I always think my party ideas for the kids are so original until I start looking for items for them and find a million parties done in the same theme. Our son’s first birthday was no exception, but I like to think we put it all together in a creative way you haven’t seen yet... Reeling in the Big ONE!
Our little guy turned the big ONE and we had the best time celebrating with a fishing themed party. Keep reading and scrolling for ALL of the details with photos by Daniel Ortiz .
Fishing bobbers, nets, lures (keep out of reach of little hands because the hooks are sharp!), lanterns, and cattails all came to mind immediately as I gathered decorations for the party. “We’re reeling in the big ONE” read the invite. A comprehensive list of the items will be at the bottom of this post, but I also linked the ones I refer to in the body of the post like the fish food tents above.
A photo spot with bobbers and nets formed in my brain as I pinned ideas, and the variations of those came together to create this one I’m so proud of below! My husband assembled scrap 2x4s we had that were painted grey into the photo frame.
The bobbers on the photo spot (pictured below) are paper lanterns we spray painted red on the bottom half (painters tape used to make the line) and the top (linking the paper lanterns). There’s pretend fish hanging below the bobbers on the left strung with fishing line.
And, the directional arrows pointing toward “fishing hole”, “weighing station”, “bait and tackle”, and “catch of the day” were cut by our friend and I drew the words and art on with paint markers. (pictured below)
My mom and her crafty skills is always a part of making these parties a reality and she helped put the finishing touches on the “ONE” for the picture table. I love how it turned out! We used styrofoam letters (”O”, “N”, “E” each linked), cut out one for the boats from the invitation for the “N”, and glued cardstock paper in red, white, blue and green to the letters. The blue waves we cut out in different colors and there is twine wrapped around the “E” and the cattails.
We also had to secure the letters to the backdrop (tape was sufficient) since they are styrofoam and could easily fall over.
Each of the months (on paper bobbers from newborn to one) just HAD to be displayed on a net, so figuring out how to secure them was a challenge we solved by hot glueing small clothespins to the back of the flat paper bobbers and taping pennies to the back of the pictures to attempt to keep them all from blowing up when the wind blew.
The wind had other ideas, but it looked good throughout the party.
The red lanterns, net, fishing lures, small fishing bobbers, and cups are all linked. Click on the words to shop them. And, the tackle box on the table was a Houston Nutcracker Market find.
We also decided to do a time capsule (directions in the frame on the left in the photo above) at our guy’s 1st birthday. I regretted not doing one for our daughter’s first birthday after my mother-in-law passed shortly after the party. Each person in attendance can write a message to the birthday kiddo and answer some fun questions about what they think the child will be and like, etc. Your child can read all of the messages when they turn 18!
What I’d give for a message from my mother-in-law for our daughter to read when she’s older.
For our big guy’s outfit, I found an adorable baby fishing shirt onesie for our birthday boy to wear for his party. Even if you’re not doing a fishing themed party, this shirt was so cute on him!
Our nanny made the balloon 1 with fishing line and balloons pictured above. Linked the balloons we purchased here. We went for a slight ombre effect with more light blue on the top and dark blue on the bottom. (Would recommend buying a couple of packs to ensure you have enough of each color)
Galvanized buckets were the perfect serving piece for the food along with fishing related food items, like gummy worms labeled as “worms”, Twizzlers as “fishing line”, Swedish Fish, Goldfish, peach rings as “Life Preservers” and pretzel sticks as “fishing rods”. The pretend fish decorating the tables are foam (squishy is the best way I can describe them) but really good looking and linked here.
I also saw the puffer fish idea online and thought it would be fun for the kids to have the punch balloons to play with. And, I was a bit nostalgic thinking back to playing with punch balloons as a kid. Obviously, one year olds weren’t doing much balloon punching, but they were fun for older kids.
The wooden boat and boxes on the food table were borrowed from a friend, but the white 1 was purchased online. Also borrowed fishing poles that were used throughout the party.
Along with puffer fish punch balloons, we had a “Catch and Release” activity where we put water in a kiddie pool with fish in it and fishing poles (magnets on the poles and fish connect the two) where kids could attempt to catch fish. And, our “Feed the Fish” station was a bean bag toss which has now been repainted for a third time to have fish swimming.
