Plymouth’s Resident Princess in High Demand

During the holiday season, it’s important to brush up on your table manners.

“These are things that we all need to learn. They’re important life skills,” said Emily Doherty, a parent from Edina.

Doherty is one of dozens of people who came out to Edina’s Braemar Golf Course on Saturday with their kids for an etiquette class.

The class was taught by none other than “Alice in Wonderland.”

“Which is fun because lots of British people sound really proper, so it seems like the right person to teach an etiquette class,” said Nicole Fenstad, the owner and founder of Princess Party Pals.  

Fenstad, who played the role of Alice, can turn on a British accent with the flip of a switch, thanks to a long career in musical theater.

Her performance on this non-traditional stage is a delight to children and adults alike.

“Princesses are very big right now, and it gets kids excited about an event,” said Doherty, the parent. “I’m excited about the etiquette part of this, but having a princess here makes my kids get here, because telling them we’re doing a manners class isn’t as exciting.”

Yes, princesses are big business.

Nicole Fenstad, dressed as “Alice in Wonderland,” helps a child during a recent etiquette class.

‘Busier than ever’

The Saturday morning class in Edina is one of 750 princess-themed events Fenstad will do throughout the course of the year with her company, Princess Party Pals, which she launched 15 years ago.

“In 2023, they’ve been busier than ever,” Fenstad said of her and her team. “From birthday parties, to school visits, to special events, to parks and rec story times in the summer, all those types of things are what we do.”

We last spoke with Fenstad in 2020 when she let us into her Plymouth home and showed off her vast collection of costumes of wigs.

During the pandemic, she had to do many of her parties virtually.

“So that was the hardest year,” Fenstad said of 2020. “And then, really once the vaccination came out, things were coming back.”

Now three years later, she and her team of eight are a full-blown force in children’s entertainment here in the Twin Cities.

They bring joy — and the occasional lesson in table manners — to people of all ages.

“Whether it’s good manners in a princess party, or teaching kids to be brave maybe at a hospital or a superhero visit, it’s the best,” Fenstad said.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to book a princess party with Princess Party Pals, Fenstad recommends booking about one to two months in advance.

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