Just like Sophie’s first two birthdays, we kept the celebration small and sweet. This time, we celebrated in our new home with my husband’s parents and it was the perfect intimate gathering to celebrate our growing gal!
We went super minimal with the decor — enough to make sure our girl felt special and that the theme was present, but since it was a micro family event we didn’t go all-out.
GENERAL DECOR
I didn’t go too crazy with the decor, but wanted to add a few festive touches throughout the house to make it feel more celebratory. Sophie has been super into seashells, mermaids and the ocean in general (we started swimming lessons this year!) so an Under the Sea themed party was the [loose] theme for this year’s decor! I sourced decor items from so many places because I was going for a very specific but minimal aesthetic so while I got a few things from Amazon I also found items from My Mind’s Eye, Meri Meri, and Party City!
I went with a very similar color scheme to last year’s “garden party” so I ended up repurposing the high chair ribbon garland as well as the Happy Birthday banner because why not?
Our girl is a BIG fan of balloons so getting some from Party City in a coordinating color scheme was just a no-brainer for us. Their online ordering makes it really easy too so you can just go in and pick them up without having to stand around and wait for them to be inflated.
(Full disclosure: I bought the oversized “3” balloon on Amazon because I preferred the color, but I paid Party City for the helium to inflate it for me).
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TABLE DECOR
I found these cute faux coral fish tank decor pieces on Amazon and thought they’d be perfect theme elements to add to the table that could be repurposed for play / sensory bins afterward!
I also liked these cute seashell plates — they’re the perfect color scheme and size for serving slices of cake. Bonus: they’re recyclable!
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FOOD / TREATS
CAKE
The main event! Sophie has discovered ice cream this year, so it felt appropriate to order her an ice cream cake to celebrate her birthday! She’s not very adventurous with flavors yet so we kept it simple with yellow cake and vanilla ice cream mixed with sprinkles, but since it’s from Coldstone, you know that even a simple combination is going to be delicious!
I added some pastel sprinkles to the outside of the cake to keep things festive and in the general color palette (plus, Sophie absolutely LOVES sprinkles!). A simple “upgrade” for the cake, but I think it made a huge difference.
I have repurposed these table numbers that I originally bought for our wedding (and ended up not needing) as cake decor every year.
ADDITIONAL FOOD / RECIPES
Since we are keeping our celebration small I didn’t go to the effort of creating a full menu, but that didn’t stop me from finding some cute ideas to share in case you were looking for some additional inspiration!
“Shells & Cheese” Macaroni // Croissant “Crab” Sandwiches // Chicken Nugget “Starfish”
Cheddar + Pretzel Goldfish // Mermaid Açaí Bowls // Sand Dollar Cookies
Frozen Yogurt “Beach Bark” // Mermaid Party Popcorn // Sandcastle Cake
Seashell cookies (bonus for cute clamshell macarons or using madeleines!)
ACTIVITIES
Obviously, a pool party in some capacity is the most logical option. Since we were having a little backyard soirée we just filled up our inflatable pool by Minnidip and tossed in some water toys, but most kids love any kind water play. That could include, but isn’t limited to: a splash pad, water balloons, squirt toys, a water table, etc.
ACTIVITIES & CRAFTS
Beach Sand Slime // Pull-String Piñata // Mermaid Tail Painting
PARTY FAVOR BAGS
Mermaid Play Dough Kits // Temporary Tattoos
Dive Toys // Pool Float // Stickers
Happy third birthday to our sweet Sophie girl!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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