Nautical Party Ideas


Nautical Paper Goods	White Plastic Sailor Hat	White Sailor Hat	Captains Hat	Ocean Blue Scene Setter

20" Plastic Buoy	20" Plastic Helm	20" Plastic Anchor	White Plastic Seashells	Large Plastic Lobster

Lobster Balloon	Assorted Plastic Fish	Seashell Balloon Weight	Life Preserver Weight	Natural Fish Netting

Fish Serving Dish	Citronella Candle 4"	Citronella Candle 2"	5' Whales & Dolphins	Beach Scene Setter

Under The Sea Plates	Under The Sea Tablecover	Under The Sea Lanterns	Ocean View Scene Setter	Tiki Torch Add Ons

Cinnamon Bay Wall Mural	Cruise Ship Deck Scene	White LED Tea Light	LED Tea Light Votive Set	Neon Bucket Hats

Pearlized Bead Bracelets	Blue Balloons	Red Balloons	White 12" Balloons	Treasure Chest Pinata

Nautical Party Ideas

The key to pulling off a coordinated event: Evoke your theme throughout the affair. Whether that theme is as general as a season or a feeling, or as specific as a special flower, it should be the subtle thread that ties everything together. Your location, invitations, flowers, menu, cake, and favors should all cleverly reflect one common concept. Then, get as creative as you can!

After selecting a Nautical theme for your party, choose a slogan to use in your invitations, and to use in tying in decorations and personalized favors for your sea-faring Nautical theme. Find the perfect slogan for your party by trying one of the following, or by thinking of one that suits you.

"Anchors Away...for a boat rockin' party!
"Ahoy Maties...It's time to party!"
"Ship's Ahoy Sailmates...We'll be cruising on the S.S. Party!"
"Join us for some Nautical Nonsense to celebrate Jon's 40th birthday!"

Colors: Navy, Red & White

Nautical Invitations for all occasions

Choose an invitation that will let your guests know what a seaworthy time they will have at your party or event or wedding.

Send a message in a bottle from the sea! Imprinted your personalized slogan and details of the party…you name it, on a scroll. Roll the invitation up, and tie it with a small piece of green (seaweed) curling ribbon or raffia. Add the invite to an empty water bottle (label removed). Add about 4 tablespoons of sand to each bottle, and a few small seashells. One Puca Shell Necklace can be cut apart to make 10 - 12 bottles.

Our Carlson Craft site offers the following Nautical & Beach themed invitations

Parties Invitation! You choose the ink color and the design. This bright white card gives you the flexibility to choose any design for your party theme! A Nautical design #246 is available with a ship, anchor & captain's wheel around the border. There is also a border with ships for a retirement party and beach & tropical borders.

Waves of Fun - Start your party off with a summer fun invitation. Featuring flip-flops and ocean waves, this translucent invitation will be a hit.

Island Adventure - This fun invitation ensemble is all about the beach! Great for summer fun, this sandal-shaped invitation is accented with tropical flora and stripes.

Show and Tell - A bright white pop-up Adirondack chair displays your invitation wording. Less routine and more celebration will be the consensus when this invitation arrives!

Nautical & Beach Accessories perfect for Weddings, Anniversaries and other Upscale Events.

Bring a bit of the beach to your table settings when you use these Seashell Place Cards.

An alternative to the unity candle! Decanter Set - Simply fill the two, 7 3/4" tall decanters with craft sand (sold separately) in single colors that represent the bride and groom. During the ceremony, the bride and groom pour sand from their decanters into the larger, 10 3/4" tall decanter. The decanters will be engraved with one initial each to display your married monogram. Craft Sand - Containers of craft sand are available in the six bright colors. 22 ounces per container.

Nautical Decorating Ideas

Create the perfect atmosphere for your Sea Swept Event.

Table Decorations:

At some point during the planning stages of your event the subject of linens will arise. When it does stop and think of all the possibilities available to you before you go with standard issue polyester tablecloths. Remember the tops of the tables provide you with a very large surface area and covering them with a beautiful tablecloth is the easiest way to change the feel of a room.. It is also the most cost effective way to decorate. Ten tables covered with a nautical theme linen print for example will make a statement that no solid colored tablecloth can make.

Guide guests to their tables by using a gold Ship's Lantern as a centerpiece or add a nautical flair with a Sailboat Centerpiece.

Bring a bit of the beach to your table settings when you use these Seashell Place Cards.

Add these little Mini Sea Creatures to your tables and centerpieces to carry through your seaside theme. Then hand them out to your guests as fun favors! Attach them to your napkins to create fun napkin rings.