The printables I used for the activity signs & favors are here:
Thank You for Making my Birthday Reel Fun
Catch and Release (couldn’t find this one so I used my own skills to make one)
Feed the Fish (couldn’t find this one so I used my own skills to make one)
When it comes to kids and cake, I’ve become a big believer in cupcakes being the easiest all around. They don’t have to be cut, don’t require a fork or spoon, and are cost effective. So, this time I did store cupcakes from our Kroger with blue icing and bobbers on top (linking the bobbers here).
If my son ever decides to be a fisherman, we now have bobbers and lures for days!
Cattails for centerpieces made for a simple table decoration. I used the galvanized buckets with paper in the bottom (had a bunch from all of my Amazon orders) then river rocks on top to fill the bucket with the cattails secured in between. Around the buckets we draped some fishing net with some smaller rocks, lures (be careful of the sharp hooks), and bobbers.
The cocktail tables I use are linked here along with the table covers. For the bigger tables, I used a fun blue with the raised circles adding texture to the table.
My goal with the “Ofishally ONE” diaper cover was to get a picture of him in just that, but this was the best I got. Fishing shirt and diaper cover. It’s still adorable, though! And, you get a close up look at the baby fishing shirt.
I’ve learned to let some things go at the parties and enjoy it. Hard for a type A personality like me, for sure!
These cattails are Swiss Rolls on on bamboo skewers (which we cut to eliminate the point on the end) held in place by styrofoam under the moss in an oval galvanized tub. And, bobbers made everything more festive!
Now, I have to share our learning. The Swiss Rolls will slide down the skewers since they are standing upright, so we cut slivers of wine cork and slid them under the rolls to hold them up. Completely a game time call as they were sliding right before guests arrived. You can see the cork if you look closely.
The cutest cookies were done by a local baker, Sweets by Shey: bobbers, fish, “Gone Fishing” sign, and one that looked like an oval piece of wood with “The Big ONE” on it.
The other two items, scalloped napkins and fish coasters, pictured below were perfect additions to the party. The scalloped napkins with a gold trim were a fun nod to the scales on a fish while still keeping an elegance to them. I found the coasters at HomeGoods randomly and snagged the “Drink Up” coasters for the event.
TABLES, CHAIRS, TABLECLOTHS
Here’s a closeup of the texture of the blue/turquoise raised petal tablecloths. I used cream colored ones for my daughter’s 2nd birthday Bubble Bash so when I saw this color I knew it was perfect for the party.
Also linking the tables and chairs that at this point have been used for 4 birthday parties and a couple of other events. For us, since we have room to store it all, buying was ideal.
The banners I found online were perfect for the background of the cake smashing. “The Big One” banner is customizable and comes with the fish and bobbers also (or without if you choose). The cute “ONE” for the highchair was an easy order and great quality!
I hung the big banners behind the high chair on bamboo poles and put the bamboo poles through actual fishing poles so the fishing poles flank the banners. They somewhat blend in with the busy vine background, but the small detail made me happy.
For a smash cake, there’s a baker in my area that makes a blueberry cake (it was INCREDIBLE) and could create this “wave” look - Kingwood Bakery. I found the fish and “The Big One” sign cake topper online and added them myself along with the 1 candle. I used a log cake stand that has come in handy more often than I anticipated.
Below you can see the layout of the time capsule pages I printed (they were an easy printable I found online) that went with the theme. It includes sections like “When you grow up I think you will be...” and “How do I know you?” to name a couple.
Fishing pole favors were a must! I found little water squirting fish, handheld fish water games, fish stickers, and Swedish Fish and cinched them in clear favor bags with twine tied to sticks we collected around the house. Gathering sticks was a fun activity for my daughter to feel like she was a part of the planning.
The printable tags were easy to print, but I had Katie & Co print and cut them to make sure the bobbers were cut correctly. And, I printed a sign that was framed near the favors that said “Thank You for Making My Birthday Reel Fun!”
My apologies to my friends/the parents who had sticks in their cars on the way home, but it was really cute!
