How to Throw a Magical Mermaid Party — Plus an Island Cocktail Guests Will Love
Make a splash with your crowd with this trendy mermaid-themed bash!
Whether it’s for a birthday, a special occasion or even a just-because get-together, you’re sure to wow by throwing a mermaid party! Right now, mermaid parties are super trendy —racking up more than 300,000 posts on Instagram alone — and they’re surprisingly easy to toss together. The necessities for a memorable mermaid party? Shimmering party-store decorations in pretty pastel hues, a selection of dreamy sweet treats and a cool-blue themed cocktail. Here, we spoke to a top party planner and got all the easy tips for turning your yard into a whimsical under-the-sea escape!
“I was super excited to throw a mermaid bash in my backyard,” says party pro Jae Forsythe, founder of Five Whimsy Lane. “It turned out truly magical!” To get the look of Forsythe’s party (above), simply start by taping a balloon arch (made by tying pastel-colored balloons to a string) to a blank wall. Then cut an octopus shape from iridescent poster board and suspend it from the ceiling. Next, push a dresser or tabletop up against the wall, beneath the balloon arch. Hang a garland (made by gluing craft-store starfish and pearls to twine) on the front of the table and top with on-theme treats and pink, purple and blue-hued bouquets.
Greet guests with a refreshing island-blue cocktail
To keep everyone at your mermaid party nice and cool, serve up a refreshing batch of lemonade tinted and flavored with blue raspberry syrup. If you want to give the drink a grown-up twist, simply transform it into a signature cocktail! To do: Fill a glass with ice, then pour in 1½ oz. of vodka, ½ cup of lemonade and 1 Tbs. of blue raspberry syrup like, Torani Blue Raspberry Syrup (Buy at Amazon, $11). Next, fill glass to the top with lemon-lime soda for a dash of fizz, then garnish with a pretty flower, like an edible hibiscus. (Click through to learn some of the surprising health benefits from eating edible flowers!)
Delight with sweet ‘starfish’ bites
Part decor, part dessert, these cookies are sure to sweeten the day! To make: Tint sugar cookie dough with food coloring; chill. Roll out to ¼” thickness and cut with a starfish-shaped cookie cutter. Bake and let cool. Spread frosting on the bottom of each and pair to make sandwiches. Pipe on gold frosting dots; serve on platter of crushed graham cracker “sand.”
Wow your crowd with a perky posy bunch
Ruffled hydrangeas resemble sea coral, adding reef-inspired style to your party. Simply place colorful bunches of hydrangeas in water-filled jars and display on a tabletop. Alternatively, you can “dye” white hydrangeas. To do: Snip stems on an angle and add to vase filled with water, ½ tsp. of bleach and a few drops of food coloring; let sit overnight. The food coloring will actually absorb into the stems, turning white petals into the color of the food dye overnight! Pop dyed blooms into water-filled jars; display.
Make everyone feel special with under-the-sea settings
Turn your outdoor table into a beachy scene that’s perfect for making mermaid memories! To re-create Forsythe’s lovely tableau, layer a tabletop with a craft-store fishing net, then top with a sheer light blue runner snipped from a swatch of discount fabric. For more mermaid flourishes, sprinkle plastic pearl necklaces, seashells and mini glass bottles on the table. Place an ocean-themed or mermaid-themed paper plate, a shell-shaped coaster and one of your prettiest drinking glasses at each setting to finish!
Spread magic with special take-home treasures
Showcase a gorgeous focal point with a take-home favor station where guests can choose their own tokens. Start by grouping several blue glasses and bowls in a sunny corner — when the light bounces off the glass, it’ll shine like beach glass. Then, fill the bowls with tiny bottles of sand, plastic gems and rings, diamond-shaped bubble bottles (Buy at Amazon, $22) and more. Set party-store paper tote bags next to bowls and have guests collect their own “treasure” before they leave!
Dive into ‘fin-tastic’ cupcakes
At her mermaid bash, party planner Jae Forsythe displayed mermaid tail-topped cupcakes on her dessert table. To make your own in minutes, melt colorful chocolate candy wafers according to package directions. Then, pour melted candy into a mermaid tail mold (Buy at Amazon, $8) and let harden. To finish, pop out tails, then place on top of iced cupcakes. Optional: Add gummy fish or chocolate seashells.
Set up a memorable ‘shellfie’ station
For a fun activity, Forsythe created a “shellfie” photo booth so guests could remember the fun they had at her party. “Every party these days has to have a designated photo area,” she shares. “For the backdrop, I hung some tulle with a few iridescent streamer curtains and laid out a few bags of play sand to give us our own little piece of the beach right on our back patio.” Make your own mermaid-inspired backdrop by hanging shiny plastic party-store tablecloths on a wall. Then, glue craft-store faux starfish and coral shapes to it so guests can start snapping photos!
For more party inspiration, check out these stories:
Luau Party Planning Tips from a Pro — Plus a Fun Tiki Cocktail Your Guests Will Love!
Ice Cream Party Tips From a Pro — And a Delicious Use for Leftover Ice Cream
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
