How to Plan a Special Lilly Pulitzer Inspired 13th Birthday Spa Party

Looking for ways to celebrate a special 13th birthday girl? We had the best time with this 13th birthday spa party and here’s all our tips! Keep reading for all of our sources and everything you need to recreate this fun party!

I love being a mom and I’m so thankful that I have both daughters and a son. One of my girls, however, is the girliest girl and loves all things bright, colorful, and pampering! When her big 13th birthday rolled around, we wanted to do something really special that would fit her personality perfectly. A 13th birthday spa party was the perfect answer and she counted down the days!

While this post is very colorful for her Lilly Pulitzer inspired 13th birthday spa party, you could tweak the colors and style to fit the personality of your own special girl that you’re celebrating! We had so much fun and decided to share the details with you in case you have a special girl, really of any age, to celebrate!

Our family agreed that this party was perfect for our daughter but it would be fun for the girls of any age too!

Who’s ready to take a peek at one of our favorite parties ever? Here’s Addy’s 13th birthday spa party!

How do you plan a 13th birthday party for a girl?

We love celebrating all of the birthdays but try to do something a little extra special for our kids’ 13th birthdays. After all, you only get to become a teenager once in your life!

Here are a few tips to help you in the beginning stages of planning a 13th birthday party:

Decide on a guest list.
Choose a theme based on her interests.
Pick a location that suites the guest list or adjust the guest list, if necessary, to fit the location.
Determine the date and time.
Plan food appropriate for the time of day.
Look at the location and make a list of areas that can be decorated.
Pick decor to go with your theme.
Order the cake ahead of time.
Arrange arrival and set up at the venue.

Week of the party:

Purchase food.
Double check guest list and send out reminders.
Arrange for someone to help take pictures.
Assemble party favor bags.
Gather all decor in one place so everything is ready and you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
Arrange for balloons to be blown up/picked up/etc.
Wrap gifts.
Do any prep that can be done ahead of time.

Day of the party:

Load in to venue and set up as early as possible.
Allow time for pictures of the birthday girl and family (if applicable) before guests arrive.
Have FUN!!! (Planning ahead should make it a lot easier to have fun and enjoy your special birthday girl!)

Where to go on a girls 13th birthday party?

There are so many fun options for a girls 13th birthday party. Here are 13 ideas we thought of:

Home is always a fun option and what we usually do. Host a movie, spa, sleepover, or game night!
Nice shopping mall
Roller skating or ice skating rink
Bowling
Fancy restaurant for a night on the town
Boutique spa
Rent an air b n b for a special sleepover
Go to a resort hotel with a great pool
Beach or lake
Museum featuring interests of the birthday girl
Pottery or art class
Picnic at a park
Rent a limo (this is what we did for our other daughter; it was super fun!)

How do you make a 13th birthday party fun?

First of all, I think what is important is that it is fun for the birthday girl! Arranging the activities, menu, venue, and guests around her preferences will guarantee that she has a great time!

Secondly, keep things simple. I am learning that 13-year-old girls just want to talk, laugh, giggle, and talk some more. Some easy games and guided activities are great for part of the party. However, allow plenty of time for them to “relax and hang out” as my daughter says!

Thirdly, make sure that the activities are with all guests in mind. It’s a lot more fun if everyone can participate and feel comfortable. I have been to parties and events where it was maybe great for a few people and really awkward for others. Those tween/early teen years can be awkward enough, right?! Keep things casual and flexible for all involved.

Lastly, make sure YOU have enough help. Enlist older siblings, friends, or family to help make sure there is enough adult supervision and help with last minute preparations. If you can start the party without too much stress on yourself, everyone else will have a better time too! Plus, you get the opportunity to have time to make memories with your special girl!

How to host a girls spa party?

As I said, our Addy loves all things girly, so a spa party is right up her alley. You could host a really fun girls spa party at your home. However, since we had a small guest list and wanted to make this milestone birthday extra special, we booked a local boutique spa for a few hours.

Pro Tip: Check with local small businesses. The Rose and Rebecca Spa has different packages available for private events and was very reasonable. If your local spa doesn’t have packages, see if they would be open to working with you to create one! It’s a great business plan for small businesses!

If you are hosting a spa party at home, there are so many fun activities and things you can do.

Here are some great activities for hosting a spa party at home:

Purchase one or two budget-friendly foot spas and let the girls take turns giving each other pedicures.
Create spa bags for the guests with cooling face masks, eye masks, nail polish, nail file, cute hair clips, bath bombs, and lip gloss. They can enjoy using them together at the party and take the extra home with them as a party favor.
Hire a friend to come and give nice manicures and pedicures.
Do simple facials and skincare routines for each guest.
Offer cute sandwiches, sparkling water, and fancy mini desserts as if they were at a fancy spa.

How to Plan a Special Lilly Pulitzer 13th Birthday Spa Party

*I will add my shopping list along with links at the end of this post for everything you need to create these looks!

#1: Table decor for a Lilly Pulitzer inspired 13th birthday spa party

We had such a fun time gathering brightly colored accents for cute table decor. Even if you’re hosting a spa party at home, you’ll still want a cute table for the guests to enjoy cake and refreshments!

