Get Your Scottish On: Brave/Princess Merida Party Ideas
*The* Disney Princess Party of the Year
Failte (welcome)! The party's here with these awesome Princess Merida/Brave food, fun and décor ideas from the experts at themeaparty.com.
Disney Pixar's Brave tells the tale of Merida, a Scottish princess who deviates from custom and inadvertently unleashes trouble. Funny, smart and not always well-behaved, Merida strikes a chord among children, who will absolutely love a Brave theme party! So what are ye waitin' for? Throw on some tartan and follow us for the best Princess Merida party ideas.
Princess Merida Party Invitation Tutorial
Make these cool party invitations in just minutes.
You will need:
Brown, tan or beige printer paper
3.5" lengths of green ribbon, one for each invitation
Any word processing program
A color printer
Instructions:
1. Open your word processing program. If you have a card making program, you can use that instead, but it's not required as this invitation will be scroll-style.
2. Download a Princess Merida/Brave image (Google for pics).
3. If you don't already have a Celtic-looking font, download one. In the picture above, we used Gothic Garamond the 2nd from DAFont - check to make sure any site you choose isn't buggy.
4. Type your text including the party date, time, location, RSVP information, etc. To see our sample wording, click the pic and enlarge.
5. Center the text and picture on the page vertically and place a border from your word processing program around the page if you'd like.
6. Print invitations. Roll each up like a scroll, then tie with the green ribbon. Deliver.
It's Getting Very Scottish in Here: Décor, Music and Atmosphere
Princess Merida disposable tableware
is out already, so grab yours. Your little princess will absolutely love this motif.
Dress up the party area in loads of woodland greenery. Tip: visit your local dollar store to find lengths of vines and leaves; drape over windows and hang from the ceiling. You can also add a little Scotland to your princess's big day by tying plaid or tartan bows around chairs or using plaid as décor for your table centerpiece. (How about a vase of wildflowers with a big tartan ribbon?)
Magic also figures into the movie. Add magical bling by tossing handfuls of glittery confetti on the tables. Sprinkle a trail of sparkling confetti from the door to the party room, or around the four corners of the room. Pick up inexpensive gauzy material from any thrift shop, scraps from a fabric shop or from items you already have at home. Drape the gauze around the party area.
One thing we REALLY love about Brave: it features standing stones, a la Stonehenge, England's famed circle. Print images of stone circles and hang them up in the party area.
For real atmosphere, play the Brave movie soundtrack You can also chose nouveau Celtic bands like Enya or Celtic Woman.
Scottish Kilts!
Merida Monopoly!
Get your Scottish on with this awesome Disney version of Monopoly, Merida style (So cool!) Sign up now for notification of when this game will be available. It makes a great party gift for the princess of honor at your party.
As a party game, divide guests into pairs or groups. Have a timed playoff -- say, 45 minutes for older children, 15-20 minutes for wee ones. When time is up, count each group's assets and give the winners a small prize, such as candy, a dollar gift certificate to a local eatery or a small Princess Merida toy.
Tipsy cake, or "tipsy laird," is traditionally made using Drambuie, but we've made it kid-friendly by leaving the alcohol out of the recipe. In Scotland this type of sweet dessert is called a trifle.
Generally, tipsy cake recipes call for custard. We love custard, but kids often don't, so we've substituted ice cream...yum. Kids and adults alike will love this party snack. Substitute raspberries for the strawberries for a more authentically Scottish feel.
Ingredients
- one standard size baked pound cake
- one 16-oz. package frozen strawberries
- or one pint fresh strawberries
- 1/2 c. white (table) sugar
- 1/2 pint vanilla ice cream
- butterscotch sauce for drizzling
- 1 Tbsp. water if needed
Instructions
- 1. If frozen, defrost strawberries for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut strawberries into slices. Place the cut strawberries into a large bowl (or keep in the original bowl if using frozen strawberries).
- 2. Pour the sugar over the berries. Stir. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring two to three times.
- 3. For fresh (not frozen) strawberries, add 1 Tbsp. water to the berries and sugar, then stir and allow to sit for 15 minutes, stirring two to three times.
