Fairy parties are not one and the same -- and neither are the boxes which deliver them directly to your door, promising "everything you need for the perfect party." The article below offers a savvy look at what's on the market, with inside tips from a professional party planner to help you make a better decision. Save hours of Internet searching by reading this article first.

It's an attractive concept...A busy mom places an order and a big box is shipped directly to her doorstep holding everything needed for a magical fairy-themed birthday party. One-stop Internet shopping does it all.

But finding your way through the maze of offers on the Internet can be confusing and intimidating -- especially since there's no industry standard for what constitutes a "complete" party kit. Packages vary widely from vendor to vendor and so do prices. It's easy to spend hours pricing and comparing all the different party kits on the market.

How on earth is a mom supposed to figure it all out? Having a professional party planner evaluate some of the current offers may help.

In the interest of full disclosure, The Party Fairy does sell our own fairy-themed party-in-a-box kits -- and the photo illustrating this article is taken from one of our own advertisements for a fairy party we ship out. Of course we like our party kits -- but this article does not tout ours as the best on the market and actually praises and recommends several other sources in various price ranges.

What does "complete" mean?

Technically, there is no such thing as a "complete" party kit, since a birthday cake cannot be shipped out in one of these boxes. However, many vendors come closer than others to meeting the claim of "complete" and "perfect."

As a professional party planner who recognizes the value of a two-hour party structure, with entertainment and activities, I am frankly far more impressed by vendors who include crafts, games and a detailed party guide in their packages. The table decor is of course a very important component of the party, and cements the theme, but the success of the party actually hinges on its program. The table can look gorgeous (and should!) but if the little partygoers run wild for two hours with no structured activities, no one will much notice the beauty of the table.

With that in mind, here's a helpful starting point for any shopper. There are basically three types of party-in-a-box kits on the market for moms looking to stage a Fairy-themed party. These are the Tabletop Only Kits (with other items available for individual purchase), the more expensive Dress-Up Packages (which include some dress-up items), and my personal favorite, the All-Inclusive Kit that aims to provide everything except the cake. The latter should include detailed instructions for how to use kit items to fill two hours of party time.

The one industry standard that you WILL discover when shopping for a fairy party in a box is that few packages are designed to accommodate the number of guests you actually plan to have. How frustrating! Eight is the magic number -- although you will find a few packages out there designed for six. Frankly, I don't know many people who can whittle the guest list down to eight. The average number for the parties we stage at The Party Fairy seems to be 12. But to hold costs down on our party kits, we chose to package for 10 guests instead of 12. I've discovered a few other vendors who have done the same, and duly noted that in the evaluations that follow.

1. The Tabletop Kit -- Or A la Carte Kit

The least expensive party-in-a-box, generally starting in the $20 to $30 range, may be advertised as a "complete" party kit, but it actually does little more than decorate your tabletop.

Many sites selling these boxes make claims such as "Each birthday party box includes everytihing you need to host a party for 8." But these boxes don't live up to that claim, because they do not really provide everything needed for a party. It's a great start -- but what about the games, crafts, activities, party favors, etc.?

These packages usually provide a tablecloth, plates, napkins, cups, utensils, streamers, balloons and candles -- and may possibly provide invitations and thank-you cards as well. If these items are not provided in the kit, they are usually available from the same source for an additional charge, as are party favor bags. Many sources also sell items designed for use in the party favor bags. After adding these items to your shopping cart, you'll find the total edging well above the $100 mark. On average, it will run around $150. That's not a bad price -- but bear in mind that you will still need to purchase a cake and drinks, and come up with all party games, crafts and activities for entertaining your party guests.

Here are a few good examples of this type of party in a box -- both of which will turn up in the top results for shoppers conducting online searches for "fairy party in a box."

