Time to SAIL AWAY to a Nautical 30th Birthday Party from Marina del Rey to Santa Monica on a 40-foot Catamaran! Wedding photographer Jordana Hazel of Hazelnut Photography set sail with friends to celebrate her husband’s SURPRISE 30th birthday!

Growing up along the coast myself, I fell head over heels for all the nautical details of this surprise party. From the handmade fleece blankets and flag pillows to the sand-filled invitations and delicious seafood appetizers, get ready to SET SAIL….

Read on for more pictures + lots of Nautical 30th Birthday Party inspiration….

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Jordana…

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Inspiration

I am a wedding photographer and absolutely LOVE to be a part of such a festive day.  I think it leads me to go overboard on my own parties though!   For my husbands’ 30th  birthday, I knew I wanted to do something super special.  I decided on a SURPRISE party with only our closest friends and family on a 40 foot Catamaran.  We sailed from Marina del Rey up to Santa Monica on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon!

Invitations

I wanted to make the event incredibly personal, and with such a small guest count, only 10 of us, I was able to!  I shipped the invitations in red boxes, filled with sand and invitations created to look like nautical flags with sailing rope.

Decor + Food

I made fleece blankets and pillows, also to look like nautical flags.  Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank created fondant nautical flags for the cupcakes and more flags were tied around koozies and banana pudding jars.  For food, we kept it super light… shrimp, fresh salsa, egg salad, cheeses, s’mores & banana pudding in mason jars and cupcakes.