Whenever I thought about my wedding day, I imagined myself stepping out of a carriage in front of Cinderella's castle. I'd be wearing my big poofy wedding gown, and walk up to my prince charming, who waited for me in front of the castle. And then, just as he leaned in to kiss me, reality came and slapped me in the face. It costs TONS of money to get married in front of Cinderella's castle. And although it would be AH-MA-ZING, there's no way I have that kind of money for my dream Disney World wedding. So, what's a girl to do? Well, clearly, it's to regroup and plan an amazing Disney-themed engagement party.

Psst- If you want to see all the photos from the party, be sure to check out this post!

How to plan a Disney themed party, filled with craft projects, links, and decor ideas! Perfect for weddings, engagement parties, and birthdays. Click for the full post!

The Plan

To prep, I created a Pinterest board and pinned any Disney ideas I liked. I decided that since I wanted to do several different movies, I needed something to tie them all together. I decided to focus on one color scheme for all the elements and centerpieces. I picked mint and peach/coral since they are some of my favorite colors, and also because my mom had those on her wedding day, so they were important to me. I also added pink (my favorite!) and metallics to give the party a little sparkle.

The first thing I did was I sat down and listed out all the Disney movies I wanted to incorporate and noted the elements from each. At this point, you're just taking notes, so write down anything you wish. The more the better! I had things like Snow White- wishing well, jewels, birds, apples. Just a simple list of word association for each move.

The next step was to list out all the things I needed to collect to add these elements to the party. My list included things like vintage books (Beauty and the Beast), seashells (The Little Mermaid) and a globe (Up). Step 2 was to collect everything. I started by searching around my house, and then going to my parent's office. They had a globe and a few winter decorations that were perfect for Frozen. I also was able to utilize their huge collection of picture frames for the quotes! The more you can borrow for the party, the better. Any money saved on decor can be allocated to something else ;)

Once I collected all my freebies, I went shopping!

1. Magic Lamp 2. Clock 3. Cloche 4. Ariel’s Candelabra 5. Frog Prince 6. Glass Slipper 7. Moss 8. Pumpkin Jar 9. Coral 10. Rapunzel’s Lantern 11. Mrs. Potts 12. Flamingo Lawn Ornament 13. Enchanted Rose 14. Cinderella’s Carriage 15. Lumiere

Thrift Store

A lot of my stuff came from the thrift store. I was able to repurpose some items, like turning a mail holder into a wishing well. I spray painted a flounder kids' cup into a gold statue for the Little Mermaid table. And, all a tarnished teapot needed was a little elbow grease to become a wonderful Mrs. Potts.

Christmas Tree Shops

If you're looking for affordable decor that seems high end, look no further than Christmas Tree Shops! I purchased all my votive holders, the seashells, and the Beauty and the Beast cloche from there.

1. Gold Frames 2. Be Our Guest Napkins 3. Love Stirrers 4. Beverage Cups 5. Coral and Mint Dinner Plates 6. Folding Cocktail Table 7. Tablecloth Clips 8. Striped Lanterns 9. Sequin Table Runner 10. White Tent 11. Bottle Opener 12. Shell Garland 13. Pink and Aqua Best Day Ever Tags 14. Beverage Dispenser 15. Gold Dinner and Coral Dessert Plates

Oriental Trading and Party City

Almost all the tableware, decor, and barware came from Oriental Trading and Party City. Oriental trading had these great seashell garlands, and paper lanterns in any color you can imagine. Party City had these Be Our Guest napkins (perfect!), colored cups, and engagement napkins. If you mix and match all the items, you can create a unique mix that can incorporate all the elements of the party.

Amazon

Oh, Amazing Amazon. How did we ever survive without thee?! I was able to find all the obscure things I needed on Amazon- a Cinderella carriage, glass slippers, a tiny magic lamp, and a cute frog prince. I also found some of the barware, like these cute bottle openers and these cute drink stirrers. I added these sequin table runners in all sorts of colors to each table for a little extra sparkle. My favorite thing was probably these pumpkin candle holders that I spray painted gold. I'm using them in my fall decor right now, and they are just soo cute! Ditto for these cheap little pumpkins that I spray painted gold and silver.

Dollar Store

The dollar store was great for random little items. Things like these horses that I spray painted, these cheap silver trays that looked fancy, and even a magic mirror! I also got my books for the Beauty and the Beast table from the Dollar Store. It was a pretty funny sight- me removing all the book jackets to check out the covers and make sure they were the right colors for the party. In the end, I settled on A World of Pasta, which obviously Belle reads.

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Michaels

I don't think any party could be complete without a trip to Michaels. it was here that I picked up some moss for the sign-in area, the rose for my Beauty and the Beast cloche, and a stand for my signature cocktails sign. I also picked up the supplies for the Tangled Lanterns I made using the Cricut.

Misc Crafts

After I did the purchasing, I also had a few of my own crafts projects. First, I made these DIY balloon pins. I wanted something to distinguish the members of our immediate family, and I wanted it to have an Up vibe to it, like a cross between the balloons and the infamous grape soda pin.

The Wishing Well was made from some sort of hanging letter holder the thrift store. I had my fiance create posts and a roof out of scrap wood and paint stirrers to create a wishing well, and I painted it all white to match. A few vines and flowers from my craft hoard completed the look.

I had my fiance make these adorable croquet mallets from Damask Love. They were the perfect Disney-themed activity and created an awesome photo op! They were one of my favorite elements of the party. My fiancé thought I was crazy when I told him to make them, but everyone loved them.

For an easy project, create a game of ring toss (aka "engagement ring" toss). All you need are some empty wine bottles. If you don't have any, this is the perfect excuse to drink lots of wine and de-stress from party planning. Soak the bottles to remove the labels, and let them dry fully. Spray paint them in fun colors, arrange them in a box, and toss on some colorful rings.

If you want to learn more about planning a Pinterest worthy party, be sure to sign up to get your FREE Anatomy of a Pinterest Worthy Party guide! It's full of helpful hints on how to pick a theme, the little details that will make your event unique, and tips to take great photos of your event. And, there's even a checklist so you don't forget anything! So what are you waiting for? Get yours now!