Frequently Asked Questions

The first thing we need to do is find you a date. In our busy seasons (April - June and Sept - Dec) it is not unusual for us to have weekend days booked 3 months in advance. As soon as you have a date in mind call or email the office.

On weekends we have a two hour minimum and three available time slots: 10am-12pm; 2-4pm and 6pm/evening (for slumber parties and the like). We strongly recommend keeping your party, particularly for younger children, to two hours. There is flexibility on time slots on weekdays.

Not a problem. We are constantly developing new themes and ideas - often because a child has asked for something new. We love working with children to create new party ideas.

Typically, we begin with an activity to keep the children occupied as guests arrive. Often this is tattoos and/or face painting, but can also be a "name" game or activity. Once all of the guests have arrived we play games based on our theme. After that is usually a craft. Time permitting, we play more games or have songs and stories before having cake. After this is often a piñata. We generally try to end with a treasure hunt that culminates in the guests finding their goodie bags.

You will notice in our terms and conditions that we have regulations regarding the number of staff members who must be present. This is for the safety of the children and to comply with our insurance guidelines. On average our staff is comprised of one to three people.

1 1/2 to 2 hours before the scheduled party time Sophie and/or her staff will arrive to begin decorating and setting up. The birthday child is encouraged to participate in this. After the party ends Sophie and her staff will clean up and depart, generally an hour or so after the event has ended.

As much or as little as you like. You are welcome to participate in every facet of the party. Or you can simply watch. Or enjoy some time with the other parents. If you do choose to have a concurrent adult gathering we ask that you try to have a separate space in which to do so. It can be very difficult to maintain the focus of the children with their parents gathered nearby.

We are not a caterer and do not do food. Our time slots were developed to specifically skip major meal times. Often snacks and juices are sufficient for the children. You are of course free to do whatever you like. If you would like to provide a meal for the children we can easily schedule that into the festivities.

We have relationships with a number of wonderful bakeries in the Bay Area. We can make suggestions or you can handle it yourself. We are happy to place orders, pick up and deliver the cake to the event.

We generally find that there is so much activity in our parties that a bounce house is not necessary. However, you are welcome to rent one if you like. Our insurance prohibits us from renting them. We have relationships with all of the major rental companies and can make all of the arrangements. You simply have to pay that company directly.

Again, not a problem. However, like bounce houses, we are prohibited from subcontracting for them. This applies to animals of any sort, including petting zoos.

Sophie's Stress Free Soirees does not perform or create parties using characters for which it does not have license from third party owners. We recognize that many children want parties based on their favorite characters. We can accomplish this by supplementing your event with purchased, licensed decorations and materials. However, we cannot, nor will not misappropriate or misuse any copywritten or licensed materials.

The party description will include prices for individual elements. For decorations there will be a set rental fee. For crafts, games and goodies there will be a per child cost. Add those to Sophie and any necessary assistants' fee and you will have a sense of what it will cost. As a reference, the average 2-hour party for 12 children usually costs about $600.

24 to 48 hours before your party (bills are usually sent out on Friday afternoon for weekend parties) you will receive an invoice for the party. These usually arrive via email.

The balance of the party cost is due on the day of the event. The best way to handle this is to pay Sophie or her staff by cash or check at the end of the event. We are able to take credit cards, but not at the event. If you would like to pay by credit card you will have to make arrangements with the office the business day before your party.