When I asked my toddler what he wanted to do for his upcoming birthday? His response: “Ice Cream!” In celebration of his second birthday, we took his request and threw him a “two sweet” ice cream bash. I started planning his party earlier this year and after celebrating his birthday, I am so excited to share!
Tent | Tassel (Target Dollar Spot)
The theme worked perfectly for a spring birthday and bonus points for it being an extra simple theme for this pregnant mama to pull together. A simple ice cream bar, fun DIY decorations and the cutest invitations made his party one for the books.
My favorite decoration was the “We all scream for ice cream” wall. Using this tutorial, we spray painted Mylar letter balloons and taped them to the wall. It caught your eye as soon as you walked into the party and made a great backdrop for photos.
We kept the décor simple but festive for the party. Since most of the ice cream parties I came across for inspiration were very girly, we added a lot of blue and brown to the mix. A roll of Kraft paper served as a great table cover—it reminded me of ice cream cones. We layered a roll of sprinkle covered wrapping paper (Target Dollar Spot find!) over the top as a table runner. The party favor bags served as our table decorations.
Gift Bags (Target Dollar Spot) | Gift Tags | Bubble Bath | Sponges
Instead of party hats, we opted for soda jerk hats. Adding a label that said “two sweet” to the exterior helped carry the theme throughout the décor. And let’s be real, there’s nothing cuter than a bunch of toddlers running around in retro ice cream shop hats!
Cups (Target Dollar Spot)
Another easy DIY decoration was the ice cream cone balloon banner. Using more kraft paper rolled into cones, I taped a balloon inside to create the appearance of an ice cream cone and strung the cones on a piece of string to create a banner. These simple decorations helped make the party more personal.
Having an ice cream party meant that we did not have to worry about serving a whole meal or preparing tons of food. We loaded a table with every ice cream topping you could think of—from marshmallow cream to candy bars, sprinkles to graham cracker crumbs. Disposable clear plastic bowls labeled with the topping name written in a paint pen on the exterior made for easy cleanup. Tip: Keep the ice cream in a cooler on dry ice during the party to prevent it from melting.
It was the perfect party to celebrate our sweet two-year-old. Now onto dreaming up a theme for his next birthday! Check out more of the party inspiration for this celebration over on Momma Society!
Photo Credits: Pictiur Photography