Party decoration ideas

These party decoration ideas are suitable for any occasion, whether it's a birthday, anniversary, or engagement party.

These are general ideas which are versatile enough to adapt to different types of parties. Therefore they are probably best suited to parties without a strong theme - perhaps just a color scheme.

If you are looking to give your party a clearly defined theme, check out my list of Party Themes A-Z. Each theme listed on that page contains a dedicated section of party decoration ideas to fit in with that theme, from sophisticated garden party ideas such as The Secret Garden theme, to more outrageous and risque themes such as The Seven Deadly Sins.

 

 

Party Decoration Ideas

Paper luminaries

Lighting has a huge impact on the atmosphere of a party, so line the entrance route with paper luminaries to create a lovely warm glow as guests arrive.

You can either fill these with a little sand and pop a jam jar with a votive candle inside or, if you want to be really safe, use a battery powered LED candle with a flickering flame effect or one of the special base holders below.

Alternatively, you could use hurricane lanterns (below right).

 

Click below your flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

For US visitors, click on an image below for more info

Cut Out Luminaries (various colors & patterns)

Plain Color Luminaries (13 colors)

Personalized Luminaries (various designs)

Flickering Flame LED Tealight

Luminary Base Candle Holder

Hurricane Lanterns

 

For UK visitors, click on an image below for more info

Paper Candle Lanterns

Flickering LED Candles

Water Lanterns

 

 

For Australian visitors, see here for various luminaria kits or here for a wide range of paper candle lanterns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crepe Paper Streamers & Garlands

A really cheap and easy way to create impressive looking backdrops for bars, dessert or buffet tables is to hang crepe paper gardlands vertically (see below left from Martha Stewart Weddings for an example).

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

Tissue Paper Gardlands

 

Individual Garlands

 

 

 

Alternatively, for an even cheaper option just twist and hang crepe paper streamers in tight vertical lines from floor to ceiling. See this picture, below from aestheticoutburst. blogspot.com for an example - although I would suggest making the vertical lines even tighter so that there are smaller gaps between each one.

 

Crepe Paper Streamers

 

 

Crepe Paper Streamers

 

 

Streamers (traditional colours) or Streamers (more colors)

 

 

 

 

 

 

paper lanterns & tissue pom poms

Paper lanterns or decorative tissue pom poms are a great way to fill the empty space above the dining table, bar, or dessert / buffet table.

You can use battery operated LED candles / bulbs inside the lanterns to make them glow without having to worry about power cords (available from the same paper lantern suppliers below).

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

 

Paper Lanterns (great value for basic colors & shapes)

Paper Lanterns (extensive range of colors and shapes)

Lantern String Lights

 

Paper Lanterns (UK)

 

 

Paper Lanterns (Aus)

 

 

For tissue pom poms in your area, see the links below :

Tissue Pom Poms (most basic colors)

Tissue Pom Poms (wedding colors)

 

Tissue Pom Poms (UK)

 

 

Tissue Pom Poms (Aus)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hanging candles

For outdoor events, hang jar lanterns en-masse from tree branches or trellis.

This photo ( from Martha Stewart Weddings) shows how effective this can be.

 

 

 

Click below your flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

See here for hanging jar lanterns such as the ones in the top row below (available in more colors and shapes)

See here for other lanterns such as the ones in the bottom row below

 

 

 

For UK visitors, see here for these economical hanging jars (below left)

Or here for more decorative jar lanterns (below center and right)

 

For Australian visitors, see here for the style below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fairy berries

Another great lighting trick which works really well for outdoor parties is to scatter these 'Fairy Berry' lights (below) around the garden or hang from trees and bushes using the recessed hooks. These 3/4" diameter balls contain small white LED lights that slowely fade on and off, creating a moving firefly effect. Check out the video on my Garden Party Decorations page for a demonstration.

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

 

Fairy Berries

 

Fairy Berries UK

 

Fairy Berries Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

crystal beaded curtains

For outdoor events, hang strands of crystal bead curtains from trees in clusters at varying heights.

Make sure you angle some light towards them (or mix in some hanging candles) so they twinkle.

See more photos of these, and the 'bubble curtains' (below right) on my Garden Party Decorations page.

 

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

 

24ft Strand $3.99 just cut into different size strands

Beads by the Roll including Diamond Cut (above) and other shapes

bubble curtains (wholesale price: min order 2 curtains)

 

For UK visitors, click here for various beaded curtains and strands

 

 

For Australian visitors, see here for crystal garlands

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personalized Banners

A personalized banner (with or without a theme / photo) looks great hung over your dessert / buffet table to create a focal point in the room.

Click next to a flag to buy supplies in your area:

 

This supplier has a great selection of themed banners for kid's

This supplier has a great selection of banners for all ages and occasions

 

 

For UK visitors, its worth browing both this site, and this one as they both have different themed banners which can be personalized.

 

 

For Australian visitors, see here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

spandex chair covers & sashes

One way to give your party a professional feel is to make sure all the chairs have a uniform look. Often, if you're using mis-matched chairs or chairs that don't fit with the theme of your party they can really clash and it detracts from the overall aesthetic.

Matching the chairs with the table linen is one of the reasons the table styling always looks better at professional weddings or events. If budget permits, use these simple stretch fabric chair covers which come in black or white.

You can then add a splash of color that compliments your party theme by adding a colored sash (below left) or band (below right).

 

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

 

Chairs Covers and Sashes

Supplier 2: Chair Covers, Sashes, and Bands

 

 

Spandex Chair Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

life size cut outs

Life size cardboard cut outs are a great way to mark out the entrance to your party. Postition at the end of your drive, or at the front door, to greet your guests as they arrive.

These cut outs are created from photo's that you upload, therefore they're perfect for theme parties. Upload a photo of the guest of honor dressed in a costume relevant to the theme. For example your child dress as Elmo, Darth Vader, or a Pirate.

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

 

Life size cardboard cut outs

You can also combine these with a motion-activated voice recorder (for under $10, USA only) which allows you to pre-record a short 10 second message which is activated
when someone passes the cut out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

personalized yard signs

Personalized yard signs and a cheap and easy way to mark out the entrance to your party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balloons & Accessories

Balloons are really cost effective way to decorate large areas at a party.

You can also arrange them into vertical rows, floor to ceiling, to create a 'wall' of balloons to act as a backdrop to bars, dessert or buffet tables.

 

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

See here for the best selection of balloons

See here for balloon accessories, such as decorating tape (below left), helium tanks (below center) and balloon sticks (below right).

 

For UK visitors, see here for Balloons and Accessories

 

 

For Australian visitors, get Balloons and Accessories here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

props

Use cheap toys, novelties, and inflatables as props to decorate your party or to add elements to your table decoration.

Click next to a flag to buy supplies for these party decoration ideas:

 

See here for a good selection of cheap novelties, toys and props

This site also has some great supplies, including a wide selection of inflatables

 

For UK visitors, see this supplier for cheap novelties

 

 

For Australian visitors, see here.