To cancel DDs party this Sunday?

[Partydilemma48293]

DD is 3 and we’re having a party for her in 2 weeks time. Have spent about £1000 on venue hire, entertainment etc.

Originally had 25 kids confirmed as coming and this has now dropped down to 9.

Should we cancel?

IABU - no don’t canxel
YANBU - cancel

I'm surprised that with 2 weeks to go people have already cancelled, can't put it down to illness so at the very least, had it of been me, I'd give you a good valid reason for doing so.

Who spends 250 on balloons? It is obscene.

£1000 on a party for a 3 year old is just silly but you have done it, if you can't get a refund just invite anyone you know and have a good knees up.

We can't all live in Trumpton. It's green belt.

YABU to cancel if its not going to make you any money back. 9 kids is fine for the things you've described, will probably be better with less kids anyway! Let them have the party and just chalk it up to experience

£300 on decor?! For a three year old?! Is it gold plated?!?

DD only had 4 kids people at her 4th birthday. I'd invited most of the class at nursery, and like you we had a hall, bouncy castle, food etc.

Do you know what? She had a ball!! 5 kids in total was plenty for her.

It'll be great, go for it!

(And come back here next year before her birthday to find out ways to have a cheaper party, we'll help!)

Why are people so flakey these days?

I’m also in Cheshire but admittedly not the posh end. I have organised many soft play and similar parties and the usual budget has been £2-300

Blimey.. round here (south east) they charge £10-£15 per child.

Defo go ahead, invite siblings, have a lovely time. My kids do in fact still remember their 3rd birthday parties

This!!

Please don't cancel, your DD will still enjoy it!

How much? She's only 3. If no refund you will have to go through with it. A learning curve?

In all honesty 25 would have been overwhelming for a 3yo. 8-10 will be a nice number. I think the bit where you’ve gone ott is on decorating but if you can afford it then no harm done. You’ll know for future years you don’t need to go crazy. Cakes have always been close to that for us so I don’t think you’re massively out of the normal on that.

Also the soft play quote was crazy so don’t go there in the future! The last activity party I did was climbing at £26 a head plus £8 per person for food. The softplay place is fully taking the piss in comparison.

Its no one else's business but OP made sure everyone knows even though it has zero relevance to anything... which is why the whole things feels fake and stiring.

If OP had posted the same thing without that I guarantee not one person would have said 'how much have you spent on this party?'. Some may have still asked 'will you get a refund if you cancel?' but no one would say 'tell me how much in pounds you spent on this'.

I totally understand how upsetting it must be to have that many cancellations. It seems odd to be honest. Why are so many cancelling?
Anyhow, my 3yo doesn’t even have 9 friends to invite to her next party. So to me to have 9 friends attending seems like a lot already. Even my 5yo doesn’t even have 9 kids he calls friends.

And the moral of the story is that money can't buy class, sense or friends.

Well, what's the point of cancelling then? 🤔

I mean, your DD is 3 - I doubt she will be counting the number of attendees! Or writing the non attenders a strong letter of complaint afterwards 😂 She'll just be having fun at her party.

When I was 11, my parents spent a lot on a party for all the girls in my class on a hall in the local recreation centre, only 4 people turned up. Turned out there was another party that day and they all went there instead. We couldn’t get a refund so had the party anyway and it was awful. In your case, 9 is still a good amount and if you can’t get a refund what about asking siblings or parents? I assume if it’s fellow toddlers coming there will be parents coming anyway which will bump up the numbers. Why did all the others reject the invite?

We had over 30 for a party last year, it was awful!! Too noisy and busy and stressful. 9 should be absolutely lovely, that will be our max this year!

Please don't cancel, especially if she's aware she's got a party coming up! My just 3 year old was so excited for her birthday party. Not sure why everyone's obsessing over the price but I wouldn't worry about people thinking you've gone overboard! She will still have a great time. Can you invite family members, aunties, cousins, grandparents just to fill the room out a bit?

How much?…That’s insane!

It’s usually about £150-250. My kids are just past and at this stage so I’ve been doing these type of parties for ages and you are paying no where near the norm. And I’m in an affluent area.
£1200?! Are they having a joke?
You need to contact some more venues next time!

I really feel for you as I'm in a similar situation for our 3 year old's party. We invited 35 kids and only have had 9 accept, and some of those have accepted only a few days beforehand. Ours was about half the cost of yours, not including an £190 cake. I won't be making this mistake again next year!! It's really tough so you have my sympathies. I hope you have a wonderful party.