A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Jun 22

My precious little girl wasn't going to make it through childhood without a Cinderella party.

After years of struggling to build our family, I spent many late nights dreaming about the things I would do with (and for) a daughter if God chose to bless us with one. Long before Eliane was born, I was planning tea parties, birthday celebrations, and all the magical childhood moments I hoped we would one day share.

In many ways, this party was a dream that belonged to me long before it belonged to her. But judging by the smile on her face that day, I think Eliane loved it just as much as I did.

The Invitations

I love for invitations to set the tone for a party. They are the first glimpse guests have of what's to come, and I wanted these to feel as magical as the celebration itself.

To this day, they remain my favorite invitations I've ever designed, and I'm so grateful that my photographer, Elizabeth Rodenhizer, captured them in such beautiful detail.

The invitations themselves were clear acrylic panels embossed in gold and tucked inside soft blue folders, also embossed in gold. To each one, I attached a sparkling Swarovski crystal crown that could later be removed and worn as a barrette. The pearlized outer envelopes were finished with a Cinderella castle wax seal—the perfect finishing touch for a royal invitation.

The Cake(s)

The truth is, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, so I made two cakes.

The castle cake was served to our guests, but I simply couldn't bring myself to cut the carriage cake. Normally, I'm excited to see people enjoy my work and taste the cake I've spent so many hours creating. Once a cake leaves my kitchen, it's meant to be eaten.

This one was different.

After all the hours of planning, sculpting, painting, and fussing over tiny details, cutting into that carriage would have genuinely hurt my heart. So it survived the party completely intact.

For the carriage, I drew inspiration from the incredible work of Deborah Hwang, whose artistry and attention to detail helped guide my vision for the cake.

The Activities

My husband and I are not the same when it comes to sleep. He can be unconscious before his head fully hits the pillow. Meanwhile, I struggle not to take advantage of the quiet hours, so my brain tends to be busiest somewhere between midnight and 3:00 a.m.

Three years before this party, I woke him up at 2:00 a.m. because I had just found the perfect carriage for our daughter's fifth birthday. Most people would have questioned both the timing and the level of commitment, considering Eliane was only two years old at the time and the party was still years away. Fortunately, I'm married to the chillest man on the planet, and by then he was already accustomed to my long-range party-planning schemes.

I knew that carriage would be perfect when the time finally came—and it absolutely was.

Diana Beuchert and her team were wonderful. The carriage was immaculate and beautifully decorated, and the horse, driver, and overall experience exceeded every expectation. It created an unforgettable memory for our guests, each of whom was treated to a ride with Cinderella in her royal carriage.

Of course, you can't have Cinderella's carriage without Cinderella herself. Rather than hiring a generic costumed princess, we found the real deal.

If you're planning a princess party, run—don't walk—to book Once Upon a Time Parties, D.C. I don't hand out glowing reviews very often, but between Diana's Horse Carriages and Once Upon a Time Parties, we absolutely hit the jackpot. Since this party, we've visited Disney World multiple times, and the level of detail and professionalism was every bit as impressive as our very best character experiences in Orlando.

From the costuming, wigs, makeup, and voice to the kindness, warmth, and engagement with the children, everything was exceptional. I truly could not recommend them more highly.

Our princess led the children through story time, crafts, singing, and dancing, all culminating in a special crowning ceremony. Cinderella officially crowned each girl at the party a princess.

The girls received crowns from Janie & Jack's Disney Collection along with scepters from the Disney Store, making for a magical ending to a truly unforgettable day.

The Details

One of my favorite things about designing a party is layering in details. Many of them will go completely unnoticed by most guests, and that's perfectly fine with me. I think those little touches contribute to the overall atmosphere and help create a sense of magic. More importantly, they make me ridiculously happy.

The night before the party, I came very close to abandoning the dress I was sewing for the mannequin. It was late, the castle cake wasn’t finished, I was tired and questioning all of my life choices.

Recreating the dress that the mice made for Cinderella was something I had planned early on, though, and I'm so glad I pushed through and finished it.

I ordered a beautiful personalized "Once Upon a Time" backdrop that served as a focal point for both photographs and story time. Eliane’s grandpa went to work building a storybook frame for it. Throughout this party space, I scattered sewing baskets filled with fabric scraps, spools of ribbon, and pumpkins—a few subtle nods to Cinderella's story. Every party of Eliane’s will always have florals. As I’ve mentioned before, flowers were incredibly special to Eliane’s great-grandmother for whom she is named and so I’ve made them central in all her birthday parties and bedroom decor.

Then there were the candelabras.

Every year for more than twenty years, my husband has asked whether we can finally get rid of the gold candelabras I purchased for our wedding. Every year, I've insisted that someday I would find the perfect use for them.

This party was that day.

The tiara displayed on the blue velvet pillow wasn't one I wore at our wedding. Instead, it had topped our wedding cake all those years ago. It was surprisingly special to pull it out again and give it a place of honor nearly two decades later.

Sometimes the smallest details carry the biggest memories.

I couldn’t decide if I wanted Eliane in Cinderella pink or blue, but with Cinderella coming to the party in her traditional blue, I went with this lovely dress that had both pink and blue by Tutu du Monde and then added a satin sash at the waist.

The Tablescape

There's something about a beautiful tablescape that pulls an entire party together. It's one of my favorite opportunities to personalize an event and create little vignettes that tell the story of the theme. When you have more ideas than you can possibly fit into one space, the table becomes the perfect place to showcase some of the smaller details.

And if there's ever been a party theme with endless possibilities, it's Cinderella.

I filled the table with treasures gathered from everywhere imaginable—Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and countless late-night searches that probably should have ended hours earlier. Tiny carriages, crown-shaped votives, silk ribbons, yarn, buttons, and other whimsical touches were layered throughout the design, creating little nods to Cinderella's story at every turn.

One of my favorite details was the custom mirrored acrylic pumpkin carriage place cards, each laser cut and personalized with a guest's name. They added just the right amount of sparkle and made every child feel like an honored guest at the royal ball.

The same talented company also created the laser-engraved signs that appeared throughout the house and outdoor spaces, helping to tie all of the details together. Those custom pieces added a polished, cohesive feel and made the entire celebration feel even more magical.