At http://www.birthdayinabox.com, shoppers will find one of these kits called a "Birthday Box" for 8 at $21.99. The box is really just the tableware. Shoppers will need to make additional purchases to obtain all that is actually needed for a successful party. Fortunately, the site does offer some great selections -- even personalized invitations. It's also a great resource for moms planning to stage their own parties, with wonderful suggestions for menus, decorating and even create verse that can be used on party invitations. I love the detail of the suggestions, such as the recommendation that a fairy sticker be used to seal invitations. It's worth visiting this site to glean ideas for your fairy party. Please note, however, that the selection of fairy tableware is limited to Tinkerbell.

At http://www.partiesoutsidethebox.com/, shoppers choose all items a la carte to put together an individual party package, controlling the price by their selections. The variety gets high marks, with numerous styles and colors of tutus, rhinestone crowns and more. This is a wonderful site for moms who don't want to turn over the details to someone else, and prefer to be able to choose the tiaras that come with the package, and decide whether partygoers will receive hot pink or light pink tutus, for example. But be prepared to pay the price for the luxury of choice. Those tutus will cost $24 each, the crowns will cost $5 each, and that can add up quickly.

The Fairy Princess Party in a Box sold at http://www.pinatas.com offers what I think is a pretty good deal for this sort of package. It sells all the tableware and the invitations -- even the blowouts and party hats -- for $21.99. The premium version ($44.84) adds a Fairy Princess pinata, the filling for the pinata and the loot bags, so one of your party activities would be provided as well as party favors. The fairy princess pattern shown is one I recognize from a few years ago, getting harder to find, and the site does make note that it may substitute another pattern if necessary. Another down side side is that no thank-you cards are listed. And I have to say that although I know children love pinatas, the idea of children smacking a Fairy Princess pinata around with a bat is just a bit disturbing! Why couldn't the Fairy Princess package come with a dragon or an ogre pinata? But assuming the pattern advertised actually is available, this package seems a good value in this category and would serve as a great starting point for a party.

2. Dress-up Packages

The second type of party-in-a-box is a bit more complete, and higher prices reflect that. Generally these party kits include dress-up items as part of the package.

But in the same way that lower-priced packages offered the tabletop items without providing dress-up items or crafts and activities, some of these higher-priced party packages seem to forget the basic tableware!

The fairy wings at www.fairiesfae.com are absolutely beautiful -- with a feathery and ethereal-looking edge that I hadn't seen before. In a perfect world, those are the very wings we would offer in our own packages! But at $265 for just 10 wings, wands and "fairy fluff" crowns for the partygoers plus a special letter from the fairies bearing good wishes for the birthday girl, this package weighs in on the pricey side. The parent who buys it will still need to purchase all tableware, invitations, thank-you cards, party favors, and all crafts, games or activities for the party. Wow. That could add up to be quite the price tag!

There's another gorgeous web site at www.enchantedteaparties.com, where a children's storybook style of layout engages the heart and tickles the fancy! I will confess that I was a little vexed to discover that the site uses some of The Party Fairy's ideas...Not that we were copied, please understand, or that we copied the other site. Perhaps it just shows good taste! It certainly gets my approval. A Pixie Parcel shipped from this site looks to be a delightful thing, but may be beyond the budgets of most moms, since it costs $195 for six sets of Fairy wings, six wands or crown-making kits, six goody bags, 1 CD featuring fairy music, 1 fairy recipe book and a party guide. Tableware would need to be purchased separately, as well as invitations, decorations and other party activities, and I suspect most moms would need to purchase additional items to accommodate more than six guests. An upgrade is available for $385, providing a topiary centerpiece, plates and flatware, custom made invitations and thank-you cards, fairy bears and fairy bunnies in addition to all that is provided in the basic package, putting the upgrade more in line with the category of party packages I am calling All-Inclusive. But the upgraded package still accommodates only six children.

There's a pretty good deal at http://www.justaddkidsandcake.com for $149. The "Very Pretty Fairy Princess Party Package" ventures beyond the standard tabletop and into the dress-up arena by offering boas, tiaras and organza skirts for each child. It's the budget version of this genre, so the "star scepters" are actually minature wands and the organza skirts are actually a little on the sparse side, made of organza ribbon tied to an elastic waist. But for the price, this appears to be a very good package. I haven't yet found another package offering dress-up items for all children and tableware in this price range. The down side is that no crafts or games are included, and dressing up appears to be the sole activity provided. A mom purchasing this package is going to need to provide some additonal activities at the party, which will of course escalate the final price tag.

