When you plan a birthday party, you have a lot to consider. Not only do you need to perfect the guest list and create an awesome music playlist, but you also need to ensure the decorations are as magical as the big day. You must have everything covered!
One part you must not forget is the birthday table setup. It’s not enough to put down an awesome cake – you need to ensure the entire table looks incredible. You want to go all out for the birthday boy/girl, after all! If you’re stuck for ideas, this guide will help you discover some brilliant birthday table decoration ideas for the best birthday ever.
Birthday Table Theme Ideas
The best place to start is coming up with a theme. Here are some awesome themed birthday table decoration ideas.
Unicorn Theme
For young children, why not choose a unicorn theme? Many young girls adore unicorns, after all! It’s not hard to see why, either – they are fun, colourful, and exciting, as a mythical creature should be!
Use a mix of colour, glitter, and, of course, unicorns to create this theme. Colours like pink, purple, white, and blue work well for it.
Rainbow Theme
Rainbow themes work well for small children. The bright colours are perfect for any little boy or girl! Plus, the colours will instantly bring the birthday cake table decoration to life.
You could add jars of colourful sweets to the table along with rainbow-inspired cookies or cupcakes. We love this rainbow inspired 1st birthday from A & K.
Construction Theme
Many young boys love diggers and other construction-type vehicles. Of course, some young girls do, too! If you have a digger-obsessed kid, consider decorating their cake table with construction images, decorations and digger inspired food. You could put ‘caution’ tape along the table, get balloons in red, yellow, and orange, and even get a digger toy to put atop the cake!
Dinosaurs Theme
What kid doesn’t love dinosaurs? A dinosaur theme will always go down a treat, so get some dinosaur balloons and decorate with plenty of green. You could even make the table look like a jungle with little toy dinosaurs scattered around! For more dinosaur inspired party ideas check out Life’s Little Celebrations.
Cake Table Decoration Must-Haves
Now that you know some awesome cake table setup ideas, you need to know what items are necessary for decorating a birthday cake table. Below are some of the cake table decoration must-haves for any birthday party.
Balloons
Is it really a birthday if there aren’t any balloons? Luckily, there are tons of different types of balloons to choose from. You could get balloons shaped in your kid’s favourite cartoon character or a balloon with a person’s birthday age written on it.
For easy birthday table decorations, get several balloons in a select colour theme and fill in any gaps on the table. It’ll look great! Put some above the table, too, to ensure the entire space is well decorated.
Confetti
Confetti is an excellent way to add colour and life to a birthday table. You could sprinkle it around – making sure none of it gets on the cake! – or you could even make a picture or a word out of a bunch of it.
Cake
Of course, for birthday cake table decoration, you need the cake. You can either buy one, get one specially made, or even try your hand at making it yourself!
Make sure it fits the overall theme. For example, if you choose a dinosaur theme, you could bake a cake in the shape of a T-Rex! We love the DIY cake kits from Cake 2 The Rescue. Their kits make it easy for you to create a cake that will wow your guests whilst tasting just as delicious as it looks.
Cake Stand
The cake needs something to stand on – an average plate won’t suffice. Get a cake stand that fits the overall aesthetic of the table. Make sure it’s big enough for the cake itself, too! However, don’t forget that this could be reused for future parties, so don’t worry if it doesn’t fit the aesthetic exactly.
Cake Topper
You might look at the birthday cake and think it’s missing something. That something is the cake topper. We have a great range of awesome cake toppers here at Sweetheart Creative to suit a range of birthdays! It’s the finishing touch that you cannot do without.
How to Decorate a Cake Table for a Birthday Party
You know the ideas, and you know what you need, the question now is, how to decorate a cake table for a birthday party? Read below to learn how.
Select Your Theme
We have talked about several awesome themes, such as construction, dinosaurs, and unicorns, but there are plenty to choose from. If the birthday person is a little older, you might consider a more mature theme, like 80s films or black and white. Once you know the theme, you can start choosing the decorations.
Buy Your Decorations
Next, you need to buy the decorations. We’ve gone over the must-haves, like cake toppers and balloons, but you might have a few more items you want to buy, like a tablecloth or a bouquet. Make sure you check out the various birthday decorations we have here at Sweetheart Creative!
Order or Make the Cake
The cake is the focal point of a birthday cake table. After all, it is in the name! It is up to you whether you order or make the cake. If you order, you don’t have to worry about buying the ingredients and making sure it looks perfect. It might cost a little more, though. If you make the cake, you can gleam with pride once it’s finished and sitting in the middle of the birthday table. It all depends on your baking skills.
Plan How You’ll Place Your Decorations
If you are still wondering how to decorate a cake table for a birthday – the answer is planning. You don’t want to jump into placing balloons, confetti, and other decorations on the table! Instead, you must ensure everything is in its proper place to complement its surrounding. Get a sketchbook and map out the table for the best outcome. Use the images on this page for ideas or go to Pinterest to look for ideas. Doing this will ensure the finished look is perfect.
Decorate Your Table
Lastly, you must decorate the birthday cake table. It takes precision and a spark of creativity. You can adjust as you go. Invite some friends to help you, or if you prefer creating alone, do it yourself. If you’re worried about getting it wrong, start practising the day before. Don’t forget to snap a picture once it is complete!
More Birthday Cake Table Set Up Ideas
There are so many ways to set up a beautiful birthday cake table. You can be as creative as you like! With the right theme, decorations, and creativity, you can create a table that the birthday boy/girl will remember forever. Here are some more ideas.
First Birthday
Baby’s birthdays are the best. They might not remember it in five or twenty years, but how you spend their first birthday matters. Choose soft, pastel colours and decorate with lots of fun, child-like decorations. Don’t forget to purchase one of our 1st birthday cake toppers! It’s important to take plenty of pictures – of the table and your baby – so that they can look back on it when they are older.
18th Birthday
Everyone’s 18th birthday should be special. It’s a huge milestone, after all. It’s when a person becomes a real-life adult. Make the theme a little more mature than a usual kid’s birthday. If they have reached drinking age, you could decorate the table with some champagne or wine bottles to celebrate the occasion!
21st Birthday
Another significant birthday is 21. While 18 is adulthood, 21 is true adulthood. It’s all about independence and starting your life away from home. If you’re planning a 21st birthday party, make sure the table is fun and classy, with an amazing cake for the birthday person and guests to enjoy. If you want to focus on maturity, go with a black and white theme.
30th Birthday
Turning 30 is scary and exciting at the same time. For a 30th birthday, consider themes like the 90s, couture, or boho. Don’t forget the balloons and the bottle of champagne!
You could use food to decorate the table, too. For example, bake some cupcakes and put them on a small ferris wheel.
40th Birthday
Turning 40 is a lot like turning 30 – only older. For the cake, make sure you have a 40th cake topper sitting atop it. Choose a colour scheme, too – blue and gold work well. Fill the birthday table with flowers, snacks, and, of course, delicious drinks. You could even include a chalkboard backdrop with ‘Name’s 40th Birthday’ written on it.
Baby Shower
While baby showers aren’t birthdays, they deserve the same amount of preparation and decoration! Choose soft, pastel colours for your baby shower cake table. Congratulation balloons are a must, too – as are non-alcoholic beverages! When it comes to a baby shower cake table, the softer and prettier, the better. Let the mother-to-be indulge in a beautiful table while enjoying her food and gifts.
Creating the perfect birthday party means putting time, effort, and creativity into an awesome table. Use these birthday cake table decoration ideas at home to get it right.
