Children's birthday parties go big, leave home
By KELLY MAHONEY - kmahoney@nwherald.com
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| Sandy Bressner - sbressner@nwherald.com
Savannah Fiedler, 9, has her nails done by Cindy Werba during a birthday party at the ABC Cosmetology School in Lake in the Hills for Brooke Harper, who turned 9 on Saturday. Brooke and 10 of her friends had their hair, make-up and nails done during the party. |
When Kim Worline tried to plan a first birthday party for one of her daughters at her Crystal Lake home, the results were not what she expected.
Too much commotion. Too many people. Too small a space.
“I had said after that I’ll never do that again,” Worline said.
Instead, Worline is joining the ranks of parents who choose to leave the planning and mess involved in hosting a children’s birthday party to someone else.
Worline’s daughters, McKenna, 10, Hope, 8, and Lily, 4, have had six birthday parties at My Secret Garden in Algonquin. The girls said they loved the dress-up and proper manners aspects of the tea party.
“I like to pick the different outfits out,” said Hope, who was the birthday girl this time around with 18 guests.
“I like the marshmallows; I put them in my tea,” said Lily, who hopes to have her next party there.
And Worline said she loved the simplicity.
For the recent party, the only items she brought to the party were two balloons, a board with Hope’s photos, and a few supplemental favor bags, but everything needed for the get-together was provided.
Owner Rebecca Brewer said she wanted parents to enjoy the party as much as their children.
“I think they enjoy being able to come in and watch and take pictures and have the mess not in their house,” Brewer said. “When you have your own party, you don’t always get to enjoy.”
Girls of all ages who arrive at the Victorian home play dress-up, have the secret-recipe pink princess tea, and open presents. Packages range from $15 to $30 a child and usually include six to 16 guests.
“What I get most often from people is it’s an intimate party experience,” Brewer said. “The girls get to come in and feel really special.”
Low-stress also is the goal for Cindy Heidemann, the co-owner of ABC Cosmetology and Nail School and Sugar and Spice Party Center in Lake in the Hills. She has planned spa parties for kids and women alike for 12 years.
“It’s a full party. The mom doesn’t have to do anything; everything is there,” Heidemann said. “A lot of times the kids come in and moms go over and get a manicure and pedicure.”
The 90-minute parties start at $16 a child and include hair, age-appropriate makeup, face painting and temporary tattoos.
“It keeps the mess out of the house for moms,” Heidemann said. “And ours, it’s done by trained techs.”
At Color Me Mine in Crystal Lake, owner Miriam Kuta wants birthday children to flex their creative muscles.
“Each child gets to be unique, [to] create a piece that lasts forever,” Kuta said. “Each child gets to show their creativity.”
Kuta has organized parties for seven years, and the ages have ranged from toddlers to great-grandmothers. Parties start at $15.50 a person and increase to $28 a participant based on whether the partygoers want refreshments. Each child receives an item to take home, and the person celebrating the birthday, regardless of age, gets a handprint tile.
“They’re not just having fun at a birthday party; they get something personal that they get to keep,” Kuta said.
The shop can host parties of up to 75 people, and themed parties can accommodate boys and girls of all ages.
“We really want mom to sit back and relax and not lift a finger,” Kuta said. “We tailor every party to what their needs are, what their requests are.”