The whole shebang

As a party planner, I am partial to the third type of party-in-a-box -- and believe it actually offers the best value even though it carries the highest price tags of all, generally starting at $200 or more. After all, it's going to wind up costing about this much if a mom purchases one of those less expensive kits and adds the crafts and activities.

The real advantage to this type of party kit is supposed to be that a party planner has done all the work for you, considering every detail, and providing a themed program that will occupy the partygoers.

Another site, http://www.outoftheboxparty.com/, offers what appears to be a nice party package for 8 with personalized invitations and thank-you notes, a great touch which gets a big thumbs-up! Personalization is always appealing to moms, and difficult for vendors to offer at a reasonable price, so I always appreciate a site which offers this. Kits on this site appear to be simple but well thought out. The Enchanted Fairy Princess package provides a tutu for each partygoer, tiara-decorating kits, fairy dust and a shimmer make-up stick, puzzle-creating kits, goody bags and a party guide. I like the look of the tutus and appreciate the addition of the tiara and puzzle crafts so that children have something to do at the party after dressing up. But I was unable to get the shopping cart on this site to work, so I could not price the party. I tried again this morning, and still no luck. I will check back in a few days and update this article.

My very favorite package in all my research so far is something called "The Ultimate Fairy Party for 8" offered at www.magicfairygarden.com. The website looks beautiful (OK, those fairies do look a little bit freaky, but the concept is fun) and this package has also received some positive online reviews from people who have ordered it. It's advertised as "the best fairy party around." I will definitely have to challenge that claim, but I do really like this package. In addition the standard tableware, this package has bells and whistles that take it to a magical level.

Invitations are personalized -- but not just with names. A digital photo of the birthday child is used to create fairy invitations featuring her picture! I love that idea. The mom gets a gift, too -- an 8 by 10 of the birthday fairy. Nice touch. Costumes are skirts, wings, wands, headpieces and even shoes for each little fairy. ( Actually, I don't endorse the shoes part. It's a concept that sounds better than it actually proves to be, in most cases. Do you know how hard it is to fit the feet of some little girls?!? What a miserable experience to be the little girl who comes to the fairy party and can't fit into the pretty fairy shoes.) A "throne" chair cover for the birthday girl and a Secret Fairy Ceremony are part of the package. I love the fact that it includes a storybook called "Marygold's Gift" and suggested games and activities. The price is $295. This one is tops on my list -- although I do wish it was packaged for 10 guests instead of 8. Since additional guests may be added at just $12.95 per guest, that's not such a big problem.

I am nowhere near finished with my research into party kits, but thought parents might appreciate what I've found so far. It may save a few of you some late nights on the computer, trying to see what's out there! I plan to add additional sites to this article as I discover them.

Please know that I encountered many other sites out there which I did not mention in this article because I did not want to slam other vendors. But, honestly, I have to wonder what on earth makes these people think they can put together party kits?!? The tabletops were unbelievably ugly and in some cases did not even match the other decor! I hope this article will at least spare some of you wasted hours looking at sites which are, quite frankly, just tacky.

I promised not to tout The Party Fairy's own Fairy package in this article, and I won't, other than to say that it is packaged for 10 children for the reasons discussed in this article, and that it does not include personalized invitations because we wanted to hold down the costs for parents. It falls into the All-Inclusive category with everything needed for three activities to engage children during the party, and detailed guidelines and suggestions. We continue to tinker with the concept, based on requests and feedback from parents. This past week, for example, we created a new kit expecially for a 2-year-old, who was much too young for the activities in our other kit. We're anxious to hear how it works out for that mom, and will use her feedback to create kits for younger children. Details about our Fairy party kits are at http://www.thepartyfairy.wordpress.com

The Party Fairy is a children's party and special events service serving Richmond Va.