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Ellensburg resident Hayley Ebberts, 21, is friends with many princesses.
She knows Elsa, Anna, Cinderella, Merida, Rapunzel, Snow White and Ariel. She even knows Kristoff and Prince Eric.
She often gathers her princess friends to appear at birthday parties and other celebrations booked through her business, Eli’s Princess Parties.
Ebberts, a Central Washington University theater major, is a professional princess. She started her business because she’s always loved dressing up and making costumes. She also enjoys watching Disney movies.
“I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen ‘Frozen,'” Ebberts said. “I love it.”
Her newest favorite is the live action “Cinderella.” She might soon make a dress for the picture.
For Ebberts, being a professional princess isn’t work, it’s a passion.
“It’s just so nice to not only do something I love — I love dressing up so that’s fun for me already — but then to walk into a room full of little girls who will idolize you,” Ebberts said.
“They’ll have this look on their faces, they’re just mesmerized and amazed. It’s so real to them and me.”
It’s not just little girls who are amazed though, Ebberts said.
“The boys pay attention up until about 7 or 8 years old … sometimes the boys are more excited than the girls,” she said.
Costuming
Ebberts said she’s always loved dressing up and making costumes. She spent this past summer working in Leavenworth doing costume design for the summer shows.
About three years ago she made a replica costume of the one Princess Merida wears in “Brave” and then she started getting calls.
Her first gig was working at the Barbie house on Craig’s Hill in Ellensburg, handing out candy on Halloween.
She’s been in the princess world doing public and private parties, and also working for the Valley Mall in Union Gap ever since.
Bryan Kozu, marketing coordinator for Valley Mall, said he’s used Ebberts’ company quite a bit since he first hired her in June 2014.
“She came as Snow White and did a fantastic job,” he said about her first event. “She was in character the entire time.”
The Valley Mall also has hosted visits with Cinderella, Elsa, Ariel and Rapunzel. When needed, multiple princesses have shown up to an event.
“In addition to the fact that she is in character 100 percent of the time, she as a person is also fantastic,” Kozu said about Ebberts. “She’s very nice, knows what she’s doing. She’s very talented.”
Parents and children alike love Ebberts’ princesses, Kozu said.
“The thing about Hayley — she is genuinely interested in meeting kids and talking to these kids,” he said.
Characters
Ebberts has an acting background, so getting into character isn’t hard. She played Queen Gertrude in “Hamlet” and Cecily in “The Importance of Being Earnest” in high school theater in Yakima.
From the moment the costume goes on, she’s in character.
‘It’s something that comes from time,” she said. “Having made costumes for years and modeling the costumes, I already knew how to move myself into position to look good. I already have the basics of acting. I think it really comes from watching the movies over and over.”
When she first watched “Frozen,” Elsa drove her crazy. Ebberts is more of an Anna character when it comes to personality, she said.
The Elsa costume is difficult to wear because it’s basically a corset, so it’s not easy to bend in it, plus there’s the long cape that Elsa wears that can present a tripping hazard. She’s grown to love the character and costume though, and enjoys singing the song “Let it Go,” which she does at smaller birthday party events.
She also has an elf and pirate costume available, and is in the process of making some villain costumes for Halloween.
Book a princess
People can book a princess package in 30-minute or hour-long segments for birthday parties, movie showings, holiday parties or fundraisers. Large corporate events range from one to three hours.
Packages vary in price depending on time length, number of princesses and what they include. A basic 30-minute package includes photos with a princess, a sing-along and storytelling.
Ebberts, who is from Yakima, said she has plans to stay in Ellensburg probably a year after graduation, and will continue her business, but after that she’s not sure what’s next.
“I will just keep doing parties,” she said. “I would love to if I had all the money in the world, open a little cafe with coffee and cupcakes, but instead of staff have it be princesses or a princess day care.”
For more information, visit http://eliebberts.wix.com/princessparties or email Eli.ebberts@gmail.com.
Originally published by the Ellensburg Daily Record.