White Birthday Party Ideas

If we’re getting technical, white isn’t really a color, but for the sake of throwing an elegant, beautifully decorated theme party, white is a go-to hue. Clean and bright, white represents a blank slate and complements any pop of color you may want to add. And the best part? White goes with every season, whether you want to host a summer soiree or a winter wonderland-themed party.

We gathered our favorite white party supplies and decorating tips so you can easily create a white birthday party that’s equal parts stylish and shabby chic.

Inexpensive and easy-to-make, a photo backdrop gives your guests a dedicated space to capture the fun memories. We made ours with silver and white tissue paper and added some color variance with ivory crepe paper, tulle, and lace. To frame the top and bottom of your backdrop, make tissue paper pompoms in different sizes and add trendy honeycombs for even more texture.

Need some winter birthday party ideas? Paper snowflakes and white string lights will make your guests feel like they’ve stepped into a winter wonderland.

When your guests arrive, they’ll likely be looking for somewhere to place their gifts and cards. Designate an easy-to-spot location for each, preferably within sight of the party’s entrance. A wire basket — or any basket you may have on hand — makes a perfectly suitable card basket and can easily be used for future parties. A custom hand-lettered placard tops it all off and is available as a free printable!

To add a little drama to the display, we made tissue paper tassel banners in white, silver and white with silver sparkle tissue paper .

Set up a gift area near the card basket where guests can put their wrapped presents. To make it easy for everyone, make sure your guest of honor’s seat is right there, too. You can decorate this area with additional tissue paper pompoms and honeycombs, or place your own wrapped gifts on or around the chair.

If you’re throwing a winter-themed birthday party, frame the area with faux snow for a nice wintery touch.

 (Tip: Spruce up your gift wrap with a handtied bow. Watch our tutorial to learn how!)  

Lemonade with freshly-cut lemons sets a pretty stage for this festive beverage station. The white crate gives the drink dispenser some height and provides the perfect amount of room for guests to fill their cups. Complete the look with fanned napkins and color-coordinated paper straws in a mason jar.

For a winter-themed birthday party, add hot cocoa as a beverage option. You could even make a hot chocolate bar, complete with fun fixings like peppermint sticks, marshmallows, and whipped cream.

Sweet treats always steal the show, but even more so when they match your party’s theme perfectly. Ours included vanilla sugar wafers, white and silver rock candy sticks, and yogurt-dipped pretzels. You can’t have a white-themed party without frosted donuts, especially because they’re an inexpensive grocery store find. We carefully stacked the mini donuts on a cake stand for a mouth-watering display.

But the real star of any birthday party is the birthday cake, which is why we really wanted to make it pop. Instead of stark white frosting, our cake features a lovely ombre that fades into a very subtle peach, topped with a handmade mini tissue paper tassel banner hung on bamboo skewers.

For every birthday cake lover, there’s always someone who prefers cupcakes. We got creative with ours by giving each cupcake its own tissue paper fringe topper. Consider displaying your cupcakes in a cupcake stand; it saves plenty of table space (and looks good doing it).

You can also make it look like you went above and beyond decorating each place setting. Simply use silver chargers to jazz up glossy white paper plates, and leave party favors on every plate. We put ours in craft paper pillow boxes wrapped in lace. For a finishing touch, use one of our free printable “Thank You” labels. (Tip: Print on sticker paper for easy assembly!) Finally, give your plastic ware some extra lovin’ by wrapping in a napkin secured with twine.

The table centerpieces are 32-ounce mason jars spray painted with matte chalk paint in white, silver, and a pale primer color. You can easily make yourself tissue paper flower pens inside, just like the ones we made.

If you think we forgot about white lights, think again! We purchased battery-powered fairy lights and hot-glued the battery pack to the inside lid of a small mason jar. Turn these on for an instant magical sparkle, and invite your guests to take them home as additional party favors.

It’s as simple as that! And remember, your party’s décor doesn’t have to be a white out; cream, ivory, and beige — and even peach! — can add depth and dimension to a white themed birthday party.