I'm Pretty Darn Proud of This Harry Potter Birthday Party

Last year--for the first time ever--my daughter decided she didn't want to have her party at home. Instead, she wanted to have it at an indoor trampoline park--the kind of place where you just show up with a cake and the venue handles the rest. Initially, I was kind of sad not to be able to decorate, but it ended up being fun and so much easier, since I usually go ALL OUT for their parties. It was so enjoyable, in fact, that I tried to talk her into having another easy-peasy party this year. But she wasn't having that. 

She wanted a Harry Potter party. And she had IDEAS. 

She wanted to "turn our house into Hogwarts." She wanted us to hold actual "Hogwarts classes" during the party. She wanted "lots of decorations." So I got to work--and I'm pretty darn pleased with what we came up with. Scroll down to check out what I'm humbly dubbing "the most magical Harry Potter party ever."

The party started with an Herbology Class. As the guests arrived, they each chose a mini owl planter and filled it with potting soil. (I was inspired by the project here.) Then, they each planted a "mandrake" (I had put a spell on them so they wouldn't screech, of course---wink, wink--and oh yeah, also they were actually succulents). 

It was a quick, fun, easy activity, and would also serve as part of their favor to take home.

And can we talk about the decorations? Our home is over 100 years old, so we started out with a decent Hogwarts vibe, thanks to that. I then hung battery-operated faux candles from the ceiling with fishing wire so they appeared to float. I also went nuts with printables from Etsy. I printed out large pieces of Harry Potter quotes and Hermione girl-power art (best part: It can be repurposed as art for her room later), a funny sign for the powder room door, a personalized happy birthday banner, and the piece de resistance: Diagon Alley signs that we hung down our main hallway, to suggest an alley.) Also, how cool is that Harry Potter stained glass piece that my dad made?)

I also printed out Harry Potter-themed water-bottle wraps that said things like Giggle Water or Butter Beer. (BTW, water bottle wraps are one of my favorite party tips. Cheap, easy, and looks so cute!)

We lined up her Harry Potter paperbacks on the living room mantle, and scattered flickering, flameless pillar candles everywhere.

Next came a Hogwarts "assembly"--also known as a Harry Potter-themed magic show. We used New York City's Arnie Magic, and he was fantastic. He dressed up like Dumbledore and Snape, performed lots of cool tricks like floating tables and books catching on fire, and even made my daughter levitate. He also has a VERY elaborate set, which really made the decor look ten times better!

 

After a quick pizza lunch, it was time for Potions class! My daughter decided she wanted us to make Felix Felicis, a "liquid luck" potion from the books. And though I'm sure the "real" concoction calls for some pretty exotic ingredients, this is my Felix Felicis recipe: ginger ale (a.k.a Belladonna), lemon juice (Dragon Oil), powdered sugar (Powdered Bicorn Horn), and gold edible glitter (Dragonfly Wings). 

Each guest got a mini glass bottle with stopper (I had printed out these labels and glued them on the night before), a plastic pipette dropper, plastic funnel, and tiny mini scoop (all to make the whole thing seem more science-y). The kids got SUCH a kick out of it and couldn't stop talking about when they were going to drink their good luck potions. (Tip: Learn from me and either drink your Felix Felicis right away or keep it in the fridge. We didn't and it got moldy after a few days, so I had to quietly pour that luck down the drain..)

Finally, it was time for cupcakes and candles. And those cupcakes...! They were so awesome, so impressive, and so freaking easy. (Because I didn't make them--ha!) I ordered yellow and red frosted cupcakes (Griffindor colors) from the grocery store (!), and jazzed them up big time with the most amazing fondant Harry Potter cupcake toppers that I found on Etsy. They were beyond cool: #9s, glasses, a 3-D quidditch broom, a sorting hat, a Golden Snitch, lightning bolts, and so on. They weren't cheap, but they were reasonably priced considering how much work must have gone into them. 

And then at my daughter's request, I performed a "sorting hat" ceremony for the cupcakes, giving them out individually to each guest based on some made-up reason ("You are the star Quiddich player here at Hogwarts, so you earn the Golden Snitch..." and so on.) Also at my daughter's request, I then put out bowls of candy and they decorated their cupcakes (and plates and mouths) with extra chocolate. (I apologize to all the parents for the inevitable sugar rushes that surely ensued.)

And once the school day--er, party--had ended, the girls got their favors: a cute Harry Potter favor bag holding homemade frosted sugar cookies (thanks grandma!), a broomstick pen, a Harry Potter emoji pictionary game (printed from Etsy), their potted mandrake, and a Harry Potter bookmark (also printed from Etsy).

It was a ton of work, I was super stressed, but she loved it--and secretly, I did, too.

But soon after the party ended, my son announced he wanted his party--which would be taking place only a month later--to be at a movie theater. Not going to lie: I was thrilled.

Because Mama needs a nap now. And maybe even a sleeping potion. ;)

VENDORS

Photographer: Teresa Mansbach Photography
Harry Potter cupcake toppers (these will MAKE your party!!): SugarSweetTops (Etsy)
Harry Potter cupcake wrapper printable: Pearl Co Printables (Etsy)
Owl planters: Amazon
Diagon Alley signs: Paper BonBon (Etsy)
Harry Potter bathroom sign printable: Printyca (Etsy)
"Have You Seen This Wizard" poster printable: Photos By AKP (Etsy)
Mandrake signs and labels: Printyca (Etsy)
Flameless floating candles: Amazon
Flameless pillar candles: Amazon
Mini glass bottles for potions: Amazon
Harry potter favor bags: Amazon
Harry Potter cookie cutters: Amazon
Harry Potter birthday banner printable: Sweet Props Store (Etsy)
Harry Potter water bottle wrapper printable: Sherbet Lime (Etsy)
Harry Potter bookmark printable: Chicks and Charmers (Etsy)
Bookmark tassels: Amazon
Broomstick pens: Amazon
Harry Potter favor tag printables: The Paper Giraffe Shop (Etsy)
Harry Potter Emoji Pictionary printable: Paper Passion Designs (Etsy)
Harry Potter paper plates: Amazon
Harry Potter potion label printables: Random Fandom Emporium (Etsy)
Wilton cupcake tower (best purchase EVER!): Amazon
Harry Potter children's t shirt (on my son!): Amazon