Unlike his sister, our little guy dug right in to the cake and enjoyed eating it! I love this picture that Daniel Ortiz captured of him once we took the cake away. O-fish-ally ONE!
We love that so many friends celebrate with us. And, below is a close up of the photo spot (you can see the paper lantern bobbers) with two of my friends that are so good about coming!
Having our pool completed literally the week of the party was chaotic, but I was able to create my big bobbers for the pool. This was not a perfectly executed project, but overall I was happy with them and they looked great. The top is a to-go container spray painted red and the bottom is a red plastic tablecloth taped to the floating orbs I purchased with red Duck Tape.
The taping of the tablecloth to the orb was a feat in itself. With help from my family, we did it once and then redid it. Ultimately, the tablecloth was taped at the base of the orb. It will take in water, so I attempted to tape the seam as well as we could.
I wish I could give a step but step tutorial, but the pool bobber was truly a “try and see what works” experience. Biggest tip: have patience and don’t be afraid to redo them if they don’t look right.
**A big thank you to all of my family who helps me execute all of my ideas and to Daniel Ortiz for the great photos!
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Reeling in the Big One Party Supplies
- Bait Bar Sign (printable) $2.50
- Balloons (light blue, white, and true blue, 100 pack) $10.99
- Banner: The Big One (personalized banner linked w bobbers & fish) $44
- Banner: Burlap One for Highchair $10.99
- Bobbers (small for cupcakes and tables) $6.49
- Cattails (set of 4 sprays) $24.99
- Cake Stand (Rustic Log) $48.86
- Cake Topper: “The Big One” starts at $14.99 (linked similar as exact one no longer available)
- Chairs (individual and 4 pack) $44.72 and $142.41
- Cups (gold rimmed, 50 count) $14.99
- Diaper Cover: “Ofishally One” $20
- Favor Tags: Bobbers $3 (in favors: Fish water game, Swedish Fish, Stickers)
- Favor Bags (100 clear bags) $3.98
- Favor Tags (bobber printable) $3
- Fish (foam, decorative on tables and photo spot, set of 3) $15.91
- Fish & Poles for Catch and Release $13.86
- Fish Coasters (unavailable online, cork ones here $12.24)
- Fish Food Tents Printable $3.50
- Fishing Game (fish and 2 poles) $28
- Fishing Lures $18.99 (found a similar set for $15.99)
- Fishing Net (natural color 2 pack) $9.50
- Fishing Net (blue) $5.52
- Fishing Shirt (for baby) $37.99
- Fish Squirts (for Favors) $7.49
- Fish Stickers for Favors (3D puffy, 20 sheets) $7.97
- Fish Water Games for Favors (assorted with others) $38.99
- Galvanized Buckets (small, set of 12) $18.87
- Galvanized Buckets (large, 2 gallon) $28.98
- Galvanized Tub (for edible cattails) $31.99
- Highchair Banner - ONE $10.99
- Invitiations: “Reeling in the Big One” file $11.99
- Kiddie Pool (45 x 10″) $10.39
- Months Paper Bobbers $9.50
- Moss (SuperMoss Spanish Moss) $9.52
- ONE letters (12 inch styrofoam “O”, “N”, and “E”) $9.98 each
- Paper Lanterns (made into bobbers, set of three 8 in white) $10.99
- Plastic Red Tablecloth $14.99
- Pool Orbs (made into bobbers) $89.99
- Puffer Fish (Punch Balloons, 30 count) $10.99
- Scalloped Napkins with gold trim $9.99
- Skewers (bamboo, 100 pieces) $6.95
- Swedish Fish (0.5 oz packages, 64 count) $14.99
- Swiss Rolls (for edible cattails, 6 boxes, 36 count) $11.94
- Tables: cocktail ($107.88) and large 60″ round ($118.99)
- Tablecovers (cocktail) $16.99
- Tablecloths (blue with raised round petals) $39.99
- “Thank You for Making My Party REEL Fun” signage - $2.50
- Time Capsule Printables $8
- Twine (2 roles x 656 feet) $9.89
- Wooden 1 (8 cm tall) $7.89
***Photos by Daniel Ortiz
