Oh no another Princess Party

[Flumpytina]

DD1 (2.5) has just recieved another invitation to a princess party. Last one we went to should have had 'Disney Princess Party' on the invite as probably 80% of the girls there had the real deal Belle/Cindrella/Aurora dresses on. DD1 had her bridesmaids dress (too tight) and a bit of plastic tat from Claires accessories on her head. So do I cave in (unable to do up zip of bridesmaids dress), and purchase some horrible, overpriced, flammable, made in Taiawn dress from the Disney store ....or do I embrace my Victorian (we never had that in my day) values and send DD in a nice dress with some plastic tat on her head from Claires accessories??? Oh any advice out there would be gratefully recieved!

stick with what makes DD happy

my DD (nearly 5) flounces about in an old nightie or lace petticoat from the dressing up box at half these parties, she is happy as anything.

I loathe the Disney princesses, although DD adores them, and have strictly limited the amount of stuff that comes in to our house. What is most depressing IMO is how some little girls don't seem to think that princesses could look any other way. I have heard DD's friends asserting that Cinderella can only look like the one in the blue dress otherwise it is 'wrong'. What happened to their imaginations?

but on the other hand, if DD really really wanted one, she could have one, she doesn't have to be miserable to satisfy my preferences. She does have a Disney Snow White dress courtesy of MIL, and she also has a (flammable, overpriced, made-in-Taiwan) pink gown which she says is 'scratchy'.

Can you sew at all? There are some fabulous fabrics around. I can't really sew, but surely making a gathered organza skirt from beautiful stuff with a silky layer underneath can't be too hard...

I should add that the chances are, if your dd likes dressing up, she will still be doing it for the next 3 years, so you may need to move on from the bridesmaid dress in any event!

oh blimey i've got boys - embrace your victorian values and send her in a nice dress!

its probably my dd princess party!! you dont live in watford do you and im upsetting all the mums at her nursery!! ;o

Not to worry we're in Cheshire (hence most of the girls being in new Disney stuff.....ghaaaaa the competitive parenting around here....am trying hard to resist).

If I'm honest DD probably couldn't give two hoots what she wears so long as it's a 'pretty dress' and a crown but all the other girls there will be 3+ and rather scarily do notice if you are in an authentic gown or not. Oh man this is so ridiculous, as I'm writing this I'm thinking....why am I worrying what a bunch of 3 year old girls thinks????

Right that's it am feeling militant...will go onto e-bay and try to find a cheap and cheerful bridesmaids dress that fits, will add nasty plastic crown, and will tell DD1 that she is a special Welsh princess (DH is Welsh) with a very special unique dress. Doubt she understands what unique means but creative parenting (lying) I figure needs to start early. I'm afraid my victorian standards don't quite reach sewing my own dress, perhaps that will be my 2007 new years resolution...make own childrens party clothes...resist the powerful consumerist charms of the disney store....hmmmm could be a loosing battle!!!

Princess dresses don't have to be all that expensive. I got one in mothercare for £8. Dd had worn it to two parties and also plays dressing up with it at home, so I think it is well worth it. I think it's sweet and I don't think the princess phase lasts all that long(till they are 5/6 maybe)anyway.

Thanks Mala, will check out Mothercare when I am there next...thought the Disney store had a monopoly on the dresses (& nearly had a small convulsion when I saw how much they were), so it's good to know that if in the future DD1 absolutely insists on one then I can get them at a more reasonable price somewhere else. Am currently bidding on a rather fetching purple number on ebay....lots of net and frilly bits....the living embodiment of a small purple merangue....DD will I'm sure love it!

Woolworths do some cheaper princess dresses (cheaper than Disney store for example) - keep an eye on when they have their sales and you can often get a bargain (M&S do them as well).

Dd (6) still loves dressing up in them. Can't say I'm too bothered. Knowing my luck, she'll probably spend all her teenage years dressed head to toe in black (like her mother!) and I'll hark back to the days when she wanted to be a princess!

We've got a Disney princess party to go to next week and the hostess told me the girls were all wearing princess dresses.

That should be all the girls bar one will be wearing a princess dress Would be happy for DD to wear a dress as her Godmother gets her one every year for Xmas but DD has terrible excema and they itch her and she refuses point blank to put them on now.

I think she will wear welly boots, stripey tights and non-matching stripey jumper dress as that is her outfit of choice at the mo.

so glad I have boys- although DS2 would love to go to a princess party, he loves girlie things.

