Coastal Chic 40th Birthday Beach Picnic | Weekend Getaway
Looking for affordable 40th birthday ideas? This weekend beach getaway paired with a simple birthday picnic ended up costing far less than hosting a traditional party and created memories we'll never forget. Every photo in this post is from our actual beach weekend celebration, along with budget friendly finds, an easy prep weekend menu, and behind the scenes helpful tips (from lessons I learned) while planning my own fortieth birthday.
My business motto has always been "there is no wrong way to celebrate, big or small" and this coastal chic "The Summer I turned 40" beach picnic was such a special and memorable weekend getaway without the stress, guest list and coordination of a big event. It is the epitome of what I tell others and I am so glad I took my own advice because I almost skipped celebrating my own 40th birthday. Amidst the planning for Landon's Baseball drip 10th birthday and summer flying by, I just didn't have the capacity for another big event, coordinating schedules, planning food and all the things. When I found a quirky and eclectic coastal BnB right on the ocean about an hour drive from home, I knew it was going to be perfect. We called it a "mermaid's first home" and the preppy coastal 'Summer I turned 40' theme was born. I realized what I really needed to restore my soul and celebrate was my family, morning coffee and afternoon cocktails on the water and a celebration that was memorable beyond just going out to dinner AND manageable, not adding more to my plate.
I legit snapped this picture within 5 minutes of entering the BnB, I am not even sure our bags were out of the car yet.
Planning a Coastal 40th Birthday Getaway on a Budget
After the BnB was booked we "dove in" (coastal pun intended) to party planning the week before my beachside picnic. I really had no expectations, but when we found the coastal chic partyware at the Target dollar spot it turned into a fun activity hunting down nautical partyware in between our day to day errand running. We ended up finding some adorable décor that added a few staple pieces and really elevated the picnic for less than $20.
Budget Tip: One of my favorite party planning tips is to choose a seasonal theme. Between the dollar spot, Home Goods and craft store, the nautical beach partyware with soft blues, seashells and scalloped edges popped up all over for just a few dollars an item!
Coastal Chic Birthday Decorations: The Summer I Turned 40
Next up, to tie the coastal theme together, and really elevate making our beachside picnic feel special and memorable, I designed "The Summer I Turned Forty" birthday banner. I wanted elements inspired by the Pacific Northwest beaches with oysters, seagulls, crab and seashells with the Hampton's and Cape Cod preppy style. I actually redesigned one of my favorite mermaid birthday banners in my shop to give it the grown up coastal feel and love how it came together. The personalized banner really brought the whole picnic together, and felt super special adding that extra touch. And since my personalized banners are crazy fast, I ordered it on Tuesday and it was on my porch by Friday before we left out of town, a bonus if you are planning a last minute beach picnic birthday celebration for a mom, friend or spouse!
Shop the Birthday Banner
How to Set up a beachside picnic
The behind the scenes set up was an adventure as always. You may notice, there actually wasn't a beach! When I packed the party supplies, I pictured a rocky, coastal PNW beach with driftwood and beach view for miles so brought dowels, a hammer and zip ties to display the banner in the sand. When we arrived at the BnB with high tide there was zero beach! We spent Saturday driving to a nearby public beach to go crabbing and check out picnic spots, but the whole area just didn't have that beach vibe so we pivoted and had set up the picnic on the dock at the BnB instead. It took 4 adults and 2 kids a few hilarious attempts to MacGyver the banner set up with walking sticks, oars, string and rocks from the beach, a memory all in itself.
How to Make Charcuterie Numbers
If you've been here long, you know charcuterie is the way to my heart, so when we found the "40" numbers, it was an immediate purchase (we also snagged a "10" for Landon's baseball drip birthday and filled the numbers with candy for his ice cream sundae bar). If you're intimidated by grazing tables, here is my simple formula to help make charcuterie numbers
The Rule of Odds meets the Rule of Thirds- I use these two techniques as visual tricks when creating charcuterie numbers or boards and you want to place your items in a way that gives your eye a natural path to follow, spacing things into groups of threes (rule of odds), and thinking of your space as a grid where each area has a meat, cheese, cracker and "accessory" like a fruit, dