Bringing The Beach Indoors

For debutantes who simply love the beach and can’t seem to get enough of it, a beach themed party would be an excellent choice for your themed debut party. A beach-themed 18th birthday party spells both fun and ingenuity. Just imagine bringing the beach indoors! So, how do you pull this off without getting wet? Here are some suggestions to make your beach party a success.

INVITES-Your invites should spell out what is in store for your guests. Create a one-of-a-kind invitation by sprinkling white sand on your invites. You can also look for cartoon pictures of seashells, seashore, jellyfishes, starfishes and attach them to your invites.
If you are going for a simple invitation, a simple white paper made into a scroll would also be nice. Get a string and attach seashells or beads on its ends. This will not only serve as your ribbon for your scroll invite but it will also suggest to your guests what your theme is.
Another way of letting your guests know the theme of your party is by using catchy phrases like these: “Let us have a nutty time on my debut party (this pertains to the coconut tree, of course).
“I’m feeling a little beachy, so let’s party!”

DRESS- Pick a sundress that can standout among a crowd of sundresses. Remember that you are the star of this party so wear something that screams it. One way of achieving this is by making them wear all white. That way, all your guests are wearing white but you have the liberty of wearing anything you like.

DRESS CODE – Make it a requirement for your guests to dress appropriately. It would help create the ambiance of the beach if your guests adhered to the dress code.
It will also help pull your beach-themed debut party together and gets everyone in the spirit. Be sure to give them dress ideas in their invitations. You can ask your guests to wear all white in which you can fuse the elements of a white party in your beach-themed party.
Or, you can ask them to don on their favorite beach wear. For the girls, sundresses, cute beach t-shirts, boardshorts, and bikini tops with matching beaded accessories.
For the boys, they can wear boardshorts, cute beach t-shirts, and flip-flops.

STAGE- Bringing the beach indoors is going to be really awesome. Your stage should have a coconut tree, tiki torches, teelights on a colored paper bag, beach flags (of your color choice, but white is a safe choice), fan to create a windy breeze and to make the flags sway, a huge white cloth to serve as your screen for your projector.
Edit beforehand a scene of the beach in your favorite movie perhaps and play this nonstop, or look for pictures of the beach, waves, etc and make it into an AVP. This will create a very believable backdrop for your stage.

TABLE CENTERPIECES-For not so formal venues, beach towels turned tablecloths would add to that beach feel. For formal venues, do this instead:
Fill a bowl with sand and some stones nearly halfway, fill it with water just enough for the floating candles to float, and lastly place the floating candles. This will serve as your table centerpieces instead of the usual floral arrangements.

FOOD AND DRINKS – A variation of the usual iced tea or softdrinks would be to have pineapple juice, guava shake, tropical fruit drinks and buko juice. This will beach theme even more tropical. And while you’re at it, add something grilled on the menu to create that barbecue feel to your beach party.

GIVE AWAYS
For a beach themed debut party, these are some party favor suggestions we came up with. You can give away White sandals (flip flops), sarong, tie-dyed shirts, bottled sand art, CD with 10 beach-related songs, beaded necklaces or bracelets.

MUSIC- Music is a key important factor in creating a beach feel. Pick songs that are beach inspired. These are some suggestions: Dick Dale, any reggae, Sublime, Beach Boys, and the Hudu Gurus.

Just remember that all it takes is a little imagination and lots of hard work and creativity.

Photo credit:  © Tomas Rodriguez/Corbis

46 thoughts on “Bringing The Beach Indoors

  1. Hi Angelie,

    Solstice means “a turning point” in the dictionary so in that sense it is appropriate. How about A Hot Birthday Party. Summer Stretch till August for Angelie’s Birthday Bash. Hope this helps.

  2. hi, it’s my birthday this August and I have chosen this theme. Can you help me in having some twist to make it unique? What do you think is a nice name for it? Thank you! 😀

  3. hi there! im having a hard time planning for my debut. Its not so enggrande as the others, because my parents cant afford it. I’ll be having my party this september at los panos laguna, a private pool party and I want this theme to be applied but i dont know what to tell them what to where and i dont know what to do.. please help me to make this party happen 🙁 thank you!

  4. Hi Julie,

    Usually it would be easier if you made a hint on what your party will be all about in your invites. You can put in there what they would need to wear as well. Are you going to have a color motif along with your beach theme? White would be a safe color. Have your female guests wear white dresses and your male guests white polo. Hang white beach flag around your venue so that your guests will know where to go. Hope this helps.

  5. hi, its my birthday this coming october. i cant decide on which theme i’ll have. my choices are gaga party (lady gaga inspired), rock, and alice in wonderland. 😀 hope you can help me. thanks!

  6. Hi Yana,

    I have the feeling that you want more of the edgy type of party! Uniqueness — that’s the common theme among the inspirations you have chosen. If you are a kid at heart and you’re fond of adventures, go for Alice in Wonderland. If you want to play your favorite music all night long during your debut, have a rock ‘n’ roll / glam rock debut celebration. If you simply want to make an impact and get as avant garde as lady Gaga can get, then have a Gaga-party! Just make sure that your guests can go with it and carry a Gaga-inspired outfit. 🙂 All of these party themes are unique in their own way but they guarantee you to have a fun-filled night!

