Fishing Themed First Birthday Ideas
Fishing Party: Rowdy is Reeling in the Big ONE. Looking for the perfect first birthday theme for your little man? Check out this fishing themed first birthday party for inspiration.
Be sure to also check out our pirate party ideas, wild one party ideas and other first birthday party inspiration.
This party also contains DIY Fish Sugar Cookies and DIY Bobber Oreo Pops.
My sweet baby Rowdy just turned the big ONE!!! It was so much fun to come up with ideas for throwing a first birthday party for my little man.
See…I’ve been a girl mom for SOOOO long. This is my first little boy. I literally went through dozens of boy birthday party ideas for this kid, because we’ve been all about the girly birthdays for a decade!!!
Rowdy ALMOST had two parties because this mama had a super hard time deciding on a theme!
Fishing Party Theme
For little man’s first birthday party, I settled on a fishing theme. This was perfect for us because my husband is SUPER into fly fishing. We spend time every spring/summer on the lake fishing.
Rowdy as a little baby had already spent time on at least three lakes before he was 6 months old. Also, I’m a punny girl…I love me a good pun.
So the play on words with “Reeling in the Big One” was just too much adorable cuteness.
I NEEDED to throw him this party. And trust me it was hard to not do a Star Wars party. (You can learn more about my Star Wars obsession with this Chewbacca Party!)
I had such a great time styling this fishing party, though….it is one of my favorite parties ever. (I may or may not say that about every party I throw!)
I created fun brightly colored fishing printables to accent all the DIY party desserts I made for this awesome-sauce party.
Fishing Desserts & Party Food
The desserts were super fun to make. I really wanted to hand-make as much of the food as possible. Of course, I couldn’t resist splurging on some adorable fishing cookies I found from Case Bakes!!!
Here are my handsome fellow and his helpful big sister (catching an active one-year-old for party photos isn’t always the easiest task). He did sit still, however, for his smash cake!!!
I made super easy Rice Krispies fish in bright colors for the kids to eat. Be sure to check out the easy DIY tutorial for these fun little Rice Krispies fish using this cookie cutter.
I also used fondant to top super yummy buttery sugar cookies in the same colors. There was plenty of fish to go around for all party guest.
Also, check out the tutorial for these fondant topped fish. They were definitely a hit and super-duper easy to make.
The dessert that definitely got grabbed up the fastest, was my bobber Oreo pops. These hand a nice vanilla taste to them (along with Oreos of course) and were so easy to make!!
Be sure to check out the tutorial for making Bobber Oreo Pops.
Along with those reeling in the big one cookies and desserts, I made shore cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting), lake cupcakes (vanilla cupcakes with light blue/teal frosting).
In the blue cupcakes, I added cute little candy fish “swimming” in the water!
For the main table cake and also Rowdy’s little smash cake, I made a chocolate cake with chocolate filling and did a simple petal icing to give it a “water-like” feel.
To display the cake, I used an old bucket (actually it was my mom’s ice cream maker) turned upside down as a cake stand.
The cake was topped with a simple string of fish I found at Hobby Lobby. It was a really easy cake to make and was so perfect for this party.
Decorations
When it came to planning the decorations. I wanted a bright fish meets watercolor water/wood feel. I made Reeling in the Big One printables with bright colors and wood and water.
For the party table, I used teal fabric and a simple fish net to make the tablecloth. I laid the fish net out on top of the fabric in a haphazard manner to give it a “thrown in the water” feel.
I used wood crates to set the food on the table and give different dimensions and height to the table. The party foods were served on wood plates and trays.
I set out some of my husband’s fishing gear (reels, nets, flies) on the crates as well to help bring together the fishing theme.
Using Kraft letters and scrapbook paper, I make letters that read “ONE” with the “O” made into a bobber. Lastly, I strung caught fish (printable fish) from the crates.
We used my mom’s old-fashioned high chair for the smash cake photos. This chair fits in perfectly with the rustic fishing party theme. I tied the printable high chair banner with pieces of ribbon to make a fun high chair banner.
Here is a close-up of the adorable custom fish cookies. I think the one with Rowdy’s name on it was my favorite, but honestly, with fish cookies this cute, it’s hard to choose.
Also…here are the lake cupcakes all lined up…I love how these turned out.
Party Details
Since it is July and a fishing themed party…all the kids swam in the pool which was the perfect party activity.
Rowdy had an amazing time with his smash cake and it was the perfect first birthday party for my little fisherman.
For the welcome wreath, I wrapped a foam wreath with burlap and added the printable fishing party welcome sign. I think it turned out super cute!!
Happy, happy first birthday to my sweet little man, Rowdy! Hope you loved this fishing party as much as I loved styling it!