Room Decorations:

If your budget is low, but your dreams are grand, consider the depth of a giant photo mural. They fill an entire wall, and better yet, they provide guests with the most realistic setting imaginable. We would suggest this Cinnamon Bay Wall Mural, or Dolphin's Paradise Mural

This friendly cardboard and corrugated octopus standee would love to put his arms around a child and pose for a photo!

Drape blue, white or yellow fish net over your cake table or on walls and chairs.

Sail away to the perfect party with this Nautical Kit. It contains: 1 Sailing Vessel, 1 Cruise Ship Mural, 1 Dock, 1 Lighthouse without rocks, 1 Felt Palm Tree, 1 Nautical Netting, 1 Anchor, 1 Package of Seagulls and 2 Plastic Life Preservers. Purchase the full kit with all the trimmings or purchase the individual pieces to create your own scene.

Set Sail on a Romantic Adventure with this Fantastic Voyage Kit The Fantastic Voyage Kit Contains: 1 Titanic Lighted Silhouette, 1 Port of Southampton Entrance & Ramp, 4 Fence/Light Sections (8’ fence & 1 lamp per section) with Life Preservers, and 6 Bon Voyage Signs.

Finish off your Southampton Port setting with this 6’ wide Fence Section with Light and Life Preserver, complete with an 8’ tall antique lamppost and one life preserver. Offering a genuine seaport feel, this heavy black corrugated fence can be used to create the border between your land and sea.

Steer your way to a birthday party for sailors and land lovers galore with this 39" wide x 46" tall printed cardboard 3-D captain's wheel.

This one-sided 25" wide plastic Maritime Anchor is the perfect accent for your nautical party! Choose blue, silver, yellow or red. Or you may prefer this 24" paper mâché White Anchor.

Create the perfect seaside backdrop with Blue Horizon Patterned Paper.

Attach several of these 16" one-sided Porthole Cut-Outs to a wall to give the impression of a seafaring ship!

Place this 9' 9" high Life Preserver Arch at your party entrance for a great photo opportunity and welcome area.

Pose for photos on the high seas with this 4' x 3 1/2' freestanding, 3-D captain's wheel.

Don't forget the Sea Gulls, attach them to walls or hang from the ceiling for a seaside effect.

Clear Votive Holder with blue nautical anchors add mood lighting to your tables. White candle included. Can also serve as lovely favors for your guests.

Add a nautical touch to tables and favor bags with these Assorted Sea Shells.

Captain Peter’s Decorating Kit is a great way to decorate a hallway or wall.

Nautical Signal Garland

Place this Ship’s Rail alongside blue Water Gossamer, balloons or cracked ice for an ocean illusion!

Catch a wave – with a dolphin! Constructed of heavy corrugated and covered with iridescent flakes, these 46" x 46" x 12" dolphin decorations will make a big splash at your seaside parties.

This Cruise Ship Mural is 5' x 11' and is the perfect addition to any Nautical theme.

Games & Activities:

Of course you will want to play some appropriate cruisin' kind of music - the kind that hopefully will inspire some dancin' on the upper deck! We suggest playing Caribbean type music, or maybe a little Jimmy Buffet for starters! Don't forget about the theme song to the infamous Love Boat for a cute and unusual twist!

Here are a couple of games that work great with this theme and help your guests mingle together throughout the entire evening!

Get a list of the different nautical symbols. Spell words with the symbols, and have people figure out what the words are. Give out prizes to the person who gets the most right.
You could also play "To Speak, or Not to Speak". Give each player a bag or goodie box with 10 small treasures in it (candy, chocolates, little favors). Have bags labeled with players' names, so they don't get mixed up. Let players know at the start of the game exactly when the game will be ending-this game can be played throughout an entire party if you so choose. The object of the game is to catch fellow players saying one of the forbidden words or phrases:

NAUTICAL, BOAT, OCEAN, WAVES, BEACH, YACHT

To help players, post the words prominently on a board where they can be seen often. If someone is caught saying one of the words on the list, that person has to give up a treasure from their stash. The player with the biggest haul of goodies at the end of the game is the winner. Lots of fun!

These ideas are great for the little mates you may have on board.

Take a Trip

If time permits, take your guests on a trip to your local maritime museum! Many museums offer tours and programs especially for children. If you are in Houston, Tx. visit the Texas Seaport Museum, or Houston Maritime Museum.

"Captain Says" - A game of "Simon says" with a nautical twist.

Octopus Tag

The birthday child begins as the Octopus in the middle of a large playing area. All other players are Fish who must try to run past the Octopus to the other side of the playing area. If a Fish is tagged, he or she holds hands with the Octopus and become a tentacle to help tag more fish. The last Fish alive, wins!

