Ava’s American Girl Doll Birthday Party…actually with a Wellie Wisher

So my very spunky daughter Ava, recently turned 5 and she decided she wanted to have her birthday celebration at the American Girl store in Franklin. She had a wonderful time and since one of her besties was sick with the flu, she had just a party with her other bestie, but both girls had a blast. It was really a great birthday party that did not take too much planning nor any clean up which is always a very good thing!

I do have a few pointers for those who want to throw a birthday party for their precious baby girl but are unsure budget wise. It is totally doable but there will be some small invites. Here is a small list of do and don’ts when trying to plan your daughter an American Girl Doll Birthday party:

1. Do make the RSVP online about 6-8 weeks in advance. (I made Ava’s 5 weeks in advance and that was a no-no. They could only take a party of 4 online so I had to call the RSVP for parties number and it took almost an hour to get a party of 8 situated, but their customer service was very helpful and thorough.
2. Do familiar yourself with their website. It is a bit confusing to navigate and you must scroll to the end of the page to look for prices and party packages. https://www.americangirl.com/retail/nashville.php
3. Do understand if you can not get booked. You can call your local store and see if they can fit a small party of 4 if it’s a last minute choice or you just want to have lunch with your little one. The lady that worked at the Bistro told me they might can fit a walk in or two but they prefer to have reservations. A regular lunch will just get you a lunch with no special cake or a goodie bag. The birthday package must be purchased if you want those items.
4. Do save those Bistro receipts as you can use it towards AG points but you have to enter the receipt manually.
5. Don’t try and invite a whole lot of guests if you are on a strict budget. My budget was to spend under $200. Ava had one other guest and her mom, my best friend. I also couldn’t leave my mom and sister out. Also, the Bistro is super tiny. They have a closed off room for the Deluxe birthday celebration and they have a huge bar which sits around 12 guest and maybe like 6-7 other tables that all seat 4 a table. So it’s super small.

They do have an awesome selection of food for children and adults and they ask if anyone has food allergies. If you go with a Birthday Package, you get an appetizer for each guest and an entree item and cake with ice cream. They also don’t have a soda machine so soda refills are not free, however, sweet tea is! They truly do a good job making your little one and her doll feel special on their birthday celebration and Ava was pretty happy that day! I definitely will be trying their tea party coming up this summer with all her best friends and I will definitely post about that experience. Here are some pictures of the food and Ava’s magical day.Ava and her best friend Coco.These pretzel bites were very good!

Their Penne with Bacon and Roasted Garlic cream sauce was on point. Very flavorful and filling.

This was how they served their grilled cheese sandwich which was too pretty to eat.

The cheese star in the middle of their Mac and Cheese dressed up this dish.

The Spinach-Artichoke dip was very cheesy and the Parmesan crumb topping made this appetizer really hit the spot.

This was their Fruit Fondue which is nothing more than fruit and yogurt. *adults do not get this for your appetizer if your hungry!

Just a classic cheese pizza. Ava needed a side of ranch, hehe!

Overall we had a great time and they treated the birthday girl like royalty. They also had a special chair for her Wellie Wisher and a mini cup and saucer for the dolls. I highly recommend this place for a once in a lifetime birthday party or just to have a special lunch or dinner with the family.