When my daughter asked for a “Doll Party” for her upcoming 9th birthday, I knew immediately I couldn’t say no! She just got her first American Girl doll this Christmas, and she’s still deep into that imaginary stage – and I’m so grateful for that! Honestly, I want to hold onto this phase for as long as possible. This party I recently hosted included lots of D-I-Y decor, a silly “tea party etiquette” skit, activities, photo op idea, menu ideas, easy craft, party favor ideas and so much more! Read on to see how I created an American Girl Doll-and-Me Tea Party at Home – (and an affordable one at that!)
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Originally, I had planned to keep things very simple this year. With tending a busy household and homeschooling—plus the cutest 2-year-old who doesn’t seem to want to nap anymore—EEK! I was considering skipping a party altogether. My initial idea was to take just her and one close friend into the city to visit the American Girl store and do their tea party experience there. I had never been myself, and was curious… but after thinking about the cost and realizing she probably really would enjoy celebrating at home with a few more friends, I shifted gears.
And that’s when the thought hit me: Why not bring the American Girl store tea party experience home!?
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My AG Party Supply Bundle – this includes my Doll & Me Invitation, AG Star-Themed Banner, Star Cupcake Toppers, Party Favor Tags and Doll-and Me Party Hat Template OR buy each item separately: AG Doll-and-Me Invitation Template, AG-Star-Themed Banner; AG Cupcake Toppers; Party Favor Tags; Doll-and-Me Party Hat Templates; Custom AG Cake Topper
Matching Paper Tea Party Plates & Cups Set
Cardboard Dessert Tower Holders
Birthday Girl’s Star-Studded Dress (only $15!)
Tulle for craft
Festive Non-Toxic Sprinkles; Gluten-Free Cupcake Mix; Organic Icing; Natural Food Coloring; Organic Lemonade; Organic lollipops
What Makes an American Girl-Themed Party So Special
American Girl dolls have been a beloved childhood staple for decades. I learned that the company actually started the year I was born: 1986! I love that each doll comes with her own special look, historical background and story.
Quick flashback to my own American Girl doll growing up—”Samantha”; and my sister had “Molly”! Every birthday and Christmas, our grandmother would gift us one or two special items from the catalog—the ones we had circled and re-circled for weeks… we just LOVED getting those catalogs in the mail! We simply enjoyed looking through them, not even necessarily getting anything from them!
Therefore, hosting this American Girl-themed party feels incredibly nostalgic for me. Watching my daughter fall in love with these dolls makes my heart burst—and reminds me how fleeting these years really are. She’ll be turning double digits next year, and I know that birthdays may start to shift toward trips or experiences (like my oldest already prefers). That is what made this party feel extra meaningful—one big celebration before she outgrows dolls entirely in these next few years. (Cue the tears!!!)
Playing on the idea of all the AG dolls having their own story, personalities and unique looks, I wanted to emphasize how each girl that came to the party was unique also, and God’s masterpiece! I wrote on the mirror of the vanity “Fearfully & Wonderfully Made” from the scripture found in Psalm 139:14. I also pulled down some artwork from my daughter’s upstairs bathroom wall that says: “You are Beautiful!” and placed that next to our hair salon station in the party room!
Designing the Party – Give Me All the Pinks and Reds!
To help cast a vision for the design of my party, I first created this American Girl Doll-inspired invitation—and it comes with a matching invitation for each doll (because… obviously!) In my opinion, this invitation exudes AG-style and became my inspiration for the entire event’s color palette and decor.
You can find this exact invitation in my Etsy shop HERE. I’ve also designed an entire AG Digital Printable Party Supply Bundle – which includes a banner, favor tags, party hats and more!
Think soft pinks, dark red, cream with pretty gold accents! I wanted to use the classic American Girl star theme, while also bringing in feminine, classic tea party details.
I prefer to send out real invitations (the old-fashioned way!) so I slipped these into envelopes along with the matching doll invitation for each guest. It was really cute because we got messages the following week from some of the dolls that they could “make the party”, and one even sent a video message to my daughter saying how excited she was for the celebration!
The Week Before – My Daughter’s Actual Birthday
We have a ton of birthdays in February within our family, so I decided to throw my daughter’s party the week following her actual birthday. This would allow me plenty of time to prepare, and not feel rushed. However, on her actual birthday we still decorated the table for her at breakfast and put out her presents – which included a few items for her doll that she had been eye-ing for a while. Her sister even painted the sweetest AG-themed watercolor picture for her little sister! (Pictured below) The day itself turned out to be beautiful and warm – so she and her doll were able to get outside and soak up some sun despite the piles of snow still on the ground!
