What We Wore: Buy or Make a Week’s Worth of Disney Clothes

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We spent a week at Walt Disney World and Universal, thanks to my parents. What an adventure! After scouring Pinterest, I learned that there was no post, anywhere, that could really walk me through planning an entire trip to Disney. Throughout the series, I shared our days at the parks, tips and tricks, taming the souvenir beast, money saving ideas, things we learned and photos we captured. They’re all linked below. Enjoy!

Day 1: HDYDI – Plan a Multi-Generational Disney Vacation
Day 2: What We Wore to Disney (this post!)
Day 3: EPCOT: A Mom’s Guide
Day 4: Magic Kingdom: Plan a Visit That’s Fun for All Ages
Day 5: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal: A Family Guide
Day 6: Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios: All in One Day!
Day 7: Character Meals & Meet/Greets: 13 Tips to Make Them Awesome
Day 8: 10 Things to Buy/Borrow/Make For Your Disney Vacation
Day 9: 6 Tips to Capture Your Disney Vacation on Film
Day 10: Meeting Anna & Elsa: An Honest Account 

Okay, today it’s all about the fashion. I pray Clinton and Stacy wouldn’t call foul on our Disney-themed clothes. First, I’ll share some things we learned along the way, then links to my favorite online places, plus a sweet discount on your next custom-designed Disney shirt (YAY!).

FINDING THE PERFECT DISNEY-THEMED CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES
Maybe you’re not Mr. and Mrs. Griswold and anything matching just makes you look for the nearest thing to punch. I get it. I do. This whole “clothes for Disney” thing ended up being way more fun than I ever envisioned, though. If my Pinterest board is any proof, ideas for Disney clothes abound. We found some awesome deals, threw in a little DIY and had a blast doing it.

Think about photos. For us, this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips with my parents and brother’s family. We hired a family photographer (more on that coming soon) and opted to get a shirt to mark the occasion. I stumbled upon these absolute GEMS from St. Pinterest. The Celebration Shirts team could not have been more accommodating, helpful and lovely to work with as we finalized the shirt design. They even do local deliveries in Orlando if you’re on a tight timeline – holla. I found their prices to be very reasonable ($20/shirt, free shipping) and that includes the customized design. They even made the 12-month shirt a onesie. Big bonus points from this mama. We narrowed down our shirt design, then I gave them three shirt colors we liked. Once we finalized the design, they popped it onto the three colored shirts and sent me an electronic proof. We approved them and a week later Christmas arrived on my doorstep.
A DEAL FOR YOU! And, because I have awesome readers, Celebration Shirts is offering 10% off your next order. Just use the code “TEAMWHITAKER.” at checkout.

Set a budget. Y’all heard me talk about that yesterday. I’m still saying it today. Obviously. If it isn’t in the budget, DIY it!

Be on the lookout for discounts. I signed up for emails from the Disney Store, hoping a deal would cross my inbox. Sure enough, just before we bought these shirts, they went on sale, then the entire site was 20% off and I found a code for free shipping. In total, I got each shirt for less than $9. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Make your own. Can’t find what you’re looking for, or you’re just frustrated with how expensive it is? Trust me when I tell you there are one million pins (insert Austin Powers here) to give you some ideas and step-by-step tutorials. I found these awesome Harry Potter shirts, but they looked a little on the thin side and they didn’t come in kid sizes. What to do, what to do? I downloaded the free LumosLatino font, created my own design and then called a local t-shirt screen printer in north Austin. They made them a reality, for around $10 a shirt. I’ve made some shirts via CustomInk before, but going the local screen printer route was much, much less expensive.

If you place a large order, ask about a discount. We worked with Happily Ever Tees to create some custom shirts and they waived some fees for us. We had them put Toy Story sayings on them all. I can’t recommend them enough, either. Such creative designs and even the Hollywood Studios management staff stopped us and asked, “Where did you get those shirts?!”

Scott: I’m a married spud. I’m a married spud.
Kathryn: I packed an extra pair of shoes & your angry eyes just in case
Will: Impressive Wingspan
John Paul: That’s not flying, that’s falling with style
Anna-Laura: You’re cute when you care
Clare: You’ve got a friend in me
Luke: Reach for the sky
Gianna: You’re my favorite deputy

Plan ahead. Some Etsy shops have a 3-5 (or more) week lead time and if you wait until the week or two before, you’ll miss the window and likely be disappointed. For a few things we were right on the line, as in, the item arrived the day before we departed! Highly stressful. Don’t recommend. Here, my mom is wearing a shirt from Happily Ever Tees and Gianna has *the* most adorable Snow White romper for Kate and Lulu’s (links at bottom).

Do a combination of DIY and hiring it out. I found the idea for these adorable shirts, but just did not have the time to make them myself. I ordered the red t-shirts from a local screen printer (they were cheaper and quicker than Amazon!), grabbed some polkadot fabric from the fabric store and then had a friend who operates her own embroidery business add fabric and embroider the names. We were known as the “red shirt” family on the plane. Love it.

Don’t forget the ears! Disney’s ears are like one million dollars and I knew my girls would not keep them on, and that my boys could care less. Enter, the most adorable accessory found on the internet. Anywhere. These ears, y’all. They kill. Clare chose Belle, Anna-Laura picked Jessie and cousin Ava selected Elsa (but Aunt Amanda hijacked them a few times!). I jumped on the train, too, because hey, it’s Disney. Mine were a tribute to Snow White. Thankfully, this will be my Halloween costume for the next ten years. The kids get to wear theirs to summer camp for Disney night. I loved those ears and if I was braver, I might just rock them in the local H-E-B.

Use the clothes as souvenirs. We were trying hard to curb the “I wanna’s” at the park. So, we packaged up the shirts, took them with us and when the kids awoke each morning, they found their clothes with a clue for our adventures for the day. The cousins were thrilled because they all had the same shirts. I was thrilled because I didn’t have to talk anyone off the clothing drama ledge. You might consider visiting the local Orlando Target if time isn’t on your side. You’ll be able to purchase shirts for half the cost than in the parks.

Jewelry counts as clothes, right? I’m a huge Harry Potter nerd. When I discovered these Deathly Hallows earrings and house bracelet, I caved. I knew I’d wear them again, and again, so I didn’t hesitate one bit hitting the order button.

Source

Think about future wear. Our kids go to summer camp every year and always have a Disney night (or two) so these shirts will definitely see another good run. Plus, we’re always looking for well-made, and fun, t-shirts during the summer months. I’ve already got a pile of shirts set aside for their high school t-shirt quilts and these will be at the top of the “keep” pile. When we threw a Harry Potter themed birthday just days after arriving home, it sure was fun to bust out these.

Remember, no matter what you wear, it’s the memories that matter. There’s no sense in going to the trouble of matching all the clothes if your kids and family just aren’t into it. It will make for a miserable vacation. However, we opted to go the “you only get to be silly and act like a kid at Disney” mantra. It ended up being loads of fun. We saw many families doing exactly what we did and got several compliments along the way. For me, I think it’s all about attitude. Whatever mindset you pack along with those clothes is what your family will adopt.

Favorite Etsy Stores
Madras Mickey: Little Petunia Designs
Custom Toy Story/Disney Tees: Happily Ever Tees
Custom Family Tees: Celebration Shirts
Embroidered Romper: Kate and Lulus
Screen Printer: Rocksports
Mickey Ears: Ears Come True
Harry Potter Jewelry: Cissy Pixie

Disclaimer: I did receive free or discounted products from Celebration Shirts, but y’all know me well. I only share what I love and I *adored* those shirts.