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Cowgirl Party Ideas: Fun with a Vintage Twist

June 23, 2021 by Leslie 1 Comment

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Wow! This is the most amazing cowgirl party that I’ve ever seen. This gorgeous party has it all, from easy DIY decor, to amazing buffet tables, and a fun favor bar – all with a vintage twist.

With over 70 guests, this party was huge. So today we’re breaking down all the details to help you stay inspired without becoming overwhelmed.

Close up of a little girl's cowgirl boots with the text overlay adorable cowgirl party ideas: Decor, favors, & food.

About the Party:

  • Creator: Melissa at The Larson Lingo
  • What Was the Occasion? 3rd birthday party
  • How Many Guests Did You Have? Over 70! 😲
  • Where Was the Party Held? The family’s backyard

I can’t stop ogling all the fun details from this adorable birthday party. There is so much to look at. I’m going to do my best to summarize it here, but you’ll want to check out the original post for all the little details.

One of the best things Melissa did for this very large party was to create several ‘stations’ throughout the space:

  • The snack buffet held all the appetizers & munchies for people to enjoy before the main course was served
  • The drink table was named “The Watering Hole.” How cute is that?
  • “Get Your Grub On” at the dinner buffet table
  • Claire’s Country Store was the name given to the adorable favor buffet
  • No party is complete without some desserts, which were all served from the Sweets Station

Pro Tip: keep your buffet tables distanced from each other – not side by side. This encourages your guests to move around the party space and mingle.

Cowgirl Party Decorations

From the moment guests arrived, Mel did an amazing job creating the feel of being at an old western ranch for a little cowgirl’s birthday party.

Handmade wooden sign that says "The Larson Ranch" over bunting made with burlap and lace

Welcome Sign

There are so many cute and creative ways to welcome guests to your party.

I love this rustic hand drawn wood sign paired with a burlap and lace bunting. Best of all, it’s something the family can use for years to come.

Collage of party decorations made with vintage fabrics, including buntings, tablecloths, and mason jar toppers

Decorating with Fabric

When you’re using a lot of vintage or vintage-inspired fabric for your parties, it can be difficult to find enough of one pattern for all your decor. Melissa brilliantly combined a variety of fabric by keeping the main color scheme simple with pink and brown tablecloths.

With the majority of the fabric in the party color scheme, she was then able to use small doses of coordinating colors to keep the party decor interesting.

cowboy party ideas for a girl, including hay bale seating, a wood sign, and wood boxes to hold food

Natural Elements:

I love how Melissa used natural elements to make the party feel more vintage:

  • Wood signs with hand drawn messages
  • Hay bales used as seating for the kids tables
  • Wood and metal stars on the buffet tables
  • Oversized 3s and Cs in wood to celebrate the birthday girl
  • Wood berry boxes to hold treats on the kids tables and on the favor buffet,
  • Dark wood boxes to hold the party food,
  • Hay used to cover the styrofoam that held up the s’mores pops, and
  • Burlap wrapped around boxes on the buffets to add texture.

Vintage inspired party banners - cowboy and cowgirl hats arranged as a banner, a photo banner of the birthday girl, fabric scraps sewn together as party banners, and a burlap bunting

Banners everywhere!

Y’all know I love my banners and buntings. And it looks like Melissa agrees…there were no less than 6 different banners for this party:

  • Rectangle fabric banner behind the food buffet (made from vintage sheets)
  • Photo banner of the birthday girl with pom poms near the sweets station
  • Another triangle fabric banner behind the sweets station.
  • Vintage cowgirl illustrations from a storybook over the appetizers table
  • Cowgirl and cowboy hats behind Claire’s Country Store
  • Burlap bunting with the photo booth and over the entrance to the party

Party Food & Drinks:

Feeding a crowd of 70+ people is no small task. But Melissa handled it brilliantly with four different food and drink tables.

Party appetizers, drinks and snacks, including vegetables, potato chips, popcorn, and lemonade served in mason jars

The Watering Hole (aka. The drink buffet):

  • Sweet Tea & Pink Lemonade
  • Root Beer
  • Vanilla Creme Soda
  • Orange Creme Soda
  • Beer for the adults

Appetizers & Snacks:

While the guests mingled, they got to enjoy plenty of ranch hand-inspired snacks:

  • Jalapeno Poppers
  • On the Ranch Veggies & Dip – Individual cups of veggies with ranch dressing at the bottom
  • Corn Dip
  • Trail Mix
  • Corn Chips

If you like these ideas, you’ll love my popcorn corn on the cob favors. Bags of popcorn are wrapped up to look just like ears of corn. They’re super cute!