Leading Up to the Party
I teach in my Party Planning Guidebook how it is best to do as much as you can leading up to the party, so that you are able to enjoy the party day and not feel stressed. Especially when you have a little one like I do, and completing certain tasks feels impossible when they are awake! This meant making the cookies and cupcakes ahead of time. We always use our favorite No-Chill Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Cutout Recipe. After we put the little one to bed one evening, my girls and I put on some music and got to work cutting out and baking these fun star shapes in different sizes. We threw them into the freezer until the week of the party, when we pulled them out and decorated them with these non-toxic sprinkles! For the cupcakes, I love to use this gluten-free cupcake mix. To frost them, I use my favorite organic icing that we colored with my favorite natural food coloring.
Creating A Photo Op
I had seen the idea for creating a life-size American-Girl doll box – like the ones that they come in. I thought this could be really fun for the girls! Unfortunately, we did not have a cardboard box that seemed to be the right size for this – so we made due with what we had. I wrapped solid white wrapping paper over the box and painted it a solid color, using a ruler to help paint the lines and make it look like a real AG Doll Box! My daughter enjoyed helping me, and while it certainly wasn’t perfect – it was super cheap and fun to do! I cut out a face-sized hole where the girls could stick their heads out, and covered it with a clear plastic sheet that I had. We knew the girls at the party would get a kick out of it! I love having photo ops at our parties – something my mom used to always do for me when I was little!
The Night Before the Party
I noticed the dolls were tucked in bed all excited for the party the next day – getting their beauty rest (LOL!)
A Special Birthday Outfit for my Girl & Her Doll
I always like to buy something special for my kids to wear on the day of their parties – nothing too crazy, just something that coordinates with the color scheme if possible! I found this adorable soft pink star-studded dress (only $15!) which my daughter and I both love because it reminds us of an AG-doll dress! Her doll has a very similar one, so we figured they could both match!
Matching Doll-and-Me Party Hats
I also created these matching party hats for all of our guests and their dolls to wear. They come in 3 sweet colors!
Tea Party Food Ideas (Kid-Friendly, yet Elegant)
Keeping things simple doesn’t mean it can’t be special. While I’ll usually opt for serving pizza for kids’ parties, I thought in keeping with the tea party theme to do some tea sandwiches. I created a small menu for the table.
Savory Treats
- Small tea sandwiches would be super cute in star shapes – I tried to do this with the sourdough I was using but found quickly that it would become too wasteful with the crusts of the bread so instead I did just a few star cutouts instead to put on top! The sandwich options were: Tomato-basil-mozarella with pesto spread, avocado cucumber, and a classic turkey with mayo and lettuce.
- Cheese cubes and crackers
- Pretzels and snack mix
Sweet Treats & Desserts
- Cupcakes with my AG-themed Cupcake Toppers (pictured above)
- Star-Shaped Sugar Cookies and (mini ones of course, for the dolls!) We use our favorite Sugar Cookie Cutout Recipe for our dough, and these star cookie cutters in various shapes for pressing the shapes!
- Fresh strawberries and watermelon (in keeping with the pink and red theme!)
If you’re looking for a quick and easy D-I-Y print out AG-style topper like the one below, these custom ones are available in my Etsy shop!
Drinks
- Assorted organic lemonades (raspberry, strawberry, and classic) served in these adorable teacups
- Caffeine-free herbal tea for the full experience – we used chamomile!
Doll-and-Me Activities & Party Fun
1. DIY Doll Tulle Skirt Craft
Each guest got to create a no-sew tulle skirt for her American Girl doll. You can watch this tutorial for more detailed instructions on how to do this activity!
Supplies:
- Hair ties
- Tulle in assorted colors
- Scissors
- Ribbon or embellishments (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut out assorted colors of tulle into 24-inch strips (I did this ahead of time before the party)
- Fold strips in half then attach to the hair tie using a simple knot
- Fluff and trim as needed to desired length
This doubled as one of our activities and take-home party favor! They came out SO cute!
2. Doll Hair Salon Station
We set up a little hair station where girls and their dolls could get their hair done if they’d like. We specifically texted the parents and told them that the girls could come dressed up all fancy, but not to worry about doing their hair because they would get to have it done at the party! My oldest daughter has recently been so into doing hair and learning new hairstyles, so she volunteered right away to be in charge of this activity. I purchased a bunch of hair accessories at the dollar store: clips, barrettes, scrunchies, etc… as well as a small pastel pink hair mirror and spray bottle. This was a HUGE hit!
We used this really sweet white vanity that I literally pulled off the side of the road a few years ago and use it for staging certain things at our book clubs and other events. It couldn’t have been more perfect because it looks vintage and worn – evoking some of that historical American Girl-doll vibe.
