We love the existing Despicable Me + Minions movies so we were still happy to continue with our theme even without being able to see the new movie yet. We did, however, want to take all the proper precautions to keep our party safe but still fun.
INVITATION & SET-UP:
Instead of sending a “normal” invitation in the mail, I designed illustrations for a 4-page long invitation that I sent as a PDF attachment via email. I used fun graphics and fonts to explain the rules for the party and let guests know what safety precautions we were taking.
We limited the guest list to a very small amount of people, and scheduled arrival and departure times to lessen exposure and shortened the party to 1.5-2 hours per group. I sewed Minions masks for all guests and we provided hand soap and hand sanitizer for everyone to use as needed. We also made the food and drinks single-serving and prepackaged whenever possible.
GAMES:
We played “Pin the Eye on the Minion,” where guests covered their eyes, were spun in circles by their parent, and then tried to put an eye on one of the Minions secured to the fence. It was a lot of fun! We also provided foam noodle water shooters for each guest and had a water fight, which the kids loved!
FOOD:
For the food, we had pre-packaged fruit snacks, Teddy Grahams, Ritz Bitz and other Minions-branded items. There were hotdogs for kids (which I packaged in foil hotdog envelopes for both safety, and to keep them warm). I also had tiny packages of ketchup and mustard for those! There were also sandwiches for adults (which were wrapped in sandwich wrappers). Guests helped themselves to a bag of chips or any other packaged sides they wanted. I felt this was much safer than doing buffet or family style dining which is what we usually do. One of the best pre-packaged items was the Minions Twinkies, which I made by downloading wrappers from Tonya Staab.
CAKE:
The Minions Twinkies were a huge hit, but nothing topped the cake that my friend Marriam of Flour & Flowers by MK designed. I asked for the cake to include a few things: two cakes, bridged with a realistic-looking banana, and three Minions (Bob, Kevin and Stuart). Plus, one of the Minions needed to be eating a tiny piece out of the cake. She definitely delivered! One cake was chocolate with strawberry buttercream, and the other was vanilla with buttercream. It was perfect, as each of my birthday girls technically had their own cake. Plus, the cake tasted as amazing as it looked!
The amazing cake was the focal point of the round balloon arch display I designed. The display included a circle of Minions-colored balloons along with Minions stuffed animals, Minions MegaBlocks sets, and small floral arrangements. I designed the floral arrangements using yellow carnations and Minions balls from McDonald’s Happy Meals in the middle. Overall, it was the set-up was simple, cheap and perfect for the theme!
DECOR:
We rented a tent, tables and chairs so the party could be 99% outdoors (guests only came in to use bathroom or wash hands– and had to wear a mask when indoors). We cleaned the bathroom in between guests. Outdoors, tables and chairs were spaced out so guests could be socially distant. Tables were wrapped in yellow plastic tablecloths with denim-printed table runners. We also came up with games and activities for the kids that did not require touching or being too close together.
Of course, we had to make a big impact in our front yard too, so I made a balloon cluster on the house and in the front yard. As a family, we dressed up as Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith and Agnes from the Despicable Me movies. The girls loved dressing up and they had the best time. They had not seen any friends the entire summer so even seeing a couple of friends at a time for a small amount of time was a joy for them. I am so glad we decided to have this SAFE, small, party for our girls!
We can happily report that playing it safe and being cautious seems to have worked out well, a little over a week after the party and no one that attended it has any Covid-19 symptoms or is feeling ill. So that’s even better!
Vendors:
Planning, Balloons, Flowers, Illustration, Signage, Masks: Kio Kreations
Photography: Jennifer Kaye Photography
Cake, Cookies + Meringues: Flour & Flowers by MK
Tent, Table + Chairs: Kids4Jump
Table Runners: TableclothsFactory
