Why should I choose Wishing Well?

Will I get the character I see on your website?

YES. We receive this question quite often. We are strong advocates of correct representation of what a company offers, and we work very hard to offer the absolute best. The pictures listed on this website are of our own current performers and costumes - costumes may vary for each performer, but all are made as closely to the character as possible. You may also refer to our current reviews online (Yelp, Facebook, GigSalad, etc.) for others' experiences with our characters/performers.

PLEASE NOTE that the exact actor/actress in a picture on our website may not be available for the date/time of your event. Requesting a specific performer may incur an additional mileage fee, depending on where our performer will be traveling from. We do our best to guarantee requests for certain performers, but due to unforeseen circumstances that may occur (such as illness, accident, family emergencies, etc.), we cannot 100% fully guarantee the performer of your choice. If this should occur, we will notify you immediately, issue a refund for any additional mileage fee charged (if applicable), and provide info/pictures of the replacement performer from our own cast.

Does your company offer mascots (i.e. furry characters)?

 Due to very strict copyright concerns, dangerous conditions that can result from poor eyesight around little ones for mascot-costumed performers, and the limited ability for head-to-toe costumed characters to fully interact with children (which we believe truly makes the experience more personal and helps to spark their little imaginations!), we do not offer mascots or fuzzy characters at this time. We also do not offer any copyrighted characters. We proudly offer alternative forms of entertainment that have worked extremely well for us and our guests. Please review our "Characters" tab for our current character collection. 

Is your company insured?

Our performers are insured individually. Most of our performers also all belong to one of the actors' unions: SAG-AFTRA-AGVA-Equity. Feel free to inquire for each performer's availability - we will need to know if insurance is a requirement before we can book your event. 

Is your company licensed?

Yes. We are licensed for the city our office is based in (Pasadena). We also have a business license for the city of Irvine, CA.

What age ranges do you provide entertainment for?

 We have highly skilled performers trained and happy to work with all sorts of age ranges, from 0-100. We provide anything from gentle entertainment for ages 1 and up, to princess and character parties, to makeover/dance parties for older girls, pirate and hero parties for boys and girls alike, singing telegrams and character appearances and meet 'n greets for adults and children of all ages, etc. 

We have covered an extremely wide range of events, ranging from christenings to meet-and-greets to  business openings to birthdays to holiday parties to networking events to movie premieres and MUCH more. 

One of the hallmarks of our company is that we specialize in birthday and celebratory events for ALL ages, and tailor the parties to each age-range. In addition to our impersonators available, it is not uncommon for Cinderella to appear at a wedding and greet the groom/bride with a celebratory song!

How do you handle high-profile clients?

Every single one of our performers had steadily worked in either TV/film/professional theater or at one of the top theme parks around the world. We frequently perform and work with A-list celebrities and high-profile clientele on a regular basis and do not release names, photos, or other information without prior client consent. We want all families and guests to enjoy our performances and our professionalism and not worry about their information being publicized for profit online or elsewhere, so your privacy is very important to us. 

How much do you charge?

Please email us at wishingwellparties@gmail.com or contact us through the "Book Us" button at the top of our page for an exact price quote. Please note that pricing as listed on our website is a starting rate. 

We strive to offer the best quality at the best possible rate to help cover the expense of upkeep and upgrading our beautifully detailed costumes, wigs, and supplies, as well as working with our professional and very talented performance artists.

Our rates can be subject to change due to a few factors (such as travel expenses, specific dates, etc.), so please email or contact us directly through the website for a quote. Upon receiving your inquiry, we can promptly send over our pricing/activity info email. We are happy to provide a free quote at any time!

Are your activities themed for both boys and girls?

Yes! For princess and character parties, we take care in insuring ALL have a great time! 85% percent of our parties and events have both boys and girls present, so our activities are themed for both to enjoy. Oh - and did we mention we try to make this fun for the adults as well? We sincerely want everyone to experience even the littlest bit of magic! It's never too late to go back to being a kid!

What do you provide?

We bring all the activities and supplies for the performer (including games, themed music, storybooks, paints, arts and crafts, etc.) 

If you have a special inquiry for something not on our list, let us know and we'll see what we can do.

What do I need to provide?

1. A table and 2 chairs with a glass of water is kindly requested for parties with face-painting and storytelling.
2. Please make sure the performance area is shaded or covered.
3.  We will need a space large enough for the children to gather around our performer(s) for storytelling, games, etc.
4. A blanket is kindly requested for parties outside (especially in parks) so that costumes are not stained from grass/dirt.

What do I do at the party?

We invite all guests to sit back, relax, and let us bring the magic to you! We fully entertain for the entire time we are present at the event. 

However, we do strongly request that children have ADULT SUPERVISION AT ALL TIMES. This is a MUST. Our good helper fairies are frequently flying about and unable to help babysit for us at parties! 

As we do the same for our guests, we request that our princesses, fairies, heroes, and other characters always be treated with kindness, respect, and good manners by all present at your event in order to ensure the best possible experience. We do have the right to end entertainment and leave the party if proper manners are not being implemented at parties. 

Should I serve food at the party?

We recommend serving food before or after the performer's stay (we are of course happy to sing "Happy Birthday" with the cake, usually best at the end of our stay!). If you are serving breakfast/lunch/dinner during the performer's time, please let us know prior to booking so that we can advise activities accordingly. 