Be sure to also check out our pirate party ideas, wild one party ideas and other first birthday party inspiration. Also, be sure to check out the tutorials for DIY Fish Sugar Cookies, DIY Bobber Oreo Pops and DIY Fish Rice Krispies Treats.
Here are helpful links for throwing a fishing party:
Wanna throw a fishing party?
The printable fishing party decorations are available in my shop:
Fishing Party Supplies
Here are some cute and easy to use party supplies to make planning a fishing themed party so much simpler:
Fishing Tableware from Oriental Trading
Fishing Photo Props from Target
Fish Piñata from Oriental Trading
Conclusion for Fishing Party:
Throwing a Fishing themed party is simple and adorable. These ideas are great for styling a first birthday party or any fishing themed bash.
Here are some helpful links for planning a fishing themed party:
If you love these party ideas, please pin this image to your birthday Pinterest Board:
Related posts for Fishing Cookies:
- Simple Bobber Oreo Pops
- Easy Fish Cookies for a Fish Party
- Trending Baby Shower Themes
- Popular Themes for Boy Parties
- Style a Sweet Bear Baby Shower
- Caramel Apple Ideas for Fall
- Woodlands Desserts and Party Ideas
- Pumpkin Recipes and Food Ideas
- Farm Party Ideas
This is such a cute theme! Printables are adorable as are the fishy rice krispy treats!
Oh my goodness, this is absolutely adorable! You did a great job pulling it all together!
So stinkin’ adorable!!! I cannot even comprehend. Plus, I do love me some fish, to eat of course, but I appreciate it all too! LOL!
I love this theme Holly! My favorite parts are the wood and the cupcakes! So Cute!!!
This makes me nostalgic for when my boys were small. What a cute idea!
This is adorable! I love it, you must have put so much work into this!
Such a cute idea! I grew up going fishing all the time with my dad, so this is so awesome!!
Awww. That smash cake and cookies, so cute!!!
What a clever theme! I love the whole idea of reeling in the big one! Everything is just adorable!
You are quite talented. I can’t believe you did all this. You have one lucky little man. He is adorable.
What a beautiful party idea! I am sure everyone had a wonderful time!
What a cute birthday theme! I love the cake and the fish cookies – they look amazing!
I like the colorful fish cookies in this week theme. You always have great ideas for birthday parties! Brilliant!
So cute!! My sister is going to love this party theme. And the blue color looks pretty as well. Thanks for sharing.
It is such a “fishy” party that I’ve ever seen in my life, but don’t misunderstand what i mean:)) They are so adorable, like all the parties that you have made before! Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic idea!
What a fun birthday theme for little boys. Great idea.
This is a very cute theme. I love the rice krispy fishies. I’ll have to keep this idea in mind for my childrens’ birthdays!
I love that you always have themed food. The fish rice crispy treats are the best! The colored chocolate just makes them.
Such a cute party idea! I love it! I would want a fishing party, too.
I love the bobber oreo pops! Those are so awesome. The whole set up is unique and your little guy looks so happy!
Such a wonderful idea! Am I too old for a fishing party?
I absolutely love this theme! It’s so unique and different!
Such a cute birthday theme and I am sure all his guest will like it. I will share this also to my cousin to give her a unique idea for his son birthday party.
What an adorable idea/party theme! I especially love the half-dipped fish-shaped rainbow Rice Krispie treats – those are amazing! Well done, Mama! :)
What a darling theme for a first birthday!! I love the fish-shaped treats and the high-chair banner is perfection!
Such a sweet party theme for a little boy. Very cool printables too! Great job!
Those cupcakes are seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen!!! Such fun ideas here!
This party theme is adorable! For my middle son, we did an UNO theme for his first birthday. My youngest had A Very Hungry Caterpillar-themed party. I never thought of the fishing party idea!
Wow, this party theme look an amazing! The kids will love it. I love all the decorations:) lovely
Wow! This looks great! I will save this for later since my son’s birthday is coming up
This is a super cute party theme for children.
What an adorable theme! May need to run this idea with our niece or nephew.
What a lovely party theme this is! i love all the bright colours and fun fish! I bet it was such a great party.
What a super cute and creative idea! I love the fish cookies, they are adorable.
What a very cute theme! The designs and color really blend well. so cute!
I love all of your party ideas. The fishing theme here does look like such a lot of fun. I think my daughter and I would have fun making the fish rice Krispy treats. They look great.
Can I just say my sons name is Roudy pronounced “Rowdy” and I’ve been planning an officially one birthday since he was born.I saw the name on this and couldn’t believe it. Such a rare name lol