About Us
Once upon a time...
Once Upon A Wish started in 2015 as a simple (yet not so simple) sewing project between two friends, Amber and Kelly. When we realized how much we loved making costumes, we also realized we could combine this with our longtime loves of princesses, performing, and working with children. With our new costumes, we partnered with Make-A-Wish and Chico State Athletics to present a 4-year old girl with her Wish of meeting Princesses. In that moment, after seeing the magic and joy in her eyes, we decided we wanted to bring magic to more children, and help their dreams come true.
Our Mission
Once Upon A Wish prides itself on character authenticity; we have hand-made almost all of our costumes to be “movie-accurate with a little extra glam.” All of our performers have a performance background, pass a background check, and are trained to bring each character’s personality to life.
We created Once Upon A Wish to provide premier character entertainment to children of all walks of life. We love to do volunteer work with local organizations, hospitals, and more.
Our Team
Amber
Director, Actress, Seamstress, and Photographer
Amber's life has revolved around the arts since a young age. She began sewing with her grandmother at 7 years old, started musical training at 9, and her creativity blossomed from there. She has hand sewn the majority of the costumes for Once Upon A Wish and also sews professional costumes for local ballet companies! Her musical talents helped her to find a love for all things dance in 2013. She's currently training in ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, and tap, and has performed in the Nutcracker and Cinderella! In 2014 she won the title of Miss Butte County, and graduated from Butte College with an A.S. in Photography. In 2016 graduated from Butte again with an A.S. in Business, and that helped launch Once Upon A Wish! She recently graduated from Chico State University with a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and minor in Photographic Studies. She's owned her own photography business since 2013 and has taken the majority of the professional photos on our site! She may seem like a busy bee, but she's always ready to make children's wishes come true!
Kelly
Director and Actress
Kelly knew from a young age that performing was for her. From creating neighborhood plays in her backyard to performing on stage, she's always had a love for all things theater! Not only has she been taking professional acting lessons since she was 12, but she was also trained in classical ballet throughout high school. She was part of the Chico Community Ballet Company and the Dance Program at Inspire School of Arts and Sciences. After a hip injury that lead her to quit dance, she's been focusing on bringing the magic of make believe to children all around the community by creating Once Upon A Wish with her best friend and business partner, Amber Thompson. She graduated from Butte College with an AS in Nutrition and is currently attending Nursing School. Eventually she aims to be a pediatric nurse. She can't wait to bring these beloved characters to life at her next party and teach them that dreams do come true!
Amelia
Amelia
Amelia
Actress
Amelia has been dancing since she was 3, and has also taught ballet, jazz, and ballroom. She graduated Chico State in 2010 with her B.A. in Kinesiology and a minor in Exercise Science, and again in 2016 with her B.S. in Nursing. She has worked with Enloe Medical Center since 2013, specifically with cardiac populations. Since having all the places she knew as home burn in the Camp Fire, Amelia has rediscovered the magic of play. Amelia loves playing with books, sewing, and her animals. Her favorite activity is to spend time outside with her Alaskan Malamute, Aurora. She is thrilled to bring the joy, hope, optimism, and strength of the princesses to life!
Anni
Amelia
Amelia
Director and Actress
Anni started dancing and performing when she was 15, and quickly fell in love with it. Her favorite styles are ballet and hip hop. Anni graduated from Chico State with a B.S. in Psychology. In her spare time, Anni loves Hamilton, reading, cooking, being outside, and taking photos of her cat, Nia. She can’t wait to continue bringing the magic to life!
Join Our Team
Make magic with us!
We will keep all resumes and applications on file, even if we aren't hiring for specific characters at the time.
Send your resume, headshot (professional image preferred, no filters), and a short bio to hello@onceuponawishevents.com
Proudly Partnered With
