Under the Sea Party Ideas for a Mermaid Birthday

An under the sea party gives you the best of both worlds: soft mermaid pastels for the dreamers and a whole cast of ocean animals for the wildlife lovers. It works indoors or out, and a few well-placed pieces of signage will do more for the look than a hundred streamers. Here is how to take your backyard twenty thousand leagues under.

Build your own ocean floor

The fastest way to transform the space is a school of ocean animals at kid height. Our Under the Sea Cut Out Party Prop Set includes an 80cm whale, dolphin, a seahorse, seaweed, an octopus and a turtle, so one box gives you an entire reef. Stake them through the garden at varying depths so the yard reads like an ocean scene from the back fence forward.

Add the mermaid magic

For a mermaid twist, scatter Mermaid Tails through the lawn so it looks like mermaids have just dived under the grass. They come in three sizes, and a mix of sizes sells the illusion best. A pair of Seashell Cut Outs flanking the cake table finishes the scene, and the customised version can carry the birthday child's name.

Signage placement ideas

• Group the biggest pieces (whale and dolphin) as the backdrop behind the cake table.
• Dot mermaid tails in threes; odd numbers always look more natural.
• Put the turtle and octopus at toddler height near the play area for photos.
• Use the seaweed pieces as "filler" between animals to tie the scene together.

Styling the deep

Layer shades of one colour instead of using every colour: aqua, teal and seafoam with pearl and blush accents. Blue cellophane over a white tablecloth gives a water shimmer for almost nothing. Streamers twisted and hung from a pergola or doorway instantly become kelp. Shell bowls, netting and a few real or craft starfish finish the table.

Fun beneath the waves

• Treasure hunt: hide "pearls" (white choc balls in shells) around the reef you have built.
• Pass the pufferfish: ordinary pass the parcel, oceanified.
• Mermaid hair station: coloured hair chalk and shell clips, with a mirror framed in netting.
• Jellyfish craft: paper bowls and ribbon tentacles, then hang them overhead as extra decor.

Favours from the deep

Send guests home with a little of the ocean. Small calico bags filled with shell chocolates, a jellyfish craft they made on the day, and a mermaid tail biscuit tick the favour box without another trip to the shops. If you set up the mermaid hair station, the shell clips double as the take-home gift. For a keepsake the birthday child will actually keep, the customised seashell sign with their name moves straight from the cake table to their bedroom wall after the party.

Under the sea checklist

• Ocean animal cut outs staked through the garden
• Mermaid tails "diving" into the lawn
• Seashell signs beside the cake
• Cellophane water-effect table
• Pearl treasure hunt ready to go
• Streamer kelp in the doorway

Like everything we make, these signs are printed and cut to order in Australia, so allow around 10 days for production. Dive into the full Under the Sea collection to plan your own ocean, and orders over $250 ship free.