Private Event Policies
Birthday Adoption Experiences are designed to be a cozy, playful way to celebrate at the Bellinghamsters Adoption Center! Because your reservation sets aside the entire Adoption Center just for your group, please take a moment to review the policies below before booking.
Reservations & Payment
Private Birthday Adoption Experiences are reserved for one hour and require a minimum of five Adoption Reservations.
Full payment is required at the time of booking. Your selected party date and time will be confirmed after your reservation is received.
Because appointment availability is currently managed by the Head Ham, very occasionally two groups may request the same date and time before availability can be updated. In the unlikely event this happens, I will contact you as soon as possible to arrange another available time or provide a full refund.
Changes to Your Guest Count
Plans change! Your number of Adoption Reservations may be increased or reduced up to 72 hours before your scheduled party, subject to availability.
Birthday parties must maintain the five-Adoption minimum. Reservations cannot be reduced below five paid adoptions.
If your guest count is reduced at least 72 hours before your reservation, eligible prepaid Adoption Reservations and their associated add-ons will be refunded.
Guest-count reductions made less than 72 hours before the party are not eligible for a refund.
Additional guests may be added up until the time of your party, provided there is enough space and inventory available to accommodate them.
Adding or Changing Party Extras
Additional dress-up accessories, Goodie Bags, and other available add-ons may be added up until the time of your party, subject to availability.
Prepaid add-ons may be reduced or removed up to 72 hours before the scheduled reservation, provided doing so does not reduce the booking below any applicable package minimum.
Reductions made less than 72 hours before the reservation are not eligible for a refund.
Guests are also welcome to purchase additional outfits, accessories, and other Bellinghamsters goodies during their visit.
Rescheduling
Need to choose a different day? Please contact me as soon as possible.
Reservations may be rescheduled at no additional charge with at least 7 days’ notice, subject to available dates and times.
Reservations rescheduled between 72 hours and 7 days before the scheduled party are subject to a $50 rescheduling fee.
Reservations cannot ordinarily be rescheduled with less than 72 hours’ notice. Exceptions may be made for illness or emergencies as described below.
A rescheduled reservation remains subject to the cancellation terms associated with the original booking date and may not be repeatedly rescheduled to avoid a cancellation fee.
Cancellations & Refunds
Because your reservation sets aside the entire Adoption Center exclusively for your group, cancellation eligibility is based on how much notice I receive.
- 14 or more days before your party: Full refund.
- 7 to 13 days before your party: 50% refund.
- Less than 7 days before your party: Non-refundable.
- No-shows: Non-refundable.
Refunds apply to eligible prepaid portions of the reservation and will be returned to the original payment method whenever possible.
Illness & Our “Keep the Hams Healthy” Rule
Please do not bring sick children or adults to the Adoption Center. We love sharing the Hams, but not germs!
If the birthday child becomes ill, please contact me. I will work with you to reschedule the Birthday Adoption Experience so they don’t have to miss their special day.
If an individual guest is unable to attend because they are sick, I encourage you to keep them home and bring their adoption back to them instead! Their Bellinghamster, accessory, Ham House, and Adoption Papers can still be selected during the party so their new friend can make the journey home to them.
Illness-related accommodations are intended to keep sick guests out of the Adoption Center and may be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Arrival Time
Please plan to arrive no more than 5–10 minutes before your scheduled reservation.
The Adoption Center may be open to regular visitors or preparing for your group immediately before your private reservation, so I may not be able to welcome the party earlier than this.
Your private experience begins at the scheduled reservation time.
Late Arrivals
If your group arrives late, your Private Birthday Adoption Experience will still end at its originally scheduled time.
I’ll do everything I reasonably can to help everyone enjoy their adoption experience during the remaining time, but late arrivals cannot automatically extend the private reservation.
This helps me honor the Adoption Center’s public shopping hours and any other scheduled reservations.
Additional Private Time
Private Birthday Adoption Experiences include one hour of exclusive use of the Adoption Center.
If your group would like to continue beyond the scheduled hour, additional private time may be available for $100 per additional hour, subject to the Adoption Center’s schedule and approval from the Head Ham.
Additional private time is offered in full one-hour increments only. Partial-hour extensions are not available.
Please note that additional time cannot be guaranteed on the day of your party.
Adult Supervision
The Head Ham is there to host the Adoption Experience, introduce guests to the Hams, help with outfits, answer questions, and guide everyone through their adoptions.
For children’s parties, however, the Bellinghamsters Adoption Center does not provide childcare. At least one responsible adult must remain with the group for the entire reservation, and accompanying adults remain responsible for supervising children in their care.
Food, Cake, Presents & Decorations
The Bellinghamsters Adoption Center is a cozy little space designed around the adoption experience rather than a traditional party-room rental.
To keep the space comfortable and leave plenty of room for choosing and dressing new friends, outside food, birthday cake, party meals, and large party decorations are not part of the Private Birthday Adoption Experience.
I recommend enjoying cake, presents, meals, and other traditional birthday activities before or after your Adoption Center visit.
Please contact me in advance if you have a question about bringing a small birthday item or accommodation into the space.
Caring for the Adoption Center
Birthday guests are encouraged to explore, play, try on outfits, and have fun with the Hams!
Children should still be supervised while visiting, and guests are expected to treat the Bellinghamsters, merchandise, displays, fixtures, and Adoption Center with reasonable care.
The Bellinghamsters reserves the right to end an experience early in the event of unsafe, destructive, or seriously disruptive behavior. Refunds will not be provided when an event must be ended for these reasons.
Birthday Adoption Ticket Invitations
Personalized printable Birthday Adoption Ticket invitations are included with every Private Birthday Adoption Experience at no additional charge.
The invitations will be personalized using the birthday details provided with your reservation and delivered digitally as a print-ready PDF.
Please double-check the birthday child’s name and age when booking. If you notice an error after submitting your reservation, contact me as soon as possible.
Emergency Closures & Cancellations by The Bellinghamsters
Very occasionally, severe weather, building emergencies, illness, power outages, or other circumstances outside of my control may make it unsafe or impossible to host your reservation.
If The Bellinghamsters must cancel your Private Birthday Adoption Experience, you may choose to:
- Reschedule to another available date and time at no additional charge, or
- Receive a full refund for your reservation.
You will never be charged a rescheduling or cancellation fee when The Bellinghamsters is responsible for cancelling your experience.
Questions or Special Circumstances
Every birthday is a little different! If something unexpected comes up or you’re unsure how one of these policies applies to your reservation, please reach out.
The goal of these policies isn’t to make birthdays complicated. They’re here so I can set aside the Adoption Center especially for your group, prepare for everyone’s arrival, and give each birthday crew the best experience possible.
Thank you for helping me keep birthday celebrations happy, healthy, and Ham-tastic!
Katrina M.
Head Ham & Creator
The Bellinghamsters