It has become something of a tradition to celebrate a birthday while on our annual family vacation each summer. I have so many nieces and nephews and cousins and siblings, that there is bound to be someone ready to have a party thrown in their honor, while we are all together at a lakeside cabin in the mountains. This year, my nephew Micah took a turn for his eleventh birthday and wanted a Bow and Arrows Birthday Party.
I couldn’t help but take inspiration from the great outdoors for this party theme. Up in the mountains there is an abundance of things we don’t usually see where we live in the city – trees, rocks, foliage, and of course, open space. Taking this inspiration, I began to design all the graphics needed to decorate a Bow and Arrows Birthday Party.
Gorgeous Dessert Table
Micah’s dessert table turned out just perfect! I covered a plain plastic six-foot table with a crisp tan tablecloth from Tablevogue, it became the perfect canvas for hanging all of the paper banners. I used two old wooden crates – one, very deep and inset with mini hay bales, and the other, very shallow and adorned with a paper target printout – as the centerpiece of the table. I also added extra-large arrow silhouette cutouts to the crates, and arranged them as if they were just randomly shot at the table.
I then placed metal cake stands, wood cake stands and more hay bales to use as risers. Vintage jars held snacks to dispense into the popcorn boxes and vintage metal cans held party favors.
We had a mix of store bought and homemade sweet treats:
- brownies
- cake pops
- chocolate covered sandwich cookies
- s’mores in a jar
- lemon cake
Archery Party Activity
For this family birthday party, the kids ranged in age from 9 to 15, which made it fairly simple to plan an activity that suited everyone. Before going on the trip, I purchased two realistic, but not real, bows, and a dozen rubber tipped arrows. I also made two targets, a traditional round one, and one in an apple shape, printed them and mounted them to foam core. The kids all took turns with the bows and arrows, and really enjoyed the challenge.
In addition, I came up with a fun outdoor scavenger hunt, one where the kids could take a photo of the item on the list, rather than collect it and bring it back.
Archery Party Planning Tips
When planning a party, there are several things I try to keep in mind, with budget-saving tips at the top. Start by making a list of items you already have that would work for your event. Before you buy anything, ask a friend or neighbor to borrow items like serving platters and beverage dispensers. Set up a mock tablescape at home – even if it’s on the floor – and take a quick picture of it so you can remember the layout. Also, when I do use disposable cups and cutlery, I always buy the same brand, color, and size so there are never leftover mismatched turquoise knives or unused pink plastic margarita glasses.
The Wrap Up
My nephew’s party turned out to be the perfect mix of sugar and targets!
Happy party guests, exhausted from their evening scavenger hunt, came back laughing with their stories and photos of the things they found. At the end, we handed out party favors to remember the event: candy packaged with a matching themed favor tag. A great time was had by ALL!
We’ve worked really hard to make this party easy for you to throw for your birthday kid too! You can download this complete PDF party kit to personalize and print at home. Almost all of the items are editable so you can enter in your own personalized information. This printable Bow and Arrows Birthday Party includes:
- Invitation (fits A7 envelope)
- 2” round cupcake toppers
- Small Arrow Silhouettes
- Large Arrow and Bullseye Silhouettes
- Party Favor bag Toppers
- Party Food Labels (tent style)
- Jar Labels
- Straw / Cake pop topper
- Water bottle labels
- Popcorn Box
- Sign
- Pennant Banner
- Mini Arrow pennant pieces
- Full Sheet of Patterned paper
- Scavenger Hunt Game
- Target practice posters (2) 20×30″
- Giant Arrows Silhouettes (3) 18×24″ or 24×36″
- Giant Bullseye Target Silhouette 12×12″
Buy it now, or pin it for later!
More Customizable Party Themes for Your Tween Party
You can easily customize all of these party themes to celebrate your teen birthday in style!
Vendor Credits:
Party Decorations and styling Paper & Cake
Tablecloth available from Tablevogue
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