Turning 18 is an exciting time in someone's life that is worth celebrating well! If you want to plan a party, here is the ultimate 18th birthday guide you need. With 15 different themes broken down by photo backdrop, food or dessert, outfit inspirations, and more, this is everything you need to plan the best 18th birthday party ever.
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Murder Mystery
We've seen murder mystery parties in TV shows and movies, but have you ever been to one in real life? This is the perfect opportunity for you to experience one, all while you throw an amazing birthday party. Here's everything you need for your 18th birthday murder mystery party.
Photo Booth
There are a couple of different directions you could take this. Set up a mugshot backdrop so that all your party attendees can take their mug shot as if they are the guilty party. You could also create a crime scene. Here is some inspiration for your murder mystery photo booth.
Create a crime scene by using police tape, flour with indenting hand prints, or even fake blood.
This is another way to create a crime scene photo booth. Use tape to draw the outline of the murder.
Food And Dessert
For food and dessert, use anything that could be related to a murder as decor. A lot of things you might do at a Halloween party will also work for a murder mystery party. Here are some ideas.
A bloody cake with the murder weapon.
Spooky food is great for this party theme.
Outfits And Accessories
Often, murder mystery games are set in the 1920s, meaning you can dress in flapper dresses, tuxedos, silk shirts or dresses, pinstripe suits, and accessories with pearls, feathers, and more. Here's outfit inspiration.
Spa Day
There is nothing like having a spa day with your best friends. Whether you hire an esthetician to come and give your party participants mini facials or everyone does face masks and meditations together, everyone will love a spa day party. Here's everything you need for your 18th birthday spa day theme.
Photo Booth
Choose neutral colors with feathers or pampas grass for a spa day photo booth. These colors and textures will make your photo booth feel spa-like.
You can't go wrong with all-white for a spa day.
Food And Drink
At the spa, there are usually fun drink options and small snacks. Here are some spa-inspired food and drink items.
These spa-inspired cake pops are perfect for this party theme.
Outfits And Accessories
A spa day theme focuses on rest and relaxation. This means that spa day outfits should be in robes or comfy clothes like pajamas! Here's our spa day outfit inspiration.
Hawaiian Luau
Dream of being far away in a tropical paradise with this Hawaiian luau-themed party. With all the fun and pretty things that tropical brings, you'll be able to use bright colors and dress up like a hula dancer. Here is some inspiration for your 18th birthday luau party.
Photo Booth
Use a ton of greenery, palm leaves, and bright colors for your photo booth! Bring in the colors with flowers or a gorgeous balloon garland.
This beautiful photo booth has an LED sign, a greenery backdrop, colorful flowers, and palm leaves, giving it that tropical look.
You can even create a cute tiki bar as a photo booth for your luau party.
Create a gorgeous backdrop by hanging a ton of leis.
Food And Dessert
These Ferrero Rochers are disguised as pineapples with these cute pineapple topper decor sticks.
Tropical fruits are beautiful and delicious for your food table.
Fresh pineapple salsa is a great appetizer for your Hawaiian Luau party.
Pulled pork sliders are the perfect food for this party's theme.
Outfits And Accessories
Whether you want to dress up as a hula dancer or just have fun tropical vibes, there are so many ways to dress up for this birthday party theme. Here is some inspiration to help you pull an outfit together.
If you're having a pool party, look for tropical print bathing suits and cover-ups.
This tropical chich outfit is super cute with the front tie shirt, white pants, and flower in the hair.
You'll never go wrong with a hula outfit! Get a hula skirt and leis to dress up as a hula dancer.
Also, it wouldn't be a Hawaiian party without a tropical button-down shirt.
Disco
Disco is a super fun theme if you love to dance. This party theme calls for all the disco balls and all the silver! Although what is listed below is strictly disco, you can also customize it to be 70s disco with disco balls, bright colors, and retro decor. But here's everything you need for your classic disco 18th birthday party theme.
Photo Backdrop
Silver fringe and disco balls are the way to go for disco photo booths.
Food And Dessert
Whether adding cute silver decor to your food or replicating the look of disco balls, food and dessert is easy for this theme.
Try out these silver cake pops made to represent disco balls.
Take any food item and place these silver decor pieces through each to make it cohesive with the theme.
Reach out to a local cookie artist to get these cute disco ball cookies made.
Outfit And Accessories
Silver fringe, sparkles, and shimmer are everything you need for a disco party. Here is some outfit inspiration for your disco party.
Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby was a novel written in 1925. Now, there is a famous movie starring actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan who have brought this theme back to life. The story is set in 1922, which makes a Great Gatsby-themed party fun with decor and outfits. Here are some party ideas for this 18th birthday party theme.
Photo Booth
You want to aim for black, gold, silver, white, and feathery to create a photo booth that gives off The Great Gatsby.
Food And Dessert
When I think of The Great Gatsby, I think of hors d'oeuvres. Whether they're being walked around and passed out or you have a food and dessert table, here is some inspiration.
This gorgeous dessert will make your guests feel special.
Perfectly fitting the theme, these black, gold, and white chocolate-covered strawberries are beautiful and delicious.
Pick some of your favorite finger foods and place them on a decorated table.
If there's anything where a champagne glass tower fits, it's The Great Gatsby! Cheers to 18 with sparkling grape juice in this gorgeous champagne glass tower.
Outfits And Accessories
Sparkles, gems, and feathers galore! The outfit options for Great Gatsby are endless.
Don't forget the nails! As an important part of an outfit, get nails with gold, black, and white designs.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is a holiday celebrated in New Orleans. In French, Mardi Gras translates to Fat Tuesday. It is a carnival celebration that takes place every year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This holiday is filled with color, beads, feathers, and good food! Here's everything you need for an 18th birthday Mardi Gras party.
Photo Booth
For Mardi Gras, you'll focus on using gold, green, and purple decor. Here are some beautiful photobooth inspirations.
Food And Dessert
Food and dessert are also where you want to pay special attention to this theme. Mardi Gras is a celebration of eating rich, sweet, and fatty foods. Here are some food and dessert ideas for your Mardi Gras party.
King cake is a must for Mardi Gras. Whether you decide to do a regular size or mini cakes, these will perfectly fit the theme.
These gorgeous purple, green, and yellow macaroons are perfect for your dessert table.
If you want to stay traditional to the Louisiana Mardi Gras, Jambalaya is a great food option to serve.
Outfits And Accessories
Embrace the colors! For this theme, go all out with purple, green, and gold, and add feathers and beads for accessories.
Masquerade Ball
Want a classy 18th birthday party? A masquerade ball calls for elegance and classiness. It's also fun since everyone can wear masquerade masks. A masquerade ball is a formal ball that calls for formal attire. If you love dressing up, you'll love this theme.
Photo Booth
These photo booth inspirations will be similar to The Great Gatsby theme. With black and gold colors, make sure to also have masquerade mask props.
Food And Dessert
These cute cupcakes in gold foil and a masquerade pretzel topping are perfect for your masquerade party.
These shrimp cocktails in mini martini glasses are the perfect way to keep your food classy.
Outfits And Accessories
This is one of the best parts of this party theme. Dressing up for a masquerade calls for formal attire. Here is some outfit inspiration.
Don't forget the mask! The most important accessory for this theme is to pick a mask that best suits you.
Garden Party
A garden party theme calls for all things flowers. Dressing up in flowy dresses, dressing tables with flowers, wearing flower crowns, and more will make this 18th birthday garden party so much fun. Here's everything you need for this theme.
Photo Booth
Fill your photobooth with flowers, butterflies, and whimsical accessories.
Food And Dessert
A garden party is the perfect time for high tea and small bites.
This gorgeous cake is a perfect centerpiece for your dessert table.
Small sandwiches are perfect for a garden party.
Charcuterie and fruit are great for a garden party grazing table.
Outfits And Accessories
Floral and flowy dresses are the perfect outfit for a garden party theme.
Casino Night
18 may not be old enough to get into a casino, so bring the casino to you! A casino night party is super fun with tons of games. Play games like poker, blackjack, Texas Hold'em, roulette, and more. A casino night theme will have black, red, gold, and white decor. Here's the inspiration for all the things you need to throw an 18th birthday casino party.
Photo Booth
Food And Dessert
For food and dessert, choosing red foods is an easy way to fit into the theme. Also, you can use playing cards as decor.
These tomato and mozzarella skewers are the perfect hors d'oeuvres for a casino night party.
Red and white candy is the perfect and easy way to pull a dessert table together.
Outfits And Accessories
Classy red, black, gold, and silver outfits are what you'll look for to dress for casino night. Here is inspiration for your casino night outfits.
Vogue
This one is for all the fashion girls and those who are into celebrities. Vogue magazine covers beauty trends, fashion news, celebrities, and culture reviews. Be the star on the cover of Vogue with this birthday theme. Here's everything you need to pull together an 18th birthday Vogue-themed party.
Photo Booth
This photo booth will be a huge part of your party decorations. Making a Vogue photo booth where everyone can be the star will be a hit.