The venue provided the table set up, suited for 6-8 guests.

To bring the Lilly Pulitzer inspiration to life, I used some Lilly fabric napkins that I’ve had for many years as a table runner. Then, we added paper palm branches and bright flowers down the center of the table. Next, I added mini vases with faux white tulips (easy to transport!).

For the place settings, we used a woven placemat. Then, I put a large, disposable palm branch for a charger, topped with a pink plate. Lastly, a pink striped napkin finished off each place setting.

Pro Tip: The Lilly Pulitzer fabrics are usually a bit abstract and have varying shades. Use that to your advantage by mixing and matching shades of pinks, ocean blues, and other bright colors. It makes a really fun look. Plus, you can pick up clearance deals or use things you may already have rather than having to purchase matching collections of everything.

I will add my shopping list along with links at the end of this post for everything you need to create these looks!

#2: Menu for a Lilly Pulitzer inspired 13th birthday spa party:

I was able to keep the menu very simple by having the party in the middle of the afternoon. We didn’t have to serve lunch or dinner. Instead, simple refreshments were perfect for this sunny day!

As part of the spa package from the venue, they provided a picnic refreshment for the birthday girl and her guests. (Another big win for me, less stress, and one less thing to transport for us!)

Here were the cute refreshments for this fun party:

Tea party sandwiches
Fruit
Pink chocolate drizzled popcorn in turquoise cocktail glasses (these made fun appetizers and looked cute on the table too!)
Cookies with frosting and sprinkles
Chips
Sparkling pink lemonade (I found these cans that matched the party decor, which was really fun. They tasted good too!)
Individual mini bundt cakes for each guest (this was really fun and also a lot easier to transport than a bigger cake!)

Pro Tip: Anytime you can use food to double as party decor, do it! For example, the turquoise glasses with popcorn added a fun touch of color to the table and a delicious snack. Plus, the girls could carry them around them around and enjoy snacking throughout the party.

#3: Photo backdrop for a Lilly Pulitzer inspired 13th birthday party

Since most of the party was outdoors, I kept the rest of the decor very simple. We did a fun balloon garland behind the picnic area. This made a great spot for the girls to gather for pictures and was also a cute backdrop for the picnic.

I ordered large helium balloons for “13” and those were fun for pictures too!

Pro Tip: At the time of the party, we had several big things going on and time was of the essence. A local balloon company made the balloon garland for. us to pick up the night before. All we had to do was hang it up! By picking it up from the vendor and hanging it ourselves, we saved money and a ton of time.

You can purchase balloon kits very inexpensively if you have time enough to blow the balloons up and assemble it. We have definitely done that before and it’s always successful and adorable. However, for this particular event, I was thankful for the hired help!

You really can’t go wrong balloons. They are festive, fun, and budget-friendly. At the same time, there are so many creative ways to decorate with them too! I think balloons make the perfect photo backdrop for almost any party!

#4: Party favors for a Lilly Pulitzer inspired 13th birthday spa party:

Since we kept this particular party to a small guest list, I had more budget to work with on creating some really cute party favor bags. Here is what we included:

I conveniently purchased several of these from Amazon. Five Below and the Dollar Tree are also great places to find cute, small items. You can also shop ahead at sales from Bath and Body Works or similar stores for some nice, yet budget-friendly, party favors.

Pro Tip: Creating cute party favors can also help double as party decor too! Display them in a fun way to add to the decor. Plus, the guests will get excited about the gift they get to take home too!

Bonus: It’s less decor you have to pack up and put away at the end!

Shopping Guide for a Spa Birthday Party:

Here are some of the things we either purchased, used from my home decor stash, or borrowed to set up and decorate this fun party!

Lilly Pulitzer cloth napkins (had for many years)
Woven placemats
Palm leaf placemats
Meri Meri pink dinner plates (love this brand for anything party related!)
Gold disposable flatware (I buy this in bulk and use for other parties too; saves money over time!)
Colorful plastic cups for the popcorn (I got mine on clearance at a store but these would be cute too!)
Colorful placemats to create a table runner (I got my tropical style ones on deep clearance at a store; however, these would be perfect for a Lilly party!)
Cane and rattan plant stands (perfect for decor or food)
Wicker pedestal cake stand
Mini vintage inspired bud vases, set of 10
Realistic faux tulips (I used white because that’s what I already had. However, there are bright colors that would look adorable too!)
Tropical balloon garland
Rose gold happy birthday balloon banner
40″ gold foil number balloons for “13”
Pink individual charcuterie boxes for the mini cakes
Mini bundt cake maker

Are you ready to get your party started?

As you can see, we had a ton of fun with this special milestone party for our 13-year-old girl. It was a really special day because SHE is so special! We had fun adding touches of her favorite colors, patterns, and colorful style to make her celebration perfect for her.

No matter the age or style, planning a birthday party is such a special way to let someone know they are so loved. Planning a celebration for someone I love is one of my favorite things to do and the best part is to see them have fun and enjoy a well-deserved day of being celebrated!