Joint birthday party etiquette

[MyPurpleHeart]

My DD is having a birthday party next month, but it will be a joint party with one of her friends.

They met at a club they both do and it turns out they were born on the same day, an hour apart, in the same town! They are lovely friends and their birthday falls on a Saturday this year so to avoid them missing each others parties we decided with the other parents to throw a joint party.

DD's friend lives half an hour away from us now, and my DD's friends from nursery don't know her friend and we don't know any of her friends friends. Still, they are young enough that it will be a lovely chance for everyone to mix.

We are having two cakes, singing happy birthday at the same time.

Now I'm wondering, on the invites I obviously need to mention that its a joint party but don't want anyone to feel pressured to buy for DD's friend, and i don't want her friends friends to feel pressured to buy for DD. How do i say this? or am i completely overthinking a preschoolers birthday party!!

I’ve been to joint parties where the other birthday children weren’t mentioned in advance at all (the birthday children were related, but don’t go to the same school). The invite my daughter got just mentioned her friend from school. I didn’t think anything negative of it, joint parties are a great way of spreading costs, so very sensible! It was a hall party.

i actually preferred that the other children weren’t mentioned in advance, so I didn’t need to consider buying unknown children a gift.

I’m hosting a joint party for my sons, one is at nursery one at school so parents don’t know of the other child if that makes sense. I haven’t made reference to it being a joint party, they have separate invites with just their name on, mainly so no one felt obliged to buy gifts for the other child they didn’t know! Only friends and family who know both, know it’s joint if that makes sense.

We attended one once, we were told it was joint but not who the other children were (names etc) so didn't feel any sort of need to give a gift to the other child.