Food And Dessert
This gorgeous vogue cake features multiple different people in all different kinds of fashion.
You could also customize your cake in a way similar to the photo booth and have the birthday person on the “front of Vogue.”
Dress up your food or dessert table with fashion items to help it exude Vogue vibes.
Outfits And Accessories
It's all glitz and glam for a Vogue party! As a party host, you can give your party attendees a direction for their outfits, or you can let them come in the fashion trends that they currently love.
Wild West
The Wild West refers to the 19th century in the Western United States. This time was commonly believed to be unruly and lawless with disorderly behavior. But, as a party theme, it can be super fun. Filled with plaid, cowboy hats, and cowboy boots, this 18th birthday party is bound to be filled with great energy when line dancing, bull riding, and rope twirling.
Photo Booth
Whether choosing a saloon theme or a wanted sign, you'll guests will love these photo booth ideas.
Food And Dessert
Wild West foods commonly included pork, beef, bacon, cornbread, jerky, biscuits, and other barbeque types of food. Here are some food ideas for your Wild West party.
Pull together a full barbeque spread with pulled pork, barbeque ribs, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and more.
Disguise rice krispy treats as haystacks.
Serve these fun Rolo cowboy hat treats.
Outfits And Accessories
Calling all cowboys and cowgirls! A Wild West party calls for cowboy hats, cowboy boots, bandanas, and more.
Take it old school with corsets and holsters.
Pajama Party
There's something about a pajama party that feels so wholesome! Whether it's connecting back to your childhood or being in your comfy, cozy outfits with all your best friends, a pajama party theme will be perfect for an 18th birthday party. Here's all the inspiration you need for this theme.
Photo Booth
Hang up pillows and have some lying around for pillow fight photos.
Food And Dessert
Popcorn is a great snack, especially since you end up watching a movie at most pajama party sleepovers.
These individually portioned-out milk and cookies are a super cute way to display dessert.
Pancakes and pajamas is a cute and delicious brunch or breakfast-for-dinner idea.
Outfits And Accessories
Choose to be in your cutest or comfiest pajamas!
Silk pajamas are an easy go-to for a pajama party outfit.
Have all party participants in one color and the birthday person standing out in a different color.
Get cozy in flannel sets.
Tropical Jungle
Tropical jungle is a fun theme that will allow you to use many different things for decoration. Your main piece will be lots of greenery, but then you can use all kinds of jungle animal prints! This can translate through all decor, food, and outfits. Here's the inspiration for a tropical jungle 18th birthday party.
Photo Booth
Create a greenery background to make it look like your pictures are in the jungle.
Add animal print balloons to really give it the jungle essence.
Food And Dessert
For this party theme, you can get creative with some of the food options. Fruits are a great food to lean towards, especially anything tropical.
Outfits And Accessories
This category is where this party theme can get super fun! With all the animal prints, your party guests will have a great time picking out their outfits.
Animal prints are a fun nail design to accompany your cute jungle outfits.
Barbie
As we learned in 2023, Barbie will never go out of style! She's been around for ages and will always be legendary. Celebrate your 18th birthday in Barbie fashion with all things pink. Here is all the inspiration you need to throw an amazing Barbie party.
Photo Booth
Do the classic Barbie doll box so each person can pretend to be Barbie.
Monochrome pink streamers make the perfect Barbie-core backdrop.
All things pink is a simple way to say Barbie!
Food And Dessert
It's really easy here to stick with the theme! Anything pink or pinkish is the perfect food or dessert for a Barbie party.
A pink dessert charcuterie board gives options while staying in the theme.
Pink pasta? Why not! Try this pink pasta that's made with beets, cream cheese, heavy cream, olive oil, and seasonings. Once mixed together, the sauce is pink and ready to mix in with your cooked pasta.
Outfits And Accessories
Calling all Barbies and Kens, pull out your pink, sparkle, and glam! Here are some Barbie outfit inspirations.
Boho Festival
For all the festival goers, this boho festival theme is fun and a great way to replicate Coachella. Boho style can be described as flowy, eclectic, and hippie. To decorate, using things like macrame is a great way to stay on theme. Here's what you need for your 18th birthday Boho Festival party.
Photo Booth
Pampas grass, fabrics, and macrame are all great to incorporate into your photo booth.
Food And Dessert
For this theme, there isn't necessarily boho-themed food. But you can create a beautiful display of food with boho decor.
Outfits And Accessories
Channel your inner Vanessa Hudgens for your boho festival outfits! Bring out the flowy and neutral-toned colors to create the perfect pairings.
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