These Under the Sea party ideas are perfect for an adult event that’s both sophisticated and whimsical. Find out how to transform your space with ocean-inspired decorations that promise an unforgettable celebration.
Every year I host a Halloween party where I go all out on the decorations.
Not just a table setting or a dessert table, but a whole house transformation.
And I always have a theme. (It’s a lot easier to make decorating decisions that way).
This under the sea party was one of those events.
However, while I did this for Halloween, this theme is very versatile and can be used for all kinds of celebrations.
So whether you’re planning a birthday party, anniversary party or a graduation party, these under the sea party ideas will still work.
1 | Put up ocean scene setters
For my party, I wanted everyone to feel like they were surrounded by ocean.
So I used one of my favorite party decorations on the walls…scene setters.
I found one that looks like the bottom of the ocean. And hung it around the whole room, including in front of the sliding doors and windows.
To make it show up better, I put spotlights behind it so the scene was backlit.
Unfortunately, the ocean scene setters I used are hard to find these days.
But you could use a smaller one (like this one*) for part of the wall and then cover the rest of the wall with blue foil curtains*. Just make sure they are both 8 feet tall so they will cover the entire wall.
Get more information on scene setters and how to install them.
2 | Make the Room look like it’s under water
Since it’s an under the sea party, I really wanted it to feel like you were under the water.
So I draped blue organza* across the ceiling.
Because it is a soft and translucent fabric, it almost looks like waves rolling over your head.
Then I switched out the bulbs in all of the light fixtures for blue ones.
And set up a few ocean wave projectors to add some movement. This one* will even project sea creatures so you can have them floating around your ceiling as well.
3 | Hang some balloon “bubbles”
Next up were the balloons.
I bought these translucent blue ones* and hung them from the ceiling to look like bubbles.
I didn’t use helium in them so I could hang them a few days ahead of time.
But if you’re putting them out less than a day in advance, you could blow them up with helium. Then tie them to bookshelves, door handles and the backs of chairs instead of hanging them.
4 | Add some fish
Next I hung some fish from the ceiling as well.
So they look like they are swimming above your head.
I used these cardboard cutout fish*.
They are one-sided. So I glued 2 of them together back to back to make them double-sided.
These jelly fish* would also work well. (I didn’t see them in time to order them for my party so I didn’t get to use them).
I also hung up some bigger fish on the walls.
I used a scene setter for this, too (which isn’t available any more. These cardboard cutouts* would work instead, and they’re probably a little less shiny).
5 | Add blue and green Up lights
For sections of the wall where the scene setter wasn’t showing up very well, I added blue and green uplights.
I use these battery-operated LED ones* that have a remote.
That way you don’t have to worry about needing a plug nearby and you can turn them on and off all at once with the remote.
You can also change the light color with the remote so you can easily reuse them for future events.
6 | Use blue tablecloths and netting
For the tables, I used these blue tablecloths*. (Mine are rectangular, but you can find round ones in the same color HERE*).
And wanted to make it look like they were covered with netting.
I already owned some black lace toppers so I used those.
But if I were starting from scratch, I would use this netting* for a more realistic look.
7 | Make wine bottle candle holders
Making centerpieces out of wine bottles is one of my favorite ways to decorate a table for a party.
It’s inexpensive (if you drink wine) and they’re the perfect size to hold taper candles.
In this case, I chose blue and green wine bottles to go with the ocean color scheme.
And staggered them down the center of the table.
Putting mirror chargers* under them reflects the candle light which really makes the table sparkle.
8 | Add gold beads and starfish
To add to the ocean theme, I added some gold and silver beads (to represent under the sea treasure) and some starfish to the centerpiece.
And put out a decanter set, some lanterns and chain to represent things you would find on a sunken ship.
9 | Make faux coral centerpieces
To bring the ocean themed decorations into the room, I wanted to add some coral.
I didn’t have the real thing, so I decided to use some Manzanita branches* since they have a similar outline.
To do this:
- Cut floral foam to fit into a low vase. It should be fairly heavy so it won’t tip over. I used these 5″ square ones.
- If you don’t want to see the foam, wrap the outside of the vase with a side ribbon.
- Stick the branches into the foam. I used 6 to 8 branches in each vase.
- Then hang a chain of faux pearls* from the branches.
- Finally, add uplights underneath it so that it looks like it is glowing. I used the same puck lights* here as I did to light the scene setters above.
- For extra sparkle, put the lights and the vase on a square mirror*. It will cause more of the light to reflect upwards.
10 | Uplight candle trees
I did something similar with candle trees. They also have an outline that gives the illusion of coral.
But used a clear bead chain* instead of pearls.
And added some battery-operated tea lights. These ones* have a remote and a timer so they’re easy to turn on and off for the party.
I didn’t use real candles here because the tables were fairly small. So I didn’t want someone to accidentally knock them over and cause a fire.
I alternated putting the candle tree and manzanita branch centerpieces on different tables to give it a varied but co-ordinated look.
11 | Serve under the sea Jello shots
At my house, a party isn’t a party without Jello shots.
Not only did these under the sea Jello shots go with the theme, everybody loved them.
These blue Hawaiian Jello shots would also be a good choice.
Well, that’s it for my Under the Sea party ideas. Hopefully you’ve found some inspiration for your own themed celebration.
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