How to Throw a Titanic Party

Co-authored by Natasha Miller

Last Updated: January 24, 2022 References

Thanks to popular culture and the 100th anniversary of it's sinking in 1912, nearly everyone is familiar with the Titanic. Since the release of the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in 1997, "Titanic-themed" parties have gained in popularity. With a few inexpensive materials and a bit of historical knowledge, you can host a successful party based on the movie or the actual event.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Preparing the Invitations

1
Send electronic or paper invitations with a nautical theme. Look for designs including cruise ships, anchors, seascapes, and so forth. You could also consider designing invitations that resemble tickets or boarding passes. Check out Etsy or Zazzle for original designs. To add a personal touch, use greeting card software or online templates that allow you to get creative. You can find free customizable templates at https://www.greetingsisland.com.
2
Choose hand-written calligraphy or a cursive typeface for the lettering. Documents from 1912 show that cursive handwriting was more common than it is today.^{[1]
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Research source} You can reproduce this with popular fonts, such as Edwardian Script ITC or Lucida Handwriting (both available on Microsoft Word). Certain applications offer different font selections. Stick to typefaces that guests with vision problems will find readable and large enough to see.

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3
Ask guests to dress in clothing suited to 1912 or near that era. Women's clothing emphasized length and straight posture.^{[2]
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Research source} Formal attire for men was similar to today's long-tail tuxedos and trousers.^{[3]
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Research source}^{[4]
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Expert Source

Natasha Miller
Event Planner & CEO, Entire Productions
Expert Interview. 20 April 2021.} Don't be too fussy, since it can be hard to find affordable costumes from that era.
- Women can tie their hair up in a bun.
- Both sexes can wear hats.
- Both sexes can also wear long jackets.
- Typical women's fashions in 1912 included long skirts or dresses and long-sleeve blouses. Popular fabrics included silk and cotton.
- Formal attire for men included long trousers, white shirts with rounded or upright collars, and ties.
- Accessories included large jewels and long strings of pearls.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Decorating the Party Space

1
Make a boardwalk for the entrance to your party. Corrugated cardboard, especially from an old box, is a good inexpensive choice.
- Tape several pieces together if one piece is not long enough. Cover the finished boardwalk with white contact paper.
2
Add paper waves around the boardwalk. This will give the setting a more realistic feel. You can use white paper colored with blue markers or blue construction paper. Use scissors to cut out the wave pattern.
3
Make life preservers. You can attach them to a piece of rope to hang on the back of your sofa or dining room chairs. Inexpensive polystyrene rings from the local craft shop are a good choice as a first step.
- Use red markers to draw solid red rectangles at the top, bottom, left, and right of the ring. Alternatively, you can wrap strips of red fabric around the ring at these spots. The finished design should look like a cross.
- Using lettering stencils and a blue marker, write "R.M.S. Titanic" across the top and "Southampton"^{[5]
  X
  Research source} across the bottom. The lettering should be on the face of the ring.
- Glue or tape a piece of rope to the outside of the ring at the edge of each red area. Make sure the rope hangs freely in the areas between the areas of red.
4
Make portholes. Decorate half of the portholes with pictures of a calm ocean. Use pictures of icebergs and choppy seas for the other half. Hang the portholes on the wall using a putty adhesive, which won't damage your walls.
- Paper plates with the centers cut out of them work well for this decoration.^{[6]
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  Research source}
- Glue old metal nuts or ring-shaped cereal to accent the frame.
- Color with silver or gold paint or markers.
- Apply clear plastic to each plate to act as the porthole's window.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Choosing Themed Activities

1
Play the movie "Titanic" in the background. Consider making an area where guests can sit to watch the movie. Place some extra chairs near the sofa. Lay some large pillow or cushions on the floor if your guests want to spread out. It's always good to have a place for everyone to relax and have fun.
2
Plan a karaoke night. Choose songs from the period of around 1912, the "Titanic" soundtrack, songs about the sea or sailing, etc. A selection of early 20th-century songs is listed at http://pdmusic.org/1900s.html. Whether you keep the music within a certain era or theme or mix and match is your choice.
3
Play music in the background. No party is complete without music! Select songs from the early 1910s, music from the movie soundtrack, or nautically-themed songs. It's up to you whether the playlist is strictly one theme or a mixture.
4
Hold a Morse Code contest. Have copies of the Morse Code alphabet available for your guests. Write out a message in Morse Code for your guests to decode. This could be a quote from the movie, the name of a famous passenger from the voyage, a headline about the ship or the disaster, etc. Award prizes for the first three people who finish decoding.
5
Play Titanic-themed games. Design new movie- or event-related question cards for your old trivia games. Plan a game of charades in which your guests act out historical figures, movie characters, or Titanic-related issues. You could also get really creative and make your own board game!

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Choosing Themed Food

1
Serve food that fits the era. Pinwheel sandwiches, dainty cupcakes, nasturtium flower sandwiches, cream cakes, etc. are ideal.^{[7]
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Research source} Baked or mashed potatoes and simple salads, featured on the first-class lunch menu, are acceptable. Try to serve on fine bone china and silverware where possible.^{[8]
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Research source}
2
Serve beverages that Titanic passengers would have consumed. Iced lager (pale beer), brandy, and white wine were favorites.^{[9]
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Research source} You could also choose non-alcoholic alternatives, such as near beer, cola, and ginger ale.
- Cocktail hour is really popular on cruise ships, so fun drinks are a great addition to a Titanic-themed party. You could also serve your drinks in ornate glasses as a fun homage to the historical era.^{[10]
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  Expert Source
  
  Natasha Miller
  Event Planner & CEO, Entire Productions
  Expert Interview. 20 April 2021.}
3
Buy or bake a cake that fits the theme. This can be as simple as baking a rectangular or circular cake. Top with white icing, and write "Titanic" in blue icing. You could also bake a cake shaped like the Titanic or a cruise ship.^{[11]
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Research source}
- Bake a cake in a rectangular pan.
- Have a jar of fruit jam available as an edible adhesive.
- After the cake cools, cut it in half lengthwise.
- Set one half aside. This will be the base.
- Cut the other half into three rectangles of slightly differing lengths.
- Attach the two longer two pieces together and to the base in a V-shape.
- Fasten them together with the jam.
- Place the smallest rectangle on top to form the upper deck.
- Apply the icing.

Expert Q&A

Question

What are some good party favors for a Titanic-themed party?

Natasha Miller
Event Planner & CEO, Entire Productions
Natasha Miller is an Event Planner, Chief Experience Designer, and President of Entire Productions, an event and entertainment production company based in San Francisco, California. Notable clients Natasha has collaborated with include Apple, Google, Gap, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., and Salesforce. Natasha and Entire Productions has been awarded Inc. 5,000's "Fastest Growing Companies in America", Entrepreneur Magazine's 360 List of "Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America." Entire Productions is also a Certified Women Business Enterprise. Natasha is a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

Natasha Miller

Event Planner & CEO, Entire Productions

Expert Answer

You cold recreate the iconic Titanic necklace as a party favor for your guests! As an extra touch, dress up as cigar girl or guy and hand them out to the attendees.
Question

How do I do my hair and makeup and dress like Rose from Titanic?

ReLily078

Community Answer

Go for an old fashioned makeup look, subtle, but maybe a light pop of color with eye shadow. For the hair, a classy up-do will do.
Question

How do I dress like Rose from Titanic?

Community Answer

You can see how she is dressed in the part of the film that you want to replicate, and gather clothes and jewelry similar to those that she wears. You can also see how she does her hair and make up, and try to match yours to that as well.