Lions, tigers and birthday cake, oh my! 10-year-old Danielle loves animals and hopes to become a veterinarian when she grows up, so naturally she chose the Dallas Zoo (469/554-7470, dallaszoo.com) to celebrate her birthday with her friends … and a few giraffes.
// Click on image at left to view more images from this party.
She and her mom Claudia toured the zoo and found the perfect spot for the party in the Wilds of Africa exhibit. They began working with the zoo event coordinator, Lauren Roland, to put in order all of the details for the safari-theme party. “She was there throughout the entire party to make sure it ran smoothly. Some of our guests forgot their admission tickets, and Laura made sure our guests were let in and escorted to our location,” Claudia says.
While taking their tour, they noticed the zoo provided a passport for guests and asked if they could take some to personalize and send along with the invitations. Back at home Claudia got to work creating a custom safari brochure that served as the party invite, using Photoshop and illustrator computer programs. Once kids accepted the invite, they received a travel kit that included their Dallas Zoo passport, a compass, welcome note from Danielle and personalized map showing the route to the party spot.
The day of the party proved to be a wild adventure. Nearly 40 kids and their parents went on a safari of fun. Kids fed nearby giraffes and had a great time petting animals the zookeeper brought to the party for a show-and-tell time. The kids even became animals with magical face painting from Karen Weiss, who transformed their faces into exotic animals.
Guests dined on a buffet of delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit, and ice cream catered by the Dallas Zoo, and of course there was cake. Meringue Bakery provided the custom cake, perfect for a day at the zoo. “Harvey, the owner, is so creative. He helped me come up with the design,” Claudia says.
Danielle laughed with friends and enjoyed opening presents, but the most memorable part was being at the zoo for her birthday. “If you ask my daughter, she says the best part was to share her love for animals with her family and friends,” Claudia says. “For me, the best part was watching her eyes light up when she arrived to the party location.”
As the two-hour party began to wind down, guests were thrilled to learn that the custom centerpieces were also their party favors. Claudia and Danielle had fun working together to create the goodies, using tissue boxes covered in paper with a wood design and filling them with candy and toys. Each was topped with a stuffed animal and a personalized hat. Once the party was over, guests had access to the zoo for the rest of the day to continue the adventure.
Updated 7/27/12
