Slumber Parties: Step Up Your Kid’s Birthday Party with These Local Des Moines Businesses
I love birthdays. It’s the one day out of the year that’s devoted to celebrating this one truly wild and precious life you’ve been given. The one day where everything in excess feels like the perfect amount. It’s the one day that you’re reminded just how special you are from those who are special to you.
As a self-proclaimed birthday enthusiast, I get an almost sick amount of joy out of planning for, and celebrating, my favorite people (my two daughters, especially). Their enthusiasm, energy, laughter, and spirit go unmatched.
That being said; as my girls are growing older, they are also growing wiser. They have discovered that they can jump, bounce, climb, paint, race, tumble and/or skate their way through 2 amazing hours at any birthday venue in town, or they can stay home and celebrate all night long.
Cue the slumber parties.
Sleepovers are a childhood classic for good reason. The only problem is that if the party’s at home, then who’s doing all of the preparing, decorating, orchestrating, entertaining, and cleaning up, if not for the 16-year-old at Sky Zone? “Not it!”
And I’m calling “not it” for you, too.
Allow me to introduce to you the vendors who made my daughter’s 10th birthday party “epic”, “a dream come true”, and “like a celebrity”, without any extra work for me!
Grab your wand and take a stand, the following details are beyond grand
Let’s Slumber It: Full-service Themed Tents & Luxury Picnics
Owner: Amy Kinney
Instagram: @letsslumberit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsslumberit/
Website: www.letsslumberit.com
Email: letsslumberit@gmail.com
My ten-year-old has been Harry Potter obsessed since last winter. She had very few specifics around the details of her party except that she wanted it to have “HP vibes”. Let’s Slumber It didn’t just bring the vibe, they brought Hogwarts! From cake table decorations to banners, and signs, and rugs, and pillows, and individualized bed settings for each girl, it was everything (& more!) that our Potterhead was hoping for. It was everything mom was hoping for, too. After the owner came in to set up & tear down, the only task I was left with was to watch as the birthday girl and her party guests screeched, squealed & slumbered in style.
Squeak Balloon & Décor: Balloon Garlands, Columns, Arches & More!
Owner: Travis & Mindy Green
Instagram: @squeakballoondecor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squeakballoonsdecor/
Email: orders@squeakballoondecor.com
Have you ever seen a balloon that didn’t make you feel instantly cheerful? Just imagine what a garland of balloons beautifully constructed by Squeak Balloon & Décor will do to your dopamine levels! The birthday girl had her heart set on an outdoor campout, but Iowa weather moved the campout indoors. Let me just say that after seeing how incredible the tent looked with a Gryffindor balloon archway, not a single muggle muttered another word about a party outdoors.
Nosh & Board Co.: Themed Party Charcuterie Boards
Owner: Kelly Flynn
Instagram: @noshandboarddsm_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dsmfoodie/
Website: http://noshandboardcodsm.com/
Email: themedboards@noshandboardcodsm.com
WARNING: Party Hack Ahead! If you want to look and feel like the hostess with the mostest; have Kelly with Nosh & Board Co. put together one of her themed charcuterie boards for you and your guests. You won’t be needing Applebee’s on a date night to feel fancy! I mean, just look at the candy and pancake charcuterie she Houdinied. I am still drooling!
NPI Limo Service LLC: Top Quality + First Class Transportation
Owner: Brady Johnson
Phone: (515) 864-1515
Instagram: @npilimoservice
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Npilimoservice/
Website: http://www.npilimoservice.com/
Email: bradyjohnson16@me.com
Roll out the red carpet (no, literally!) for the showstopper of the night! I have never seen (or heard) 10-year-old girls react to anything like they did to the NPI Limo Service’s Hummer limousine that was waiting for them at the end of our driveway. They were living their best and biggest lives. From Tony, the chauffeur, to their own Fanta-filled glass flutes, to strobe lights, and Olivia Rodrigo on repeat; it was the easiest, and most entertaining, few hours of any party to date.
Culver’s Confections: Gourmet Custom Cakes, Cupcakes, Cake Rounds + Cake Pops
Owner: Leann Culver
Phone: (515) 333-3354
Instagram: @culversconfections
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Culversconfections/
Email: culversconfections@gmail.com
Sprint, don’t run, to one of Leann’s perfectly decorated and deliciously tasting baked treats. I don’t know how she does it, but she nails it every – single – time! Our HP chocolate cake & butterbeer cupcakes were legit next-level. I have no doubt that she attends to every order like it’s one of her own. If you need proof, take a scroll through her social media. You’ll quickly see why Culver’s Confections is hands down my favorite baker in the Des Moines metro.
Rosella + Margaret: 3D Wood Signs, Homemade + Custom Wood Decor
Owner: Emily Cooper
Instagram: @rmwoodshop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosellaMargaret/
Etsy: rosellamargaret.etsy.com
Self-disclosure: I have not a single artistic bone in my entire body, so knowing someone like Emily with Rosella + Margaret feels like a secret weapon. Her vision, attention to detail, and craftsmanship are stunning and sentimental. I have used her work for gifts to grandparents, holiday decor, and now my daughter’s bedroom decor. I can’t get enough. Nor do I have any plans to.
About the Author
My name is Alissa Swarts. I live in Grimes with my husband, Joey, and our two daughters, Bostyn (10) and Greenley (7). Throughout the school year, I am a contract educational facilitator in a number of school districts throughout SE Iowa. I’m currently involved in the North Ridge Elementary PTO, Girl Scouts, and BIO (Beautiful Inside & Out) Girls. When given free time, our family enjoys bike rides, the movies, game nights, camping, traveling, and spending time with our family & friends.
