How To Plan A Themed Party: Bunting, Balloons, Confetti And Party Bags

A theme isn't a shopping list, it's a rule. Pick two colours and one idea, apply them to the four things people actually see - the wall, the doorway, the table and the bag they leave with - and the room looks planned instead of bought.

Everything below is ordered the way you should do it: the wall first, because it becomes the backdrop for every photo, then the balloons, then the table, then the bags on the morning of the party.

Honest note: we design and print banners, balloons, table confetti, cake toppers, pin badges and cards in the UK. We don't sell fabric bunting, helium or arch kits, so those bits are advice rather than a sales pitch.

Step one: pick the theme and lock two colours

• Write the theme in three words - "1980s neon disco", "pastel spring garden", "black and gold". If you can't, it isn't a theme yet.
• Choose two colours and one metallic. Everything else - plates, napkins, balloons, confetti - has to be one of those three.
• Stealing the colours from one item works best: take them off the banner or the cake topper and match everything to it.
• Age-led themes are easier than character ones, and cheaper: a number balloon does most of the work on its own.
• Need theme ideas first? Read the guide
• Planning a whole birthday around it - Take a look

Step two: the wall - bunting and banners

• One banner at eye level behind the food or drinks table beats decorations scattered round the room, because that wall is where every photo gets taken.
• Run bunting either side of the banner rather than over it, so the two work together instead of competing.
• Measure the wall before you buy: bunting looks best with a gentle dip, roughly one and a half times the wall length.
• How to hang it evenly - Read the guide
• Making your own from fabric scraps - Read the guide
• The full bunting guide, including how much a wall needs - Take a look
• Shop the range - Shop the range

Step three: the doorway - balloons

• Balloons belong where people arrive: the front door, the top of the stairs or the corner behind the cake. Spread thinly round a room they just look like leftovers.
• One number balloon per display is plenty. Two sets start to look like a shop window. Shop this card
• Air-filled displays hold their shape for days, so build them the night before and go to bed. Helium ones are a morning-of job. Shop this card
• How to build an arch - Read the guide Shop this card
• Arch ideas and colour combinations - Read the guide Shop this card
• Working out helium - Read the guide Shop this card
• Using a shop-bought kit - Read the guide Shop this card
• Shop the range - Shop the range

Step four: the table - confetti and toppers

• Confetti works sparse. A pinch per table reads as deliberate; a handful reads as a mess someone else will hoover up. Shop this card
• Pick one confetti colour straight off the banner, then match the cake topper to the same colour and the whole room ties together. Shop this card
• Scatter it after the plates and glasses are down, not before, or half of it ends up underneath them. Shop this card
• Shop the range - Shop the range Shop this card
• Cake toppers that suit the theme - Shop the range Shop this card
• Everything for the table in one place - Take a look Shop this card

Step five: the bags people leave with

• One good thing per bag beats five bits of plastic. A pin badge or a sticker gets kept; a plastic whistle is binned before bedtime.
• Tie the bag to the theme with a single item - a badge in the theme colours, a sticker, one sweet - and seal a plain paper bag with a sticker rather than buying pre-filled bags.
• Fill them the morning of the party, count them twice, and keep two spares for the child nobody mentioned was coming.
• For kids - Read the guide
• For adults, where a joke lands better than sweets - Read the guide
• What actually goes in one - Read the guide
• Shop the range - Shop the range

The order to do it in

• Four weeks out: theme and two colours decided, invitations sent, banner and balloons ordered.
• One week out: confetti and party bag fillers arrive, food list written, playlist built.
• Night before: hang the banner and bunting, build the air-filled balloons, lay the table.
• Morning of: helium balloons, confetti scattered, cake topper on, bags filled and counted. Shop this card
• One hour before: lights, music on low, phone on charge, and stop fiddling with the decorations.

Themed parties we've planned out step by step

• A Toy Story party with a game per character - Read the guide
• A Traitors theme night for grown-ups - Read the guide
• A murder mystery dinner party - Read the guide
• An adult birthday party at home - Read the guide
• A classy hen party theme - Read the guide
• An office party with a theme that nobody dreads - Read the guide

Shop party supplies

How to write it so it lands

• Two colours and one metallic. Everything else stays in the cupboard.
• Hang the banner first and build the rest of the room around it.
• Build air-filled balloons the night before; save helium for the morning.
• Fill party bags the morning of and always make two spares.

Where to shop next

• Bunting & party banners
• Birthday balloons & number balloons
• Table confetti
• Party bag fillers
• Cake toppers
• How to hang bunting
• How to make bunting
• How to make a balloon arch
• Balloon arch ideas
• How much helium for balloons
• Party bag ideas for kids
• Party bag ideas for adults
• What to put in a party bag
• Fancy dress party themes
• Birthday party ideas
• Buy party supplies
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you plan a themed party?

Pick a theme you can say in three words, lock two colours and one metallic, then apply them to four things: the wall (banner and bunting), the doorway (balloons), the table (confetti and cake topper) and the party bags. Anything that isn't one of those colours stays in the cupboard.

What decorations do you actually need for a party?

One banner on the main wall, one balloon display where people arrive, a pinch of confetti per table and a filled bag each. That covers every photo anyone takes. Extra decorations spread round the room rarely show up.

How far in advance should you plan a themed party?

Four weeks is comfortable: theme and invitations at four weeks, decorations ordered straight after, the smaller bits a week out, and hanging and building the night before so the morning is only balloons, confetti and bags.

How much bunting do I need for a wall?

Around one and a half times the length of the wall, so it hangs with a gentle dip rather than a straight line. Measure before you buy and hang the banner centrally first, then run the bunting either side of it.

How many balloons do you need for a party?

One display of thirty to forty for a doorway or corner, plus a single number balloon if it's a birthday. One number per party is plenty - a second set looks like a shop window rather than a celebration.

How much table confetti should you use?

A pinch per table, scattered after the plates and glasses are laid. A 50 to 100 piece pack covers a family table; sparse always looks more deliberate than a handful.

What should you put in a themed party bag?

One thing that gets kept - a pin badge or sticker in your theme colours - plus a sweet and maybe a small activity. Use plain paper bags sealed with a sticker rather than buying pre-filled bags, and make two spares.

Do you sell bunting, helium or balloon arch kits?

No. We make happy birthday banners, number and themed balloons, table confetti, cake toppers, pin badges and cards in the UK. Fabric bunting, helium canisters and arch kits come from elsewhere, and our guides explain how to buy them.