Can I request specific activities?

Please let us know prior to booking if you have specific requests from our activity list so that we can advise an itinerary in accordance in the timeframe you wish to book/number of children present. If no requests are made during the booking process, we will automatically craft the best itinerary from our list in accordance with the timeframe we are booked + number and age range of children expected. We always do as many activities as possible from our list!

Please note that our performers do reserve the right to alter an itinerary if rare circumstances should occur at the event in order to allow for the best experience possible (i.e. more children are present than previously expected, a change of space due to inclement weather, etc.). We also only perform activities as listed in our info email and website, and cannot add other activities to our list at this time.

Where will you park?

Due to our performance standards for character events, our carriages cannot park directly outside of your home or the site of the event :) It always helps to let us know if parking is available nearby, and if it will be a problem - please let us know beforehand, so we can allow for extra time to arrive!

Do you perform outdoors?

Yes! Although we much prefer the indoor environment based on our activities and supplies, we do perform outdoors. However, due to the delicate nature of certain costumes, some characters may not be available for outdoor parties due to dirt, leaves, grass, mud, etc. 

Please always have a backup location in case inclement weather should occur. Rain can make things really stressful, so a backup location is strongly recommended. 

We also kindly request that our families and friends strongly consider moving to an indoor/cool location on extremely warm/hot days (especially during the summer). If this cannot occur, certain activities will be limited (i.e. high energy games, dancing, etc.) for the safety of our performers and guests.

How soon in advance should I book?

Certain performers/characters do book 8-10 weeks or more in advance. Parties on Saturdays book up the earliest/quickest, and certain characters that are popular due to current pop culture may book MONTHS in advance. 

If you are undecided on the date of your party and/or are flexible with your schedule, we recommend that you consider Sundays, as they are "lighter" party days (and you might have more RSVP's coming in your way, too! A win for all of us!). However - we always try to honor last minute requests. Just drop us a line, and we'll work hard to see what we can do!

What happens once I book with you?

After we receive the needed information for your event, we will send over our confirmation email with our event contract attached. Your deposit invoice will be sent separately through Paypal. Please review your confirmation email and contract and notify us immediately if corrections need to be made. The contract signature page must be signed and scanned/faxed back to us within 48 hours of booking (24 hours if within 1 week of your event) in order to secure your reservation. We are happy to offer the 48-hour courtesy hold for your timeslot so that you have time to return the signature page and deposit (we know life gets busy!). Please do not take advantage of the courtesy hold if you are uncertain about moving forward with our company, as performers are specifically cast and arrange availability for each event (and holding timeslots for non-bookings may prevent other families and clients from making a reservation with us) - thank you for your understanding!

How do you handle the deposit?

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The deposit (a portion of the final balance required to hold your reservation) is due before the event (within 48 hours of booking). We handle our deposit invoice through Paypal to allow for the most secure and easiest transaction. After you book with us, you will receive a Paypal email directing you on how to pay the deposit - you do not need to be a Paypal member! Credit and debit cards are also accepted through the Paypal website. 

Please note that, due to very high demand, deposits are non-refundable. In the rare case that you decide to cancel your event, you may use your paid deposit as a credit toward rebooking your party up to 1 month after the original scheduled date (however, rescheduling will be subject to our availability). Additional terms will be listed in your event contract.

How should I handle payment to the performer at the party?

We know that this is a delicate matter for parties with children around, and in order to keep our performance standards, we kindly request that payment be handled at the end of the event (or the performer's scheduled time) in a discreet manner, away from all children. We hope to be able to take this stress away with a simple solution! We generally recommend doing an event to distract the little ones at the end of the party (i.e. pinata, gift-opening, cake, etc.) so that our performer can quietly slip away back to their carriage.

We accept the balance payment in cash only at the end of your event. Sorry, no personal checks.

Cash is preferred in an envelope to allow for safekeeping. :) Please have your payment ready at the end of your event. 
Our performers frequently have multiple events to attend on the weekends, and must exit in a timely manner. 

Should I tip the performer?

The price of the package does not include gratuity for the performer, but it is GREATLY appreciated and helps offset the costs needed for our supplies/costumes/travel/etc. (and lets the performer know that you are happy with their performance!) The standard service amount of 15-20% is recommended. 

Do you take requests for characters not currently listed on your website?

We are proud to offer the highest number of characters/themes to choose from in all of southern California. At this time, we are not taking requests for characters not already listed on our website due to time constraints (our master list of characters can be reviewed on our Complete Character List page). 

We do not offer fuzzy/mascot characters. 

If we are not able to accommodate your request or are unavailable, we are happy to recommend other companies in our area upon request.

Do you work with charities and volunteer organizations?

We are exceedingly happy to do so. Contact us for additional info.

What is the best way to reach you?

If you are looking for a quote and have a date/time/character in mind, please email us or send a submission form via our website. Click HERE for our submission form. Since we are frequently out and about making memories for our guests (especially on weekends and on select weekday mornings, if we are visiting schools!) we can respond much faster that way with our "Wishing Well" info email covering our pricing/activity list. 

Any questions not listed here? Feel free to email us at wishingwellparties@gmail.com!