Doll-Themed Galentine’s Par-TEA (Part 1)

THEME

doll birthday, doll themed birthday, doll themed partyWhen 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

american girl doll party, american girl dolls, american girl doll birthday party, barbie party, best 7th birthday partyShe 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.

styles by vee, hair extensions for kids, hair extension, long black braid, kids hair, kid's hairstyleFrom 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!

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What’s cuter than a bunch of little dressed up girls walking around with their dollies?  AHH I had heart eyes the entire party!

american girl doll party, doll party, doll themed party, doll themed birthday, american girl craft, our generation doll partyIt 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.

american girl party, barbie party, doll themed party, doll craft, american girl doll craftAll guests left with a new dolly dress of their choice and a backpack made to specifically fit their dolls in.

barbie birthday, american girl doll party, doll themed party, doll partyThanks 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.

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Getting DOLL-ed UP!

blinger, hair bling, hair accessories for girlsThanks 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.

pink princess nails, meri meri party, nail art for kids, doll party american girl doll party, nyc nail partyThese 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).

kids' fashion show, fashion birthday party, doll themed birthday party, doll themed party, american girl doll party ,american girl doll birthday, ag doll partyWe 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

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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.  7th birthday party, afternoon tea for girls, tea party for girls, little kids' tea party, doll party, dolly and me party, ag doll party, american girl doll partyNo, 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.

doll themed party, barbie birthday party barbie party ideas, american girl doll party, american girl doll birthday, birthday party ideas for girlsPlus 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.

lol doll birthday party, doll themed party, doll themed party ideas, barbie birthday party, 7th birthday party ideas, afternoon tea for girlsFinal winner won a matching doll-girl outfit set!

doll themed party, heart pinata, afternoon tea for girls, tea party for girls, doll birthday partyAnd 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!

 

 

5 Reasons To Vaca At Seadust Cancun

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Background

I’ve been a mom for 6 years and have only gone away on my own for a girls’ trip once and that was thanks to MomTrends who asked me to be one of the selected bloggers to participate in the sponsored Manchester outlet trip (recapped here). My husband had to let me take off for an all-expense, paid trip, right?  (Anyone else also have to appeal to the bargain-hunting side of their significant other to get what they want?)  A girls’ getaway is what every mom needs and deserves.  So when MomTrends once again, gave me the opportunity to do another sponsored trip, this time to Cancun and to kickoff Mother’s day week, I couldn’t pass it up.  I had been to Cancun once before, but never with a team of influencers and never to this all-inclusive, family resort, Seadust Cancun.   It was an amazing trip and I’m happy to share my 5 reasons I think you too must check out Seadust Cancun!

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1).  It’s All-Inclusive! 
All-inclusive vacations remove vacation planning stress by offering a packaged deal that contains most of what you need for a relaxing vacation (for a set per-person fee).  Have you ever tried one?  Never worry about losing your wallet on the beach, having enough change, or ordering that extra drink!  It’s ALL-INCLUDED, people!  Yes, even all the domestic and imported beverages are included.  Can anyone say, “2nd rounds, please?!”  This new way of living will have you feeling like a millionaire without a care in the world. Seriously.  Top this no-payment system off with their trademark, service, and you’ll never want to leave this doting resort!  Oh how hard it is to go back to reality and have to nickel and dime every little thing lol!

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2).  It’s JUST 15 minutes from the Cancun airport!

You know how you travel for hours internationally and cannot wait to dump your bags and stretch your legs in your hotel room?  Remember how it feels to land only to realize that you still have to hunt down and wait for the correct train, find a taxi AND wait an additional 2 more hours to get to your destination?  Vacation buzz killer, right? Not here.  With Seadust Cancun, you’re only a 10-15 minute drive from your beachfront hotel.  AHH now THAT’s a vacation!

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3).  Beautiful Views and beachfront property seadust cancun, family resort, things to do in cancun with family, cancun all inclusive resort, cancun family resort

Just look at these pictures.  Need I say more?  One of the main attractions Cancun has to offer is its brilliant Caribbean water and this hotel allows for full enjoyment of it.  This property is right on the beach!!  My mouth dropped the minute I walked into my oceanfront room.  The supersized patio (which included an outdoor whirlpool bath) overlooked the pool, the beach, the water activities and endless crystal waters.  I couldn’t take my eyes off this spectacular view..even the jaded traveler in me was impressed!  The view was also shared by the pools, the outdoor bar, and many restaurants on premise.  Our room felt enormous given the NY standards I’m used to, and I appreciated the giant bathroom, dressing area, wardrobe and vanity.  It was just me in there but it felt so luxurious being able to spread out and feel like a queen!   We took a tour of their hotel and learned that families can opt to have a bunk bed setup situated to fit an additional 3 kids with the parents in an adjacent room and bed!  This is a huge plus for larger families!

4).  Tons of delicious on-site dining

One of the greatest pleasures of being on vacation is exploring the food options, isn’t it (cuz calories don’t count on vacation, right??).  And Seadust Cancun does not disappoint!  With 11 restaurants and 10 bars on site, you might not even be able to eat your way through the whole hotel.  We tried the Food Gallery, Le Maison Du Michelle, Atlantis, and El Maguey and enjoyed everything.

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Selection and service were fantastic, atmosphere varied, and the food was yummy!  They even had the most memorable, Instagram-able desserts!  Now you see how they won me over, right?

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5).  Lots of family fun! 

When not busy trying to devour all the tasty temptations in sight, you’ll have plenty of activities to work it off or unwind and simply relax (like I wanted to do!).  The fitness minded, will enjoy the modern gym, zip-lining, water aerobics, mini-golf, the rock-climbing wall, tennis courts and water park options.  (Yes, there’s actually a water park on premises!!)

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For those looking to unwind, the spa, sauna, steam room AND baby, kids or teen club await you!! (Yes, you can drop off your kids all the way through 11pm if you like!)  Now THAT’s a vacation!

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Pin the opening image and save it to your travel files, cuz trust me, this is a place that you AND your family will enjoy!

PROMO CODE FOR YOU

Use code MOMTRENDS  (The booking window is from May 13th 2019 through December 20th, 2020 and  the travel window is from May 13th, 2019 through December 20th, 2020.)  Blackout dates include: Sept. 13th – 15th 2019, Oct. 31st – Nov 2nd 2019, Nov. 13th – Nov. 15th 2019, Dec. 21st – Jan. 2nd 2020, and April 5th – 18th 2020. 

Travel tip:  Avoid traveling to Mexico during the extremely hot summer months if possible!  You’ll be much happier on vaca if you don’t have to sweat through all those fabulous clothes you packed haha!

 

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This post was made possible by Seadust Cancun – thank you for hosting us!  All opinions expressed are my own.

 

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