Celebrate Express

Full review
I became aware of Celebrate Express after receiving a catalogue for them in the mail. We had just begun to think about my daughter's first birthday party so it was wonderful timing. As I was going through the catalogue, I noticed that they had a wide selection of party supplies and interesting themes and I wanted to further investigate what they had available.

I went online to see what options they had available outside of what was in the catalogue. The catalogue only had their package prices listed of the party theme I was interested in and I wanted to custom order the supplies as there were items that I wanted to add some that I did not want. On their main site, I saw that it was very organized and that I would be able to find what I wanted easily. The site gives the option to search by Kids Birthday, First Birthdays, Everday Parties, Costumes, and to Shop Sales. These tabs are brightly decorated on the site and it makes it easy to select which occasion is the most appropriate. In addition, there is an option to select particular type of items from the menu that appears on the left side of the screen. The following options are available:

Category
Party Themes
Ultimate Party
Balloons and Decorations
Favors and Prizes
Crafts and Activities
Cake Supplies
Solid Party ware
Personalized Items
Pinatas
Toys and Gifts
Birthday Apparel
Birthday Costumes
Stand Ups

Party Theme
Animals
Cars and Trucks
Cartoons
Disney
Dolls
Exclusive
Favorite Characters
Pirates
Sports
Superheros
Tropical
TV and Movies

Personalized Items
Banners
Birthday Scrolls

Gender
Female
Male

The website indicated that they were Verisign secured which made me feel more comfortable ordering products online. In addition, Celebrate Express hasa good rating (a happy face actually) with Bizrate as per their site.

It did not take me long to locate the pattern that I was interested in: Pink Poodle in Paris. This pattern is an exclusive product of Celebrate Express. I wanted a theme that was different from the standard themes that are often seen at party stores and other retailers and as it matches the dress we picked out for her, it was destiny!

Celebrate Express offers hundereds of other themes such as NBA, Hula, Little Mermaid, Thomas the Train, Party Like a Rockstar, Magic Party, and Wizard of Oz. You could spend hours looking through all of the different themes and products! In addition to the themed items, they offer plain colored party ware too.

I had the option to choose from dinner plates, dessert plates, napkins, cups, banners, tablecloths, centerpieces, invitations, thank you cards, a matching bib, confetti, silverware, place mats, party favors, gift bages, and many other related party items. All of the items appeared to be in stock. It was very simple to add any items to my shopping cart by simply inputting the quantityty desired in the field. Once I had entered in all of my choices, I selected the add to cart button which is listed at each item. The next screen gave me a total amount due prior to entering my credit card information. I wanted to purchase more items from the solid party ware section and was easily able to return to the shopping section by selecting the link. Once I was finished shopping, I completed the order and entered in my credit card info. Celebrate Express accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. My order included cups, paper plates (dessert and dinner), napkins, invitations, thank you notes, 2 different centerpieces, bib (matched the pattern), candle, matching tablecloths, ribbon, and balloons.


Depending on the total amount of money spent, shipping discounts may be applied to the bill. My bill was about $95 and I did not have to pay standard ground shipping. I chose for my package to be sent via 3 day delivery and I only had to pay the difference between the standard ground shipping and the 3 day service. I also had the option to choose 2-day or overnight shipping. The package was sent via UPS. An e-mail confirmation was sent to me notifying me that the order was processed and that the package was sent.

I received the package after 3 days and was happy with the product I received. The quality of the items I purchased were to my expectations and were all wrapped securely. The only problem that I had is that one of the packages of plates that I had ordered was missing. I had ordered approximately 36 items and I could see how it was possible that one of the items was missed. I called the customer service line at 4:30 in the afternoon and was able to get through right away. I spoke with a representative who apologized and confirmed the party date to ensure the products arrived in time. The representative placed the order and I received the missing item in three days and by the date they told me.


In addition to party supplies, they have a great selection of costumes to choose from and we are now waiting on my daughter's Halloween costume. As their party supplies were of high quality, I can assume so is the costume. I intend to continue to use Celebrate Express for future parties.

Party on!