    Hope this helps 🙂

  7. hello ^_____^. im still confused what theme should i do with my incoming debut this December 8 2010 i personally like pool parties. and beach theme. but my family and friends told me that its December. its not match with pool or beach parties.. uhmmn i don’t know what should i do. or can you recommend me other themes? or i can go to beach party even its December.. waiting for your reply.. thank you very much! 🙂

  8. Hi Eicee,

    Beach and pool parties only in the summer months is already an old notion. Celebrities often go to the beach in December because of the cool weather. Having a beach party in December would be totally cool. I think that if that is what you want, then go ahead and do it! Just remember though that there are some days in December when it rains, so you should have a back up plan. If you are going to hold it in a resort pavilion, it is okay. If you’re planning to have a party outdoors, make sure to have cute white tents set up. This will even add to your beach ambiance and together with white beach flags and tiki torches to light the way, I’m sure you’re party will be a success. Happy birthday!

  9. hi there! mu debut is on april 4, 2011 and im pretty excited in planning it. I’ll be having a luau party.hmmm the outfits of friends will be long flowy colorful dresses, but im having a hard time in what im supposed to wear coz i might be unnoticed. my aunts suggested that ill be wearing a traditional hawaiian costume of grass skirt, would it be appropriate? and can you please help me in creating my souvenirs and invitations?… thanks a lot!

  10. hi there! im quite excited for my debut this coming 9th day of april 2011, im kinda confused if what will i wear that im going to stand out among my guests if i would require them to wear long floral flowy dresses? if i would wear a classic hawaiian girl wearing a grass skirt would it suite me?… my theme would be a luau party and can you please suggest how will i create my souvenirs and invitations?.. thanks a lot!

  11. hi.my birthday is on march…wat kind of theme would u like 2 suggest in my party…im a kikay girl, i love pink..and i want a princess theme…wat do u think???because we dont have enough money and i want to have a unique but not to expensive party..tnx!!! your help can do a lot..

  12. Hi Princess,

    Maybe you can go for a Princess Barbie theme. For the giveaways, you only have to look for little stuff like trinkets or miniature shoes, outfits and accessories. You also have an excuse to wear a cute pink outfit and a blonde wig (if you want) and a tiara! You don’t have to spend too much on party decorations. For your decors, just have a tarpaulin made with your picture on it, balloons to surround your venue, and flowers as your table centerpieces. You can replace your 18 Roses with 18 Princes where important men in your life will dance with you dressed like a prince.

    Hope this helps!

  13. hello! can you help me replace my “18’s”? im doing a tropical party. and i want it to be unique . and its really near.. and it would be tropical so what can you think the best set up’s and design in the place? hope you can answer me. thanks

  14. Hi Yuri,

    Here are some 18s suggestions. You can replace your 18 candles with 18 Bonfires, 18 Torches, 18 Tiki Torches or 18 Seashells, where you can decorate the candles with small shells or put them on huge seashells for a beach effect. For your 18 Torches, you can simply just decorate the candles so that they look like torches. You can also have 18 Campfires, which your friends will light as they join together and bond. For your 18 Bonfires, your friends will get a lighted log from the bonfire as they make their speech. For your 18 roses, you can substitute them with 18 Leis, 18 Garlands or 18 Corals. For 18 treasures, try 18 Treasure Chests, 18 Jewels or 18 Gems. You can also have 18 Seashells where inside the seashells are wishes written on paper for the 18 treasures to read. For 18 gifts, try 18 Cocktails where your 18s will make a speech, give a toast and then give you the gift. Hope this helps.

  15. hi, i will going to have my debut this may and i chose this theme for my debut. can you help me to choose a song for my entrance? and a songs that will be play on my 18 garlands. is it ok if i add games on my program? hope you can help me. thanks!

  16. Hi Kat,

    There are so many songs that you can choose for your debut. Your entrance song actually depends on what you want. You can go for something traditional or choose a song that is a little more “now”. You can choose an upbeat song which I think wil go very well with your chosen theme. We have a list of suggested debut songs that you can look it to help you along the way.

    Of course, you can have games on your program! Games can break the monotony of a traditional debut program. Choose games that most of your guests can participate in. It can be something that will allow them to know you much better or games that are just for pure fun! Here’s a list of debut games that you can add on your program. Hope this helps!

  17. hello maam,

    i just want to ask what ideas can you give for my 18 birthday..i want
    to celebrate on beach. what songs, games, dress, design, giveaways and invitation can you give me.thanks..:D

  18. Hello there, I’m Mae. I’ll be celebrating my birthday on June 1.Obviously I’m rushing things 😀 I’m planning of having a pool side kind of party. I want my party to be memorable but I also want it to be simple but extraordinary. We’ve already had reservations on a pool side venue. Can you please help me with how I’m suppose to have things planned because I’m really getting nowhere. What can I have in my program? What things do I still have to look for or complete? So far I have the venue, food and drinks and dress code which I’d want my guests to be in a sundress or anything you can wear in a pool or beach but looks appropriate for a celebration. Help! 😀

  19. Hi Mae (maee.sugpatan@yahoo.com),

    Looks like you are on the right track considering that you have already chosen one from among a gazillion debut themes one can ever dream up. Here are some links that we believe will be helpful to you! 😀

    The basic manual for debut partieshttp://debutideas.com/?p=24
    Debut Programhttp://debutideas.com/?p=48
    Debut Technical Scripthttp://debutideas.com/?p=979
    A traditional debut plannerhttp://debutideas.com/?p=23

    We hope these links can help you! 😀

    Jam

  20. Hi Carmeli,

    I suggest you do the opposite. You should be the one wearing a pretty floral flowy dress to make you stand out and your guests will be wearing Hawaiian outfits. These outfits don’t have to be outrageous! For the men, a nice khaki and floral polo shirt is fine if they wear Hawaiian floral bracelets and walk barefoot. Just make sure the venue has a nice clean floor.

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