Caroline’s 10th Birthday Party

Caroline’s 10th Birthday Party was the perfect mix of fun and creativity, and it all centered around an epic pool party!

This year, Caroline wanted something a little different, so we added a twist to the classic pool party by combining it with a patch party activity. The girls had an absolute blast customizing their own toiletry bags with fun patches—perfect for letting their creativity shine.

From poolside games to a fruity water station and the cutest party favors, this birthday bash was all about making memories, staying cool, and having fun with friends. And at the end of the day, Caroline said it was her favorite birthday party ever.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

First, I am so grateful for the superstar vendors who really infused so much magic into Caroline’s big day.

Caroline planned out all her party details in a note on the iPad and shared it with me a few weeks before the party. It had everything perfectly organized, down to links for supplies and inspo photos. She had nailed down the food, drinks, colors, craft, and more. I was so impressed!

I also had a few surprises up my sleeve that she didn’t see coming though — the most colorful and fun balloons, vibrant and whimsy flowers, a dreamy tablescape, and the cutest coloring wall.

Let me show you all of it!

Caroline’s 10th Birthday Party Details

THE TABLESCAPE

Once we settled on a party date, my first call was to Melissa with Under The Sky Picnic. You may remember the Picnic Party Play Date she created for Caroline and her friends a few years ago. She is so talented, creative, and also the nicest person ever. We briefly went back and forth on a few details before she came up with the most colorful and happy tablescape that blew everyone away.

We used this picnic set-up not only for eating pizza and cake, but we transitioned it to a craft station for the second half of the party which was perfect!

The girls loved everything about this set-up — the fun pillows to sit on, the dainty flowers and colorful balloons. It was a tween girl dream. Oh, and the drink pouches were a HUGE hit.

BALLOON GARLANDS

Next up, the magical balloon garlands. Melissa worked with Southern Living Balloon Co. to plan out the coolest balloon set-up. I cannot even begin to describe what an impact these balloons had on the space. It was a rainy, dreary day, but the colorful balloons and fun daisies instantly brightened up the party and made it feel unbelievably cheery. It was the first thing guests noticed when they stepped onto the porch, and doubled as an incredible backdrop for the girls to take photos in front of.

I cannot recommend this Charlotte mom-owned business enough!!! Alyssa does phenomenal work and is an absolute joy to work with!!

FLOWERS

Sweet Peony designed the most stunning florals for the tables which was the icing on the cake. The florals were wild, whimsy, and colorful — the perfect finishing touch for elevating the decor for a tween girl party. The bright smiley faces mixed with dainty florals created a perfect balance of playful and fancy. I honestly haven’t seen any other local florist create anything similar to these arrangements and could not stop swooning over them. Truly a work of art!

10th Birthday Party

COLORING WALL

The coloring wall by Draw It By Mel was also a huge hit! Not only was it a cute decoration, all the girls signed and colored it — and now it’s hanging in Caroline’s room!

FOOD & DRINKS

Caroline planned out all the food she wanted to have at the party. She wanted lots of bagged snacks, fruit skewers, and cheese pizza! Super easy.

But my favorite request of hers was the fruit infused water station! She doesn’t love soda or carbonated beverages so I thought this was such a cute idea.

To come up with the flavors for her infused water station, Caroline searched Pinterest and decided on orange, lemon-lime, strawberry, and cucumber! I wasn’t sure if the other girls would be as excited as her, but they all LOVED it. I think every girl filled her drink pouch with every flavor throughout the party. Yay, hydration!

Caroline wanted her cake to be a surprise. I found an inspiration picture on Pinterest and had my Harris Teeter make the cake for $20!! It turned out so cute and she LOVED it. It was also delicious, as always, and was devoured before the party ended.

DECORATE-YOUR-OWN-BAG

Caroline found all the supplies on Amazon for the cutest activity to do with her girlfriends — they all decorated their own toiletry bags with their monograms/names/cute patches! THIS WAS SO FUN and I highly recommend it for an activity to do with tween girls! All of the bags turned out adorable and the girls had a blast making them! And it doubled as the cutest party favor.

The patches have a sticker backing, so we didn’t have to bust out glue. Just peel and stick.

I love that the girls can use these zippered bags for all sorts of things — toiletries, skincare, pencils/markers, hair accessories, the list goes on…

Aren’t these adorable?!

POOL GAMES

Last but not least, the pool games!!

A huge shout out to everyone who sent me game ideas when I polled y’all on Instagram. I shared all the suggestions with Caroline and she picked a handful of games she thought would be the most fun. Then she wrote them down on pieces of paper and the girls drew games out of the bowl throughout the party to play. And there were prizes! Caroline picked out some candy from the grocery store to award the winners (PSST — the large Twix Bars and packs of Cotton Candy Bubble Gum were the biggest hits).

10th Birthday Party Classic Pool Party Games

• Categories
• Silent Submarines
• Synchronized Swimming
• Float Race (2 girls per float)
• Silliest Jump Contest

The float race was so exciting and entertaining to watch, followed closely by the silliest jump contest!

And that was a wrap on Caroline’s 10th birthday party. It went even better than I could have ever imagined and I know she’ll remember this party forever. What a GREAT day with sweet friends.

You can see this party reel in action HERE!

10th Birthday Party Sources + Credits

VENDORS: Under The Sky Picnic / Southern Living Balloon Co. / Sweet Peony / Draw It By Mel

TABLESCAPE: Smile Napkins / Smiley Drink Pouches + Butterfly Straws / Checkered Paper Plates / Flatware

OTHER: Tube Floats / Beach Balls / Tablecloth / Water Pitchers

DECORATE-YOUR-OWN-BAG: Vinyl Zippered Bags / Chenille Letter Patches / Assorted Patches

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