Fish, Fish, Shark

This game is based on the traditional “Duck, Duck, Goose” game, but instead of a goose chasing a duck, a shark chases a fish. Start with all your little fishes seated in a circle. Designate a leader to walk around the circle, tapping guests on the head and calling each person a fish. After several guests have been tapped, the leader chooses one guest and yells out “Shark” when tapping him or her on the head. The Shark chases the leader and tries to tag her as she races around the circle and back to the Shark’s spot. If the leader is caught, then she remains the leader another round. If the leader escapes the Shark, the Shark becomes the new leader. Repeat the game until every guest has a chance to be the leader.

Fish for a Name Tag

Make a fish-shaped name tag for each guest using thick, colorful paper. Decorate with markers and attach a paper clip to the mouth of each fish. Place all the fish in an empty kiddie pool or decorated box. As each guest arrives, hand him or her a fishing pole (sturdy stick with a yarn “line” and a magnet “hook”). When a fish is “caught,” write the child’s name on it or give them the name of their favorite sea creature.

FOOD IDEAS

The most logical fare for a Nautical/Cruise Night gala would be seafood of any type. Here are a couple of suggestions - some could be used as appetizers, while others are more of a main entrée option.

Angel hair pasta with shrimp and basil
Seafood stir-fry
Shrimp cocktail
Flounder with crabmeat stuffing
Another adult friendly dish would be a large Popeye's spinach pie! Your guests will be breaking out in the "Popeye the Sailorman" theme song in no time - guaranteed!

If you will be serving children at your event, they have a bit of a different taste when it comes to festive foods, so here are a couple choices for the younger shipmates

Make blue J-ello^tm according to the directions on the box. Fill each glass with blue J-ello^tm and refrigerate to let it partially set. Add a few Swedish Fish to each glass. Test the first one, as they shouldn’t sink to the bottom, but should “swim” in the water. Continue to refrigerate until firm. The kids will love this one!
Serve Trader's Punch (recipe below) out of a large punch bowl - don't forget to add the floating toy sailboat on top!
Try our “Deep Blue Sea Juice”, and you’ll fill the room with “ooohs and aaahs”. Start by serving blue punch. After you have placed a filled glass in front of each guest, add some seaweed dust (a few Pop Rocks^tm candies) to each one. Since this candy is processed with carbon dioxide, it will crackle, pop, and spit when it comes into contact with a liquid.
Make beach boats by placing a slice of apple on each plate. Cut a cheese slice in half at an angle and place that like a sail on the plate. Add some peanut butter to the apple slice and add a few raisins as the people on the boat .
Serve Goldfish^tm, submarine sandwiches or sandwiches cut with fish cookie cutters, Dole^tm Pineapple Fish (they are pre-cut in the can), fish fruit snacks, and sunken treasure nuggets (cheese balls.)
Cut fish out of the rice crispy treats with a cookie cutter. Place them on a large cake board covered with Dark Blue Water Gossamer, and frost each one differently with bright colors of frosting. There is no right or wrong way to decorate the fish…and you can even involve your child in the fun! If you prefer a more traditional cake, simply cut a 9 X 13” cake into a fish shape, and decorate it with bright colors

Seashells & Cheese

2 cups uncooked seashell macaroni (7 ounces)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded or cubed Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Cook macaroni as directed on package.

While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.

Drain macaroni. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Makes 6 servings

Trader's Punch

2 cups orange juice
2 cups lemon juice
1 cup grenadine syrup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 1-pint (12-ounce) bottles ginger ale, chilled
Fresh berries or sliced fruit

Mix fruit juices, grenadine and corn syrup;
chill. Just before serving, add ginger ale
and fruit. Makes 4 quarts.

CAKE LINKS

If cake is the dessert of choice, a simple and sweet cake is as easy as this! Frost a double layer round cake with light beige frosting. Sprinkle big grain brown sugar over it - a striking resemblance to sand! You can then add some doll beach chairs and umbrellas, or just a few plastic seagulls to keep it simple. Use your imagination and round up those old toys to keep with the theme.

Sailboat Cake at Betty Crocker

Catch of the Day Cake

Related Theme Ideas

Beach Party Ideas	Caribbean Party
Cruise Ship Party Ideas	Luau, Tropical, and Hawaiian Party Ideas
Pirate Party Ideas	Summertime Fun
Surfer Party Ideas	Tiki Island Party Ideas
Under the Sea Party Ideas	Fresh Ideas for Summer Picnics

Theme Parties N More is a wedding & event planning company located in Cypress, TX. We are also a wedding & event florist. Our party & wedding planners have put this website together to provide our visitors with ideas for planning their events, this includes links to products that can help you to make your event extra special. In accordance with the FTC Guidelines we are disclosing that some of the vendors that we link you to, pay us a commission when you purchase products from them, but some of the vendors do not provide us with any compensation.