This is such an easy party activity. Simply set up a table with:
- Doll brushes
- Hair ties, bows, clips, and headbands (I purchased a bunch at our local dollar store)
- Small mirrors
- A sign-up sheet to “book an appointment” (My oldest daughter designed one on Canva to make it match the party theme)
Let the girls style their dolls’ hair however they like—braids, ponytails, half-up styles, you name it!
3. Tea Time for Dolls
Each guest arrived to the party with her doll and set them down to the table for tea, snacks, and cake. Seeing all the dolls lined up together was adorable! The girls even instigated their own game of “guess whose doll is whose” on their own which was cute to listen to!
A real bunny rabbit visited the tea party as well!
4. Dance Party
One of the main highlights of parties we host in our home is always a dance party in our attic. The girls blasted fun dance tunes, and even had a conga line going at one point. The best!
Decor Ideas for an American Girl Tea Party
Most of the decor were things I already had around the house; stuff I’ve saved from past girly-themed parties over the years, and things I collected from friends that they didn’t want anymore! The letter “E” light on the mantle, the white teapot – all were things people were getting rid of! And as I mentioned above, the white vanity we used for the hair station was something I literally pulled off the side of the road because I knew it would come in handy for staging certain events. I also designed my own AG-style banner, invitation, party hats for the girls and dolls, party favor tags, and more that you can find in my American Girl-themed Party Supply Bundle!
Main Decor Features
- The Dollar Store really came in handy – (not to mention, Valentine’s Day was only a few weeks before this party) so when I stocked up on red and pink paper goods for hosting our little Galentine’s party, I knew anything left over would match the AG look! Decorative paper fans, streamers, balloons – even a cute white number 9 to match this cute Star Light I bought specifically as a focal point for the mantle!
- Floral tablecloths I already had, and a cute little white teapot!
- Teacups and saucers (real or plastic) these are the ones I found to match my color scheme perfectly! They were also the perfect size for the dolls too! I found these American Girl-style plates which will be perfect for serving our little tea sandwiches!
- Fresh flowers and/or faux florals (I used both!) You don’t need to spend a lot to have some fresh flowers at your party. I purchased one bouquet of white daisies and pulled it apart to group them in different vases around my house. I also used faux flowers from past birthday parties that I keep tucked away for parties like these! My #1 Party Tip: Buy classic pieces that you can use over and over again!
- A doll table (I had to get creative with this! It was a challenge finding something a more appropriate height for the dolls! I actually pulled our lego table down from the attic, switched out the top so that it was a smooth surface, then covered with a tablecloth.
- My AG-style banner
- My matching AG-style party hats for girls and their dolls
Tea Party Etiquette Class
I decided to invite my sister and her husband (who are very good at acting!) to come and surprise all of the girls by hosting a “tea etiquette” class! This was mostly for laughs and for them to be silly! I gathered all of the kids around the table and then made the announcement that we were going to be having a professional that I hired to come and teach them how to properly drink their tea and teach them some proper etiquette. Just then a knock came at the door, and the rest is history! Let’s just say I was laughing so hard I was crying and almost peed my pants.
My sister and her husband taught the kids what makes things “fancy” and even prepared their own powerpoint presentation entitled: “Is it Fancy?!” where they went through a series of pictures of different items and asked the kids whether they thought it was fancy or not. This included a unicorn, a small dog versus a large dog, and other ridiculous things. They even pretended to burn themselves with scolding hot tea (Mrs. Doubtfire-style!) I know this is something my daughter (and all of us!) will never forget! I am grateful to have a sister and brother-in-law that are so willing to go above and beyond in their creativity to make my daughter’s day so special.
So while you could certainly pull of a silly skit “teaching etiquette”, you really could have someone come to your own party and teach some manners to the kids, for real! I think that would be a really cool element.
Simple and Sweet Party Favors
- The DIY tulle doll skirt they made at the party
- A hairbrush and a few hair accessories (from the dollar store)
- Organic lollipops
- I used my AG-inspired party favor tags that I designed specifically for this party, which reads: “Every girl has a story – thanks for being part of mine!”
- I also made special AG-style stickers that said: “Shine!” with a scripture to attach to the little red and pink buckets I found at the dollar store. I think they came out so cute!
A Birthday Party We’ll Always Remember!
This American Girl Doll-and-Me Tea Party was everything I hoped it would be—sweet, silly, and tons of fun! More than anything, it felt like a celebration of childhood itself.
If your child is still in that magical doll-loving stage, I can’t recommend this kind of party enough! One day, the dolls will be tucked away—but these memories will last forever!
Check out more of my Fern parties, and be sure to visit my Etsy shop Party on Fern for all of the AG decor you’ve seen in this blog post!
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