Arielle’s Encanto Three-esta Birthday Party

At the end of May, we had a small get-together in our yard to celebrate Arielle’s third birthday – a Three-esta Fiesta! Arielle, like most children these days, is very into Encanto and we often have spontaneous dance parties to its most famous hit, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” And like every other parent, Alex and I have this earworm permanently etched into our brains. So when I asked Arielle whether she would like a Minnie and Mickey-themed bash or an Encanto fiesta, I wasn’t really surprised when she chose Mirabel and family.

I am so lucky to have a sister and brother-in-law who are huge Disney fans because they not only snagged Arielle her very own Mirabel costume from the Disney Store, but they also dressed like characters from the film. Anna came dressed as Delores, while Dan donned a poncho as the enigmatic Bruno. And while it was a breezy day, it was still in the 80s so I will give him lots of credit for wearing that thing almost the entire time.

I dressed as Isabela, and Alex wore his most Colombian-looking Hawaiian shirt for a casual take on Mirabel’s Tio Felix. My mom also got into the spirit by donning a pair of Encanto Minnie ears. We all looked very festive.

Even though this is her third birthday, it was actually only her first birthday party! We had been planning a big bash in 2019 but then Covid came and we decided to postpone. We had no idea we’d have to postpone for 2 years! So as an amateur party planner, there was a lot riding on this event for me. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect. Maybe I should have gone as Tia Pepa (IYKYK).

But I didn’t have to worry. The floral cake from CoppyCakes turned out perfect, as did the butterfly sugar cookies that I spent all weekend making. Arielle loved seeing the few people we were able to invite, and I think she is going to expect a piñata at all of our gatherings going forward. If she shares the candy with me, I’ll gladly oblige. 

Even over two weeks later she is still talking about her birthday party, telling anyone she can about her Three-esta. And I am so glad we finally got to fête her. And if I learned anything about planning this special party, it’s that as long as there’s good food, friends, family and cake, everyone will have a good time. Even if the decor is a bit lacking. But knowing me, I’ll start planning next year’s event before the end of the summer!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped us celebrate our little princess. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful community of family, friends, and neighbors!