Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few months, we are sure you have noticed the growing adoration for all things unicorn. Unicorn cakes, unicorn cookies, unicorn hairstyles and now, of course, the very suspect looking unicorn frappucinno from Starbucks.
Everyone has gone a little bit Unicorn crazy, and here at Les Enfants, we are no different! With so much inspiration at hand, just where do you start when planning the perfect unicorn themed birthday party for your child?
No fear, we are here to help! Below is our list of favourite party decorations, meals and costumes inspired by this current Queen Bee of mythological creatures.
The DIY Unicorn Cake
What is the centerpiece of any party? The cake of course! And with this handy DIY video from Pop Sugar, you will be able to create your very own with ease. Once you have baked your child’s favourite cake (consider dying the inside of the cake a pretty pastel colour, or even layering different colour sponges for added effect) coat your cake in buttercream and cover with fondant. Use a spinning cake stand and a pallette knife to ensure a smooth finish.
Now you have an excellent foundation, it is time to decorate. Whilst these cakes look complex, they are actually rather simple. You will need an icing pen, roll out fondant icing, gold dust, buttercream and pastel coloured food dye. To begin, roll out a cone shape with your fondant icing. Create a swirl effect by rolling a thin sausage of fondant icing around the cone. Insert a stick to secure, and decorate with gold dust.
Create fondant ears, again, inserting toothpicks for support, and paint a gold dust inner ear as seen on the above image. Use an edible gold decorate pen to draw beautiful eyes onto the cake, and pipe on a rainbow mane. Find a handy guide as to how to create rainbow swirl icing here on King Arthur Flour. Voila! One cake your birthday child will adore.
Unicorn Hair Station
One incredibly popular station at your child’s party will be the Unicorn Hair station. Set up a table and decorate with pastel coloured flowers. If you are hairstyle handy, you’re set, if not, consider hiring a hairdresser or finding a friend who is apt with plaits! Arm your table with hair chalk in pastel colours, small flowers and glitter.
You could offer a range of styles, including a Unicorn French Braid – a plait dyed with hair chalk, or a Unicorn Poop Parting – a glitter encrusted parting that children will adore and parent’s are not going to be overly happy about. But hey, it looks cool, and it’s a party. If you have the budget, consider decorating children’s hair with pearl strands or even offering unicorn horn headbands. You can purchase these here. Just be sure to check they are child size!
Unicorn Decorations
As you know, we are pretty focused on party decorations. They are a fundamental part of setting the scene, and will help get your child really, really excited. The general rule of thumb when considering a colour scheme for a Unicorn themed party is pastel rainbow. Think shades of lavender, rose, turquoise and mint green.
Decorate tables with glitter – lots and lots of glitter. Try mixing it up with sequins and varying sizes, colours and textures. Tassel garlands also look beautiful, and will hang wonderfully above your centrepiece table. Flowers also work wonderfully, particularly hydrangeas and peonies, which sit in the right colour theme.
For an added fun activity, consider purchasing a unicorn piñata, and filling it with sequins, candy and rainbow treats. We also adore these fantastic DIY Unicorn Balloon kits from Party Ark. They offer your guests a craft activity, and give them something fun to take home.
Unicorn Treats
There are so many fantastic unicorn themed snack ideas floating around on the internet right now it is difficult to know where to start! We adore these candy floss cones by Brit – they are such a simple idea, and you know children are going to adore them. Simply fill a wafer cone with pastel coloured candy floss, and sprinkle on toppings such as edible star confetti and glitter.
You could also try topping milkshake glasses, or ice-cream sundaes with a little cotton candy for a little magical, unicorn flair.
For a slightly healthier unicorn snack – let’s face it, a unicorn theme does not let itself to natural colourings and flavours – try this yoghurt bark by Pop Sugar. All you need is a variety of fruit, greek yoghurt, raw unsweetened coconut and honey to create this treat. To begin, microwave strawberry, mango and blueberry in individual bowels until slightly soft and mash each with a fork.
Add greek yoghurt and honey to each bowl and mash until combined. Spread the mixtures onto a baking tray covered with baking paper and marble using a tooth pick. Sprinkle over coconut flakes, edible glitter and freeze for 2 hours. Once solid, snap into chunks and enjoy. Find the full recipe with quantities here on Pop Sugar.
This guide gives you an excellent start on how to tackle this magical beast! Don’t be afraid to explore Pinterest and Instagram for more fantastic ideas, or if you would like us to style and organise a very special unicorn party with our very own magical ideas and finishing touches, call Les Enfants on 020 8502 9988