Collage of party food: dinner buffet in tin foil pans, and a pie tin used as a food plate

Get Your Grub On – Main Course Menu:

This party was full of standard barbecue fare, but displayed in such a cute way.

My favorite part has to be that Mel used pie tins instead of plates. Not only do they look great stacked on the table, but they’re a fun and unique way to serve the food.

  • Pulled Pork Sandwiches
  • Hot Dogs
  • Cowgirl Coleslaw
  • Homemade Baked Beans
  • Potato Salad
  • Cowboy Salad
  • Watermelon Slices

Cowgirl themed dessert table foods, with a sign that says "Sweet Saloon"

The Sweet Saloon (aka – The Dessert Table)

  • Cupcakes with themed toppers
  • Cow Patties – brownie covered oreos
  • Pink Lemonade Pony cookies
  • S’mores Pops

Games and Activities

With so many kids at the party, you know there needed to be some fun entertainment.

Western themed party games: craftin corral, coloring pages, pony rides, and balloon animals

A definite wow moment had to be the pony rides. Apparently Melissa got them for a great price from a local farm.

And while the kids waited for their rides, she hired her babysitter to do face painting and to make balloon animals. (A genius way to keep the kids from getting bored)

RELATED>>>FIND OUT HOW HIRING YOUR BABYSITTER OR LOCAL TEEN CAN BE A HUGE SANITY SAVER WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK.

Melissa also included a craft station for the kids – a party activity I definitely recommend when toddlers are present. In this case, she gave it the cute name “Craftin Corral” and included crayons, cowboy/cowgirl coloring sheets, and a magnetic drawing game.

Photo booth setup with hay bales, a pink picture frame, a wagon wheel, and burlap bunting hanging from the tree above

I especially love the photo booth area. The hay bales are perfect for putting people at different heights, and placing it in front of a naturally pretty area means there was no need for a special backdrop stand.

The props were pretty darn cute too, with the pink painted frame and chair, that wagon wheel, a chalkboard sign, and plenty of small props guests could use to goof off.

Party favors - sweets buffet, brown paper to-go sacks, cowgirl up sign, toy sheriff badges, and old fashioned candy

Cowgirl Party Favors:

Talk about an epic favor buffet.

The children all got a brown paper lunch sack with a simple, but oh so cute, sticker that said “Hope Y’all Had Fun.” Then they got to fill the bag with goodies from “Claire’s Country Store”.

And while there was plenty of candy available at this buffet (let’s face it: who doesn’t love sweets?), Melissa also offered plenty of other options, too.

  • Cowboy/Cowgirl hats
  • Bandanas
  • Sheriff’s Badges
  • Toy Coins
  • Old Fashioned Candies:
    • Cow Tails
    • Hard Candy Sticks
    • Mary Janes
    • Slo Pokes
    • Salt Water Taffy
    • Dum Dums
  • Cowgirl Cookie Mix in a Jar

I’m pretty sure these munchkins had something special for several days before their bags ran out.

If You’re looking for More Cowboy and Cowgirl Party Ideas, You Might Like:

  • DIY Star Shaped Cupcake Stand – Instead of red, white, and blue, make your cupcakes gold like the sheriff’s badge!
  • Cornbread Pudding with Bacon – This delicious side dish is sure to be a hit.
  • Beer Brownies with a Pretzel Crust – Don’t worry, the alcohol bakes out, but the deliciousness of pretzels and brownies is just so good.

Close up of a cowgirl party buffet with a handmade sign that says Claire's Country Store

Now It’s Your Turn

I hope you enjoyed seeing all these gorgeous vintage cowgirl party ideas – and that you were inspired to create some of these ideas for your own little cowgirl or cowboy.

I know it can be overwhelming to keep track of everything that needs to go into a successful gathering. So I’ve created a one-page party planner to help you keep it all straight and make planning your parties as easy as possible. Click here to grab your free copy.


Join me over at Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter,

for more fun ideas and inspiration!


*This post was originally shared with permission on September 21, 2011. It has been updated with improved photos and more useful details.

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Filed Under: Kids Parties, Parties Tagged With: cowboy, cowgirl, Vintage

About Leslie

Leslie is the passionate party planner in her family. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she was determined to find a way to continue making amazing parties for her kids that don't leave you exhausted. To do that Leslie combines the experience she learned working for a professional event planner with the reality of a busy family life to create party inspiration that the average mom can reproduce and be proud of.

Comments

  1. ShootingStarsMag says

    June 29, 2021 at 7:54 am

    What a cute party! I love the hay bales for the kids to sit on. And all the food looks super yummy!!!

    -Lauren

    Reply

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