Betsy’s Carousel Party: A Vintage Parisian 3rd Birthday
Betsy’s Carousel Party
Our sweet Betsy turned three, and I’m still trying to catch my breath from the swirl of joy, sugar, and pastel-colored magic that was her birthday party. It was dreamy, playful, and full of heart—just like she is. We called it Betsy’s Carousel party, and every little detail was designed to feel like a step inside her wonder-filled world.
Set at our new home and in the yard, the party had the charm of an old-fashioned fair with just the right touch of Parisian whimsy. From the ticket stand to the carousel horse centerpiece, every corner told part of the story.
🌸 Decor Details
The centerpiece of the carousel party was a gorgeous vintage carousel horse surrounded by a sculptural bowl full of flowers—a labor of love and one of my favorite moments to style. I also created a floral arrangement for the entryway with a mini parasol accent, inspired by the always-talented Brittany from Parties by B. She’s a friend of mine, and when she moved out of her house, she left me the carousel horse, and it inspired the entire theme of the party!
A few more of my Carousel Party decorations included:
- A merry-go-round cupcake stand
- A mini ferris wheel for decoration — you can only use this one for miniature cupcakes
- A handcrafted cake topper that I made using my Cricut, these designs, and these supplies
- A kids’ size table and chairs with a French linen tablecloth, wavy pink plates, miniature parasols, and bow-tied cups that pulled the whole look together.
The cake topper
🍓 The Menu
We kept things fun, nostalgic, and toddler-friendly with a few elevated touches:
- Ice cream cake from Mountain Brook Creamery — THE BEST, and I mean, the BEST ice cream cake I’ve ever had. We had a mishap with our cake order from the grocery store, so I called them the day before, and they were able to deliver. They made this ice cream cake by party time the next morning! It was DELICIOUS!
- Mini tea sandwiches from Ousler’s — always my go-to. I usually order three dozen–a dozen chicken salad, a dozen pimento cheese, and a dozen egg salad. They last about a week as they come wrapped individually.
- A Chick-fil-A nugget tray (always a win!) — this, or the popcorn chicken tray from Publix for the kiddos.
- Cheddar bunnies — I assembled these in little clear snack cups labeled “Betsy’s Carousel Snacks,” stickers I made on my Cricut.
- Cotton candy push pops I found on Etsy—they looked as sweet as they tasted! These ended up being extra favors, because there was so much sugar to indulge in! They were so super cute though!
- Fruit salad served in a wavy bowl — always need some healthy sides. I didn’t have time to get the veggie cups or yogurt parfaits together, so it was just this and apple sauce pouches for the win!
- Popcorn in scalloped carnival boxes — a cute on-theme side
- Iced sugar cookies from The Cookie Chefs that were almost too cute to eat! Parasols, number 3s, swans, and of course–carousel horses!
🎠 Party Activities
We planned activities that felt simple and special for toddlers to enjoy. The kids bounced their hearts out in a blush pink bounce house and spent the rest of their time rotating through these stations:
- A ticket stand for play pretend ticket sales (I made this grocery stand years ago for Molly Kate, but there a cute one you could order here)
- Stick horses that were a hit for little laps around the yard
- A carousel horse craft, made from Cricut cutouts, straws, pom poms and cupcake liners that the kids could decorate and assemble (I helped them hot glue them all together)
- Coloring pages with vintage carousel art to keep tiny hands busy. Use these graphics and create your own coloring pages on Canva!
- A bubble station for endless giggles! I highly recommend this bubble machine for loads of bubbles!
Carousel Party Favors
Last but not least–carousel party favors. I always like to surprise and delight the little ones with a special little favor to take home after a birthday party. This time, I set up the party favor cart with a cutwork parasol shading a wicker bar cart for a vintage Parisian feel. The treat boxes included macaron surprise balls, iced animal cookies (the mythical creature kind), a mini parasol umbrella, and a lollipop.
I tied a ribbon around the clear treat box and created a custom sticker with the pastel carousel graphics. I designed it on Canva, exported it on a transparent background as a PNG, and then imported that into my Cricut program to cut the stickers into oval shapes. We also had ribbon wands for the taking.
💗 Carousel Party Sources
So many of you asked about where I found everything for this vintage Parisian carousel birthday, and many items are linked throughout the blog post, but if you want everything in one shopping list, here’s a quick breakdown of sources:
Amazon Sources
Other Party Sources:
It was a day filled with laughter, sugar, and little carousel dreams come true. And at the center of it all was Betsy—twirling, beaming, and feeling so very celebrated. We’ll treasure these memories forever.
Happy 3rd birthday to our sunshine girl. The world is brighter with you in it. 💕
For more birthday party and hosting ideas, check out my Celebration blog posts! Be sure to follow on Instagram for more inspo, tips and tutorials, and subscribe to my email list below to get the weekly update!
