How To Host the Ultimate “Finding Nemo” Birthday Party

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This past week, my son turned three. We lived in Vegas the last five years, and flew home to help celebrate his first birthday, but couldn’t make it back for his second birthday. Having moved back home two months ago, I was VERY excited about hosting his third birthday. Finally, a party I could host, plan, and enjoy – watching all of our family celebrate my son’s birthday.

Naturally, I went ~~overboard~~ all out, but it turned out so cute, I had to share the details.

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Theme Inspiration: Why Finding Nemo?

My son loves Disney movies, and after decking out his entire room in a CARS theme, I was ready for something different. Finding Nemo was perfect—it’s colorful, nostalgic for us grown-ups, and has just enough variety to make decorating fun without being overwhelming. Plus, who doesn’t love Dory?

DIY Finding Nemo Party Decorations

1. Handmade Invitations with Cricut
Digital birthday party invitations are handy, but I used my trusty Cricut to make custom party invitations, and this time, I got to use the color pens to draw instead of cut—game changer! I shrank down the Nemo design from a previous project (remember my DIY Design Dye Shirt?) and added elements like seaweed and bubble icons from the Best of Pixar cartridge. I even scored a free party wording cut from the Something to Celebrate cartridge the week I made these. The result? Adorable, personalized invitations that set the tone for the party.

As some of you know from following me, we are living with my mom at the moment, and as I walked around her house planning the party layout, I was struck by the wall cutout directly over her kitchen sink, which opens to the rest of the kitchen/eating area.

2. Aquarium-Inspired Buffet Table
Since my mom’s kitchen is galley style, with the cutout serving as sort of the “island”, you can walk completely around it. The centerpiece of the party was the buffet table, set up in front of what I turned into an “aquarium.” (Um, yeah – I went there.) I used blue cellophane to mimic water and created mirrored cutouts of Nemo characters like Marlin, Dory, and Squirt. Each character was double-sided, so the “aquarium” could be seen from both sides. It was a simple touch that made a big impact.

Tip: I originally toyed with the idea of putting clear cellophane over either side for “glass”, but it looked a little too cloudy.

3. DIY Party Hats
Blue party hats became Dory hats with the addition of some eyes and fins. These were a hit—especially with the younger kids (and the occasional adult). They were quick to make, affordable, and tied the theme together.

4. Birthday Banner and Front Door Decor
I used my Cricut again to create a festive birthday banner out of “bubbles” and letters for the entrance way; I also decorated the front door with large cutouts of Nemo and Dory, to welcome the guests. These simple touches made the space feel welcoming and on-theme right from the start.

These simple touches made the space feel welcoming and on-theme right from the start.

Food and Treats: Easy and Thematic

1. Turtle Cupcakes
I found a tutorial online for adorable Turtle Cupcakes and couldn’t resist recreating them. I used smaller chocolate chips for the eyes and positioned them forward-facing for a slight twist. I ordered cupcakes from the grocery store bakery, and they were a tad on the small side – some of our turtles “lost their heads” a time or two, but they were still a huge hit with the kids and adults alike – and, for once, not a Pinterest-style fail!

Original

Unfortunately the original link has disappeared, so I can’t give credit.😞

MY Version of the Turtle Cupcakes

2. The “Anemone Sticks” That Got Away
One of my best ideas—pretzels dipped in melted Wilton candy to look like sea anemones—didn’t make it into the photo gallery. They were delicious and fun, and I’m still kicking myself for not snapping a picture. Womp, womp.

3. Pull-Apart Cupcake Cake
The “cake” was a happy accident. Our local bakery offered a pull-apart cupcake cake shaped like a clownfish, which fit the theme perfectly and saved me the stress of baking.

Keeping the food simple, we set up the table in front of the aquarium with easy sandwiches from my beloved Jimmy John’s, homemade pasta salad, veggie platter with dip, pickles, snack chips, goldfish crackers (duh!) and the cake/cupcakes for dessert.

Activities for the Kids

To keep the little ones entertained, I borrowed a bounce house from a friend and set it up in the backyard, near the swing set. We also added a small roller coaster toy for extra fun. Between these activities, the kids were happily exhausted by the end of the party.

Budget-Friendly Goody Bags

One of my other favorite parts about throwing this party? It was CHEAP! The most expensive part was the food and drinks – I made all the decorations, borrowed the toys, and the put together some super cute goody bags with amazing Dollar Tree finds for goody bags:

Canvas Bags: I found blue and orange canvas bags for $1 each—perfect for the theme.
Bubbles: A six-pack of bubbles for $1 was a no-brainer.
Nemo Toys: They had Nemo, Dory, Squirt, and Bruce figurines for $1 each.
Bath Toys: I broke up packs of water animal bath toys ($1 each) so every bag had something different, like a turtle, crab, or dolphin.
Sticker/Coloring Books: Target had adorable sticker books for $1.29 each.
Nemo Stickers: My biggest “splurge” at $2 per pack from Michaels—but worth it for the cute designs.

These bags were affordable, fun, and totally on theme.

The Best Part: Family and Fun

What made the day so special wasn’t just the decorations or food—it was watching my son run around with his cousins, surrounded by family and friends. Seeing the joy on his face made every late-night crafting session and dollar spent worth it.

I knew I’d get SOMEONE in a Dory hat – poor baby cousins are the first to be victimized….