Event planner lifts lid on lengths celebrities go to for their kids

Since starting GOPR & Events, Stephanie Ledigo, 35, who is based in the North West, has amassed more than 28,000 Instagram followers. And thanks to her talent for planning, she’s been booked to throw themed kids’ parties for stars such as Paris Fury, Jorgie Porter and Jennifer Metcalfe – although the likes of Kym Marsh and Olivia Attwood have also turned to her to organise their “grown-up” events!

My business began 10 years ago when I started doing small events in places like hair salons and gyms. One of the salons said they wanted a celebrity involved, so we asked Tanya Bardsley from The Real Housewives Of Cheshire to attend.

She was the first celebrity I’d ever dealt with. The event was a success and through word of mouth I started doing more. It’s all thanks to Tanya, really. Recently, it’s gone bananas and I’ve done events for actors from Hollywood and Coronation Street, as well as people from Geordie Shore. I can’t think of a celebrity that hasn’t messaged us at some point. I’d say children’s parties are one of my favourite events to plan, as the themes can be out of this world. We’ve had a lot of extravagant requests. We get a lot of asks for miniature ponies and farmyard animals and boys tend to like reptiles. It’s all just getting bigger and bigger. We’ve had live contortionists for a Greatest Showman theme, and we throw a lot of festival-type parties.

A lot of the time, parents wish that they’d had a party like the one they’re throwing when they were younger. The parents are also planning something for the love of their life, so it’s usually months in the making. On average a children’s party costs £5,000 for the full shebang, although some clients have spent upwards of £20,000. However, we tailor to all budgets. There’s so much imagination involved and you can really go to town with it.

Organising a children’s party takes a lot more planning than an adult one because the detail is really important. With an adult’s party, a lot of it is about picking out what food there’ll be, but with children they don’t really care about that as long as it’s got sugar. The kids care more about having something that looks absolutely incredible, so it’s amazing to turn something into reality.

The issue is when the children get involved. Sometimes, we’ll have a meeting with the parents and a child will come in and ask for a neon chocolate fountain. We have to kindly explain that it doesn’t exist but we’ll try to find something similar.

Parents send us quite a lot of details about what their child likes and dislikes because if you ask a child about their interests it’s natural for them to change their mind quite a lot. One week they might like Frozen and the next week it’s Moana, so we try not to ask them too many questions. We just crack on with creating the best theme possible.

A lot of our clients are business people. I think because they’re so busy they want to make sure their kids have something special. We’ve noticed that first birthdays are a massive thing and then they probably won’t have another big one until they’re four or five, so the children are a bit more aware.

All parties are different, but if it’s aimed at children between the ages of zero and four they’ll always love a soft play. We always have gorgeous sweets, too. We had one poor child who had a candyfloss maker at their party. They ate four lots of candyfloss straightaway and within the first hour they were sick. Over the years, I’ve learnt that the key is to make sure the party isn’t too long. Two and a half hours is definitely the max. After that it goes downhill.

The work may begin months before the day itself, but the party is no easier. We do between 20,000 and 30,000 steps because we’re constantly checking everyone’s OK. It’s an awful lot of work, but seeing the children’s reaction is the best feeling in the world. I’d love to do something for the Kardashians one day. I saw Kourtney Kardashian do a Disney baby shower and to recreate something like that and make a Disney World at someone’s home, complete with the castle, is my dream.

Find and follow GOPR & Events on Instagram at go_pr_and_events

As CEO of Amanda’s Action Club, 53-year-old Londoner Amanda Frolich knows a thing or two about children’s parties. The award-winning celebrity children’s entertainer has worked with everyone from pop stars to politicians and counts Amanda Holden and Take That ’s Mark Owen among her satisfied clients.

I was running birthday parties at a local leisure centre when my husband told me I could set up my own business, so I never expected to be a children’s entertainer to the stars. I’m based in London, so I started meeting different celebrities naturally through my work. My first big gig was for David and Victoria Beckham and since then I’ve been a children’s entertainer for everyone from musicians to Hollywood stars.

People assume that families with money will go over the top when planning events, but nine times out of 10 it’s not like that at all. Every celebrity I’ve worked with has been super down-to-earth. They all keep their parties real. I entertained a party for Boris Johnson ’s son and it was very intimate. It was in a church and had some soft play, sandwiches, a game of pass-the-parcel and a cake from the local cake shop. It’s about making memories rather than holding lavish events for most of my clients.

I class myself as an exceptional preschool party specialist, entertaining children in the most engaging and interactive way. My parties are dynamic and energetic, and I bring a real wow factor that fits into their theme, whether it’s dinosaurs, princesses or superheroes. Children have fun with music and props and are active at the same time.

I’ve seen horror stories of children’s entertainers, but luckily I’ve never let a client down. Parties to me are so special. As soon as I put on my uniform and my white glasses, I’m Action Amanda and I’ll do anything I can to make someone’s day.

Watching families connect is the best part of my job. During lockdown, I entertained a virtual party for a family in Brazil and Portugal. I told both groups to grab a broom to use as a limbo stick and began playing some music. Seeing them having so much fun together despite being at opposite ends of the world was just magical. The emphasis may be on the children, but adults aren’t neglected, either. At my parties you won’t find them at the back with a glass of prosecco. They’ll be doing a mass hokey cokey!

Find out more about Amanda’s business atamandasactionclub.co.uk

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