I threw my daughter an Encanto themed birthday party because she’s been obsessed ever since it was released on Disney+, and to be honest, who hasn’t?!
The Dress
I wasn’t able to finish the Isabela dress in time for the party, but I did get it done in time to do a photoshoot the following weekend! I made it in pieces rather than one dress because I have plans to create an Isabela Mando for Megacon this year… fingers crossed!
The Food
Food was very important for me to get right. My daughter kept asking what they were always eating in Encanto so we made some arepas together one weekend. Of course, I made some for the party too. I also ordered some buñuelos from a local Colombian bakery that were a huge hit! I based the cookies off Mirabel’s collar and these patches from a Disney Encanto activity set. The toucans and capybaras are some of the best characters in the movie so I had to include those. For the grazing board I wanted it to be kid friendly and reflect the family Madrigal colors. I included some green rock candy to represent Bruno… but we don’t talk about Bruno! For the grown-ups we had some mimosas (with ice from Isabela) and some cold brew cubes for coffee!
The Table Setting
I’m lucky enough to live near the flagship Rifle Paper Co shop, so I was able to get some discounted party supplies that included paper table runners and cupcake decoration kits. I included pinwheels since they were in Mirabel’s “Not Special Special.” I absolutely adore these glass bud vases and hope I can reuse them for something else!
The Flowers
I knew I wanted there to be a ton of flowers but obviously using fresh cut flowers is very expensive. So I opted to make lots of large paper flowers using Abbi Kirsten’s templates. They’re easy to make but can definitely be time consuming. I must warn you, they use way more paper than you think they will though. I also need to give a shout-out to Ryobi for making the greatest glue guns of all time! I have both the full size and compact. It’s so wonderful not being limited by a cord!
I also discovered sola wood flowers and instantly fell in love! Sola (or ‘shola’) wood flowers are made from a plant that grows wild in marsh areas. Because it grows quickly, it is a renewable resource and one of the lightest known woods. They’re very affordable and can be dyed any color.
I wish my daughter’s party didn’t get rained out and have to be moved inside. I would have loved to cover the entire deck in flowers, but overall it was pretty wonderful. I hope she can look back on it one day and appreciate how well it reflected her favorite movie, Encanto!
