Come one, come all, to the royal ball, the invitation trumpets, asking your daughter's dearest little friends to join her at the Princess Party she's been dreaming of for months. Your home is now a well-stocked castle, with pink frills and glitter, party crafts and favors, streamers, sequins and glitter glue all ready for the big event.

But what will you serve the royal guests -- and perhaps their parents, too?

Unless you're a Marie Antoinette-style hostess, with a "Let them eat cake!" (and nothing else!) philosophy, you're probably wondering exactly what little princesses do eat with their birthday cake. Good mom that you are, you'd like to balance that sugar intake with a little protein, and perhaps turn the dessert course into a small-scale royal banquet.

Pizza never crossed your mind, did it? After all, pirates eat pizza -- not princesses. Truthfully, pizza is a bit greasy for chiffon and tulle, ruffles and bows, and just doesn't mix well with most princess attire.

Oh, let's stop dancing around and just put it on the table, shall we? A Princess Party Menu isn't really about substance; it's all about style and appearance. So dust off your presentation skills; it matters far less WHAT you serve than HOW it is served. As long as it looks the part, it will work beautifully for your princess table.

TEA SANDWICHES AND FRUIT CUPS

By far the easiest Princess Party Menu of all, appropriate for even the youngest (and therefore, pickiest) little princesses in the land, is a menu consisting of Tea Sandwiches and Fruit Cups. Dress up the fruit and keep the sandwiches simple, and you won't go wrong.

CHEESE AND GRAPES: Everyone knows little princesses nibble on cheese and grapes, so you might consider adding a tray of cheese cubes and clusters of grapes to the table.

TEA SANDWICH RECOMMENDATIONS: The Party Fairy recommends all-time child favorite Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches unless one of your little guests has a peanut allergy. Cut off the crusts and quarter the sandwiches so that you have four tea-sized sandwiches for each two slices of sandwich bread.

Other popular sandwiches for young princesses are plain cheese and bread, thinly sliced turkey with a tiny bit of mayo

Keep in mind that young children do not generally like the same tea sandwiches as adults. Don't bother to make cucumber sandwiches, for example, unless you are planning to serve these tea sandwiches to your adult guests as well!

About the most creative combination you can expect most little princesses to try is a blend of cream cheese and very thinly sliced apples served on raisin bread.

For easy variety and a pleasing appearance, quarter some sandwiches and leave others in rectangular shapes. Use a drinking glass as a cookie cutter to cut other sandwiches in circles. And, finally, leave some sandwiches on the diagonal.

Serve the tea sandwiches on a traditional teatime caddy -- or stack them attractively on pretty serving trays that have been covered with doilies. With so many different shaped sandwiches, it will look like a royal feast!

FRUIT CUP RECOMMENDATIONS: The easiest and prettiest way to serve fruit at a Princess Party is to purchase a plastic, stemmed wine glass from a dollar store and layer it with fruit pieces. Strawberries, grapes and cantaloupe chunks look particular pretty when served in this manner. Tie a pretty pink tulle bow around the base of the plastic glass and it will look beautiful on your Princess tabletop!

A ROYAL BANQUET WITH VEGETABLES, TOO

If you're game to try a different Princess Menu, here's a super easy and fun idea that requires absolutely no cooking! It's a bit more troublesome to serve, because it requires carving, but it really dresses up a table with a medieval-looking flair.

Start with a couple of faux silver serving trays from your local dollar store. Place an entire small, roasted chicken in the center of the serving tray, and mound raw vegetables such as carrots, celery sticks and broccoli around the base of the chicken. If you prefer, you may steam the vegetables, but most children will eat raw veggies if dip is provided -- and this will save you a few minutes in the kitchen.

The platters of roasted chickens surrounded by vegetables look very authentic, creating the ambiance of a castle feast. Most children (excluding preschoolers) will eat plain, roasted chicken and at least one or two of the vegetables served alongside it.

Round out the meal with a loaf of bread and platters of grapes and a variety of cheeses.

This hub was contributed by The Party Fairy, a party and special events service in Richmond, VA.