How To Host A Nautical Themed Party

A coastal theme party is timeless, and there are a million ways to execute it from beachy to boats. My ideas take on an elegant nautical feel with easy DIY decorations and details wrapped in a blue and tan color scheme. 

Follow the tips and recipes to host your own themed dinner party, or make it a grazing party where you serve an array of appetizers while guests circulate and mingle. 

The theme is fun year round hosted inside or out, and it’s a fabulous theme for showers too. Use it to create a “Sip and Sea” baby shower, or a bridal theme such as “She’s Tying the Knot” or “She Found Her First Mate.” 

Invitations

Formal invitations aren’t always necessary for a dinner party, but for special celebrations (like baby or bridal shower, or milestone birthday) you may want to design a festive invitation. Here are two creative ideas:

• Fill a small gift box with excelsior and place a starfish or shell inside. Tie on an invitation using raffia. For the perfect fit you can roll the invite up or fold it. It doesn’t need to be professionally designed; it can simply be handwritten details on a nice paper,
• Deliver a message in a bottle; this may work best if you’re hand delivering the invites. Use small bottles with a cork topper, roll up the invitation and slide it into the bottle. Make sure to tie the rolled paper with twine and let a long end hang outside the bottle. That way guests can pull the invitation out using the twine.

Invite guests to dress in theme. It could be as simple as wearing tan and blue, or as whimsical as wearing Captains hats. You can don nautical attire (blue and white horizontal stripes, white pants, navy jackets, sailor collared tops or hats, and pops of other nautical colors (red, yellow, and black).

Table Decorations

You may not need to set an extravagant tablescape for a dinner party, but why not? If it’s your favorite part of entertaining, I say go for it. Plus, the theme decorations are just such fun!

This one starts with a tan and white checked tablecloth for the base, and a fish net laid on top peaking out from under the ‘runner’ of shells.

Centerpiece

Living on the East coast I’ve been going to the beach my whole life, and have a collection of found seashells to show for it. I put them to good use in this nautical party by using them en masse for the centerpiece.

Cluster them and overlap them in a row down the middle of the table. Nestle in two large candle holders that are filled with sand and a chunky pillar candle.

Tuck in something unexpected like a compass, small anchors, nautical rope, or coral.

Place Settings

The layered place settings begin with a round woven placemat that feels very beachy to me. Neutral toned dinner plates with blue salad plates and napkins carry out the two-tone color scheme.

I used more shells as a finishing touch. Some plates have starfish while others have shells on top.

Unique Details

The small details are what take any party over the top, and they don’t have to be expensive or time consuming to prepare.

1. As I mentioned in the invitation section, you can make a message in a bottle to place at each guests seat. Instead of the invitation inside, roll up a thoughtful note that is individualized to each person. Use a glass marker to write their names directly on the bottle, and it becomes a place card.
2. Add the cute shell stir stick to water tumblers or cocktails.
3. Place cleaned oyster shells on the table and fill with salt and pepper.
4. Serve scallops in a clam shell and place it on a bed of rock salt.

Perhaps one of my favorite tabletop details is this wooden boat server that’s specifically made for food. It can hold sushi or shrimp, but I used it for a cheese ball and crackers.

A long wooden skewer with a DIY sail attached makes it an eye catching addition to the table. For the sail I used white canvas, and a glue gun to create the seams and attach it to the skewer.

Food Ideas

For a nautical theme menu we’re going with seafood appetizers and entrees. Side dishes are easy to pair with them, and desserts get a themed presentation.

An appetizer like shrimp cocktail is always a crowd pleaser, but for a smaller gathering I like to put them on skewers for a more elevated presentation. You can see how cute they look above, propped in the shot glasses filled with cocktail sauce.

There are also old school dishes like crab dip or clam dip.

Appetizers 

Serve one or two appetizers before dinner, or serve several for a standing cocktail party style event.

Cold marinated shrimp in an ice bowl is another crowd favorite. When making the ice bowl use small shells in the mold instead of lemons.

Tuna salad wonton cups have so much flavor they’re almost addictive to eat. Smoked salmon mousse in cucumber cups are light and dainty, and a great hors d’oeuvres.

For plated appetizers that you eat at the table, baked jumbo scallops are simple but sweet. Serve one or two per guest for an amuse-bouche. Or add two ahi tuna appetizers per plate. Crab and avocado stacks are also beloved and make an impressive display. 

Entrees 

Serve sushi from your favorite restaurant, pasta salad with shrimp, po boys or lobster rolls, salmon in red pepper sauce, linguini with clams or mussels, or a Southern shrimp boil.

A niçoise salad is a good salad course, while roasted potatoes are hearty, and marinated asparagus can be made ahead and refrigerated until serving time.

Corn on the cob can be cooked on the grill or in the oven for ease, and it’s a classic pairing for seafood. Make it more interesting by setting up a topping bar. We had one recently with flavored butters and mayonnaise, crushed Nacho Doritos, Hot Cheetos, and Fritos, Cotija cheese, and nacho cheese sauce – it was fantastic!

Desserts

Some good choices are sandcastle cake, ‘oyster’ cookies with a pearl inside, sand dollar cookies, smores, and sea glass candy.

For these sand dollar cookies I started with a package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough and almond slices. You just add the dough to a baking sheet and flatten it out before placing the almonds in the sand dollar pattern. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top before baking to give it a rustic natural look.

Use the sand dollar cookies to make ice cream sandwiches and serve two on a bed of graham cracker crumbs to look like sand. Add a few white Sixlets candies to look like pearls.

Other dessert ideas include coconut pudding parfait with chocolate shells, glazed lemon bars, and dessert parfaits layered to look like sand.

Drinks

For a yacht party feel serve ice-filled buckets of champagne, beer, hard seltzers, or non-alcohol beverages. Add some shells around the edges for a decorative touch.

For a signature drink, mix a batch of rum punch, lemonade, or a blue cocktail to coordinate with the party colors.

Activities

Your activity is going to be driven by the reason for the party. If it’s a monthly supper club you may not need much outside of good conversation. If it’s for a shower or birthday you can incorporate something a bit more organized. Here are some ideas:

• Make layered sand art using various colors of sand, and mason jars or bottles with secure lids (flip top, cork, screw top).
• Make your own sushi rolls if you want to get everyone involved in the meal prep.
• Hold a limbo contest, or a hoola hoop contest (best outside) to see who can keep it going the longest.
• Shag dancing is iconic in the Carolinas, and the music is so nostalgic.
• Set up an ice cream sandwich bar and let everyone make their own combinations.
• To really elevate your party, have a caviar tasting.
• Let everyone sign a shell in lieu of a guest book, and drop it into a sand filled jar for a keepsake for the guest of honor or host.

Photo Backdrop

Hang a blue sheet for water or sky; place a large tarp or painters drop cloth on the floor and add sand if you dare. Add props like a beach ball, an anchor, a life savor ring, shells, galvanized buckets and shovel, treasure chest, fish net, volleyball, guitar, beach towel, beachcomber hats, sunglasses, and captain’s cap.

Party Favor ideas

Send guests home with something to remember the night with. Fill a small galvanized bucket with lifesavers candies, a travel size sunscreen, and salt water taffy.

The key is to have fun with any theme party you decide to host, and a nautical party is a blank canvas for that. Just set your color scheme, decorate with fun props, and serve delicious seafood.