle curtains I found and hung from a photographer’s backdrop stand? And didn’t the hearts work perfectly with our Galentine’s theme?? I LOVED all the 3D details so much!
Each girl popped out from behind the curtain, into the doll box, posed like a doll, then sashayed out for their grand runway walk. It was ADORABLE! These dolls were each supermodels in their own right! And this whole backdrop served as a fun photo opp for all the guests – including us moms! haha
ACTIVITIES
OK so at this 5-7 year old age, you can’t expect the kids to just dine and sit at their table all party-long like we adults might want to at a birthday party. 
No, you need to let them wander around and get to pick and choose from various activity stations! Remember – short attention spans! Luckily, we had lots of space to allow 20 of these party-goers let their sillies out at all sorts of doll-themed pretend play stations.
Plus I planned a couple party games to mix it up! The L.O.L relay race challenged the girls to balance a doll on their spoon while tagging their teammates.
Final winner won a matching doll-girl outfit set!
And the heart-shaped pinata was so much fun for girls this age. Inside, they found everything you’d want from a doll-themed, galentines. Think Valentine’s chocolates and candy to L.O.L doll accessories and stickers to fancy rings, to Valentine’s pencils and erasers. PRO TIP. Set aside some treats and winnings for the inevitable kid or two who gets upset that they didn’t get “enough stuff.” We all want to make sure the little ones (who often get pushed aside during pinata pulls) are happy with their winnings too!
So tell me, what was YOUR favorite part of this doll themed party??
Stay tuned for part 2 of this 7th birthday party recap which will feature all the details to the tablescape, with lots of shoppable links, tips and tricks!
THANK YOU
to the sponsors who made the party so special and beautiful. Your partnership was MUCH appreciated!
- Petite Seats
- Marijo Creations
- Paper Flowers Garden
- Styles By Vee
- Mini Melanie
- Pink Princess Nails
- American Girl Doll
- Blinger
- Nina Kids Shoes
- 805 Masks (LOL doll felt masks)
Then change up the accessories. Sensible shoes for the day to stilettos at night. Tote bag for the day which hides a clutch for that night. I paired this Calvin Klein baby pink sheath dress with a frilly trench coat, heels and a white enamel hairpin and necklace as my nod to Valentines. It’s a work outfit that is special enough to go from cubicle to cocktails!
Make sure to pair it with heels to avoid looking too prairie like and give it more of a high-fashion edge. This dress from Other Stories has unfortunately sold out but below are inspired items in pink that I recommend for Valentines that you can still shop.
