Portholes
Ticket & travel
A liner dressed in flags carries the cover on her bridge, and every photo looks out of a porthole of its own.
Party theme
Nautical Party Ideas & Invitations
A nautical party takes its look from the harbor: navy and white stripes, rope, anchors, signal flags and a sea breeze, with or without a boat. It suits going-away and retirement send-offs, nautical baby showers, coastal bridal showers and summer birthdays. Below are invitations where an ocean liner sails past or seaside shutters swing wide as guests open them, and ideas for the decorations, food, activities and favors.
Pick a design
Then a page effect
Portholes
A liner dressed in flags carries the cover on her bridge, and every photo looks out of a porthole of its own.
Nautical party at a glance
- Best for
- Bon voyage and retirement parties, nautical baby showers, coastal bridal showers, summer birthdays
- Colors
- Navy, white and red, or sea blue and lemon yellow for a Riviera look
- What makes it
- Stripes, rope and anchors, signal flags and a life ring with the guest's name
- When
- Late spring and summer
Nautical party invitation templates
These 3 designs draw the theme and play it as guests open the link. Press a design to watch it live, or Use to open it in the editor with your own details.
Use templateUse
Riviera Destination Wedding Website
Websites
A seaside wedding website with lemons, blue tiles, a striped awning and the RSVP built in.
Riviera Bridal Shower Website
Websites
A poolside bridal shower website with lemons, blue tiles, a spritz bar and the RSVP built in.
Nautical party animations
Intros play once as the page opens; effects keep moving behind it while guests read and reply. Put any of them on any design.
Bon voyage
An ocean liner glides past at golden hour, a photo in every porthole and gulls overhead, then the camera pulls back to the whole ship on the sea under the title, flags flying and her funnel smoking.
Use this introSeaside shutters
Painted shutters swing open on a sunlit sea, lemons on the sill and an awning flutters over the title.
Use this intro
Nautical party decoration ideas
- Signal flag bunting. Spell a name or "Bon voyage" in nautical signal flags: print a flag chart, cut the shapes from colored card and string them across the room.
- Rope and stripes. Wrap jars in rope for centerpieces and run a navy-and-white striped runner down the table.
- A named life ring. A life ring, or a foam wreath painted red and white, with the guest of honor's name or the baby's makes the welcome sign and the photo spot.
- Lemons and blue tile. For a Riviera-style shower, bowls of lemons, blue-and-white plates and a striped umbrella give the coastal Italian look.
- A captain's log. Set a notebook labeled "Ship's log" by the door for signatures and wishes; it becomes the keepsake.
Nautical party food ideas
- Seafood on ice. Shrimp cocktail, crab salad and smoked salmon go on a tray of ice and back in the fridge within two hours. Label shellfish clearly for guests with allergies.
- Mini rolls, two ways. Small lobster or shrimp rolls on soft buns beside chicken salad rolls, so guests who skip seafood have a main.
- Life-ring donuts. Plain round donuts iced white with red stripes look like life rings and need no baking.
- Harbor lemonade. Lemonade with lemon slices in a glass dispenser, plus a lemon spritz for grown-ups; label which is which.
- Boat snack cups for kids. Paper boat trays of fish-shaped crackers, grapes and cheese cubes are easy for small hands.
Nautical party games and activities
- Knot-tying station. Set out short lengths of rope and a card showing three knots: the square knot, bowline and figure eight. Grown-ups and kids from about seven enjoy it.
- The send-off. At the end of a bon voyage or retirement party, line guests along the path with streamers or small flags to wave the guest of honor off, as passengers do from a ship's rail.
- Message in a bottle. Guests write advice or a wish on a slip, roll it into a small corked bottle and drop it in a basket for the guest of honor to open later.
- Captain's quiz. Trivia about the guest of honor's life, or about the sea for a kids' party, with paper sailor hats for the winning table.
- Paper boat race. Fold paper boats and race them across a kiddie pool by blowing through straws. Keep an adult beside any water when young children are playing.
Nautical party favor ideas
- Saltwater taffy. A small jar of taffy or blue rock candy tied with rope and a tag reading "Thanks for coming aboard".
- Rope keychains. A navy-and-white rope keychain or bracelet, made in an afternoon from cord and key rings.
- Sunscreen for a day party. A travel-size sunscreen and a pair of sunglasses for an afternoon on the deck or the beach.
- Sailor hats. For kids, white sailor hats or paper ones folded from newspaper, handed out at the door.
Nautical party invitation wording
Copy one and change the names, or get more wording ideas.
Bon voyage
Anchors aweigh, Grace. She sets sail for Portugal next month; wave her off Sunday, May 16 at 4 PM. The Harbor Room at Bayview. Please RSVP by May 9.
Retirement
Captain Tom is retiring. After 28 years at the helm, join us on the deck Saturday, June 19 at 3 PM. Stripes encouraged.
Baby shower
Ahoy, a baby is on the way. A nautical shower for Hannah, Saturday, July 10 at 1 PM. Brunch, lemonade and a sea of good wishes.
Occasions for a nautical party
Each page has RSVP wording, timing and the questions to ask for that occasion.
How to make a nautical party invitation
- 1Press Use this design on one of the nautical party invitations above. It opens in the editor with its own intro and page effect already on.
- 2Type your title, date, time and place over the sample, and put your own photos where the design has them.
- 3To change the motion, tap Intro and try Bon voyage or Seaside shutters, or tap Effect and pick Beach Waves, Ocean Bubbles, Streamers or Sunset Rays. Every one is free.
- 4Create the event and share the link by text, email or QR code. Guests watch it play and RSVP on the same page, and you see every reply as it comes in.
Nautical party questions
- What colors are used for a nautical party?
- Navy, white and red are the classic set. For a softer coastal look, use sea blue, sand and white, or blue tile and lemon yellow for a Riviera theme.
- What do you wear to a nautical themed party?
- Navy and white stripes, linen, boat shoes or a sun hat. Writing "nautical attire" on the invitation gets the look into the photos.
- Is a nautical theme good for a baby shower?
- Yes, for a boy, a girl or a surprise: navy and white or soft blue, sailboats, whales and anchors, with wording like "Ahoy, a baby is on the way".
- What food goes with a nautical theme?
- Seafood if your guests eat it: shrimp, crab cakes, mini lobster rolls or chowder. Add a non-seafood main, lemonade and life-ring donuts so everyone has something.
- Is a nautical party invitation free?
- Yes. The 3 designs on this page and every intro and page effect are free on every event. A free event takes up to 20 RSVPs; a one-time upgrade per event raises the limit.
- Can guests RSVP to a nautical party invitation without an app?
- Yes. Guests open your link on any phone or computer, watch the invitation play, and reply on the same page with no app or account. Every reply lands on your dashboard.
Send your nautical party invitation
Start from the Portholes design, change the words and share one link. Guests reply on the page, with no app.