- 4. While berries and sugar are standing, cut the pound cake lengthwise into two rectangles. Cut each half into four equal size squares. Cut each square diagonally so that you have 16 small triangles. Arrange the triangles on a large serving plate or on individual small plates.
- 5. Spoon strawberry mixture over all the triangles.
- 6. Add a half scoop of ice cream to each serving.
- 7. Drizzle a small amount (1/2 - 1 Tbsp. per serving) of butterscotch sauce over each ice cream mound. Serve immediately.
Easy Merida Party Foods
Scotland has received a bad rap in the foods department for such intimidating recipes as haggis and fish-and-oatmeal. But in reality, Scotland has many famous dishes you already know and love (toffee, anyone)? Here are some delicious dishes for your Merida party:
- Toffee or butterscotch candies
- Hot or iced tea with sugar and lemon; try raspberry tea for a fun flavor
- Cake with a Princess Merida and Angus topper (click the pic at right for ordering info)
- Finger sandwiches, any variety with crusts cut off, then cut into four triangles per sandwich
- Shortbread, including Girl Scout Shorbread cookies or Pecan Sandies (mmm!)
- Berries with sugar, particularly berries that grow wild, like strawberries and blackberries
- Oatmeal cookies with raisins or currants
- "Chips," British for french fries (also known as "tatters" in Scotland)
- Pudding, but do make or buy an American version -- the Scottish traditional recipe may be odd to untrained palates
- Tipsy cake, the non-tipsy version: see recipe above
Dress Up!
Make it a costume party for extra fun.
Costume parties are, in a word, awesome! Encourage guests and their parents to dress up in medieval, fantasy, prince/princess or Disney garb. Here are a few ideas:
* Princess Merida: long green gown and red curly wig
* A king or queen
* Girl warrior or boy warrior
* Medieval highlander (remember -- real men wear kilts!)
* A Brave movie animal: horse, bear, etc.
* Fantasy witch
* Faerie
* Any Disney medieval character (including Shreck, one of our favorite Scottish heroes)
For costume pieces, check local thrift and consignment shops, dollar stores and clearance items at local party stores. You don't need to spend a bundle to turn your child medieval -- a simple piece of draping fabric for a cape, loose pants or a long solid color nightgown all work perfectly for this theme.
Be sure to mention well ahead of time that costumes are requested or required. You might want to send an evite or shoot a quick text to guests to let them know,. Also list this info on invitation hard copies.
Making this idea a contest will add to the fun. For young children, have a prize for each competitor (most original, most authentic, most colorful, etc.). If you'd rather take competition out of the equation, have a "Brave fashion show" instead. Take a picture of each participant, print out the pics during the party and enclose in goody bags.
Merida Goody Bag/Box Ideas
Don't forget to thank guests by sending them off with a few goodies. The Princess Merida goody box shown is a great sample of items your guests will absolutely love, but you can get creative with pickings of your own.
- Buy or sew green organza drawstring bags. These are so, so cool and so very in right now. Drop goodies into the bags, pull the ties and...voila!
- Put little packages of shortbread cookies into goody bags.
- Butterscotch candies are a great choice for take-home, but be sure you only include these if children are over the age of four, as hard candies can be a choking hazard to very young children.
- Give guests dollar or five-dollar (depending upon the budget and the size of your party) gift certificates to McDonald's or Baskin Robins.
- Buy dollar or five-dollar certificates from your local movie theater toward tickets or food so guests can go see Brave for themselves.
- Anything to do with flowers, wildlife and greenery is perfect. Find inexpensive flower necklaces or bracelets, or enclose a packet of wildflower seeds for guests to grow at home.
Merida Toys for Your Little Princess
Awesome links for Brave and Princess Merida
- Visit Scotland - Scotland's Official Tourism Organization
Explore Scotland, famous for its historic castles, traditional Highland games and beautiful lochs, and discover the setting of world-famous movies, the place for stylish shopping and the perfect stage for new and exciting events. Plan your break in S - Princess Merida Brave Party Ideas
Pixar's Brave introduces Princess Merida. With lush scenery, tartans and Scottish music and food, Brave makes for an epic party! Here are some ideas, games, party supplies and food to help build your Scottish party! - Pixar's Brave Official Site
Disney/Pixar's official Brave site: watch the Brave trailer, play games, and meet the characters.