Westcountrylass, I think the welly boots & stripy tights combo sounds excellent. I'm truly inspired and when DD is 3 maybe I'll do her a 'dress in crazy colours with wellies' party.

Well my DD would fit in well at either a princess party or a stripy clothes and wellies party. She has just really got into the princess stuff in a big way (tantrums about non-princess knickers for example). But still enjoys eccentric dressing up too - red velvet hat, green swimming goggles, pink dunagarees worn as a dress and a pair of my shoes for instance. BTW Cinderella/Snow White dresses are £12 in Asda and £14 in Tesco. Or you can get more generic dresses cheaper.

send DD in whatever she is happy in - pretty dress and cheap tiara sounds fab!

My DD was invited to a princess party a few weeks ago, my dd loaths dressisng up and does not do the whole princess thing, so she went in a lilac long sleeved top, denim skirt, striped tights and purple DM boots. She could not care less, and the other mums loved her originality!!

Check out woolworths & tesco & asda as they tend to have dressing up clothes at reasonable prices.

I think it's cute when they like dressing up. My DD has a lovely M&S reversible Cinderella dress & a yellow Belle ballgown that her aunty brought back from Disney in Florida. But for a party she is just as happy wearing any pretty dress.

The Disney Princess obsession has just cranked up another gear here, just around her 5th birthday. Until now she didn't really notice whether it was a proper princess dress or a generic one from woolies but now she knows. I would get the cheapest one you can for now and remember this when you have to shell out for a proper disney one in a couple of years if she doesn't lose interest.

I agree, dressing up is definately cute, but unfortunately dd is just not a willing participant..

But I do agree with the OP in that sometimes at parties it can become a contest between the girlies (and their mums!) about who has the prettiest and most elaborate princess dress and the sparkliest tiara...!

tk max also do cheapie dress up clothes if you're there at the rieght time

i've got to sort out the kids dressing up box, might have some smaller stuff still in there (loads of disney princess, favourite ones in use all the time)

Asda and Tesco both have disney outfits quite cheap.

I've also bought some lovely outfits on ebay.

Log onto the girls fancy dress section.

Don't waste money on bridesmaid dresses, buy the real thing.

My girls love dressing up in all of their outfits.

I refuse to pay stupid prices for them!!!!

Asda had Belle ones yesterday for £12.99 with 20% off

But mayb a bit to big?

or maybe have a look on E bay, but be careful, can often pay more then the shops!

Had a similar problem last week with my dd also aged two and a half - her nursery school asked all the girls to dress as princesses. We didn't have a princess outfit and I refused to buy one for one day, so sent her in her Halloween outfit instead as a witch!

She didn't notice. She's two and a half! She just thought it fun to get dressed up in whatever!

Thanks for all the tips everyone...feel like I must have been walking round these shops with my eyes shut as I haven't spotted any of the disney dresses before. Have just won the bobby bargain purple number off e-bay so that should do her for the next few parties.
I think I'll hold off getting the real ones until she specifically asks for them, but seeing as the whole world of Christmas maketing for little girls has gone Disney Princess mad this year then I'm sure it won't be too long.
Am kind of hoping that there might be a sort of Linda Barker effect with this one (ie everywhere you turned last year it was Linda grinning out at you trying to flog you something), now its Belle at Al, eventually there must be some princess overdose effect and we will all turn away en-masse in protest. Ha ha like who am I kidding...those evil geniuses at Disney will find new ways to make us buy their stuff.

DD loves dressing up ad her dressing up gear is geetting loads of use since she started school. We have at least 1 or 2 girls round each week and they all seem to love it.

We have a few princess dresses now (as they seem fave) and another two coming for Christmas.

Disney Store are most expensive at approx £25 a go and they are not always the nicest looking either.

Woolworths have loads and they are almost always on buy one, get another half price.

Lots of other places have them too inc Tiys R Us, Mothercare, and even some cheaper shops.

yes woolies and asda also do disney dresses if that's what DD wants.

We had a princess party for DD (5)this year - quite a novelty as otherwise she was invited to about 20 soft play parties...mostly at the same place...., anyway a lot of the girls came in Disney frocks, but some were just in generic frilly fairy dress-up stuff which comes a bit cheaper (eg £8 from Asda) and AFAIK no-one commented. These were 5yos too so a bit more aware. It was fine.