Tropical Birthday Party: Hawaiian-Inspired

One of the traditions in my family, since I was a child, is allowing the birthday girl or boy to choose their party theme and menu. So when my daughter had a milestone birthday this summer, right in the middle of COVID, she requested a tropical birthday party with a Hawaiian-inspired menu. Normally, it would have been a larger party, but we kept it very small. I still managed to pull out all of the stops so that she didn’t feel like she had to miss out of any of the fun celebrations. Here’s how I did it:

One thing I was able to do was order a lot of the decor online, which made it super easy and convenient to throw her a tropical birthday party.

Shop the party items here:

The table decor

pineapple decor — Real pineapples from my local grocery store provided an organic and fresh decor for the center of my table – repurposed into a pineapple cake the next day!

the place setting

Hawaiian place setting — *Natural rattan woven placemats with a petal edge lent to the Hawaiian vibe, while my trusty gold flatware tied in with my gold candlesticks.*

the florals

tropical flower arrangment — One item I splurged on was my floral arrangements. It was difficult for me to source the best tropical florals – and I knew this florist would be able to deliver a fantastic bouquet for the table. They lasted for almost 2 weeks after the party!

The Menu

*For those who wanted a healthy snack, I made this veggie board with Persian cucumbers, heirloom carrots snap peas and roasted red pepper hummus dip.*

naked cake — Stepping outside of my no-bake box, I summoned the confidence to make this naked 3-layer cake for my daughter. A few small anthurium leaves with gold writing and bright florals gave it even more personality.

Hawaiian menu — Hawaiian-inspired cuisine was the theme for the menu: slow cooker teriyaki shredded chicken, white rice,
coconut fried shrimp and grilled pineapple rings were what the birthday girl requested!

Thanks for stopping by! To see how I used the tropical theme for an adult table with a completely different look using a peacock and floral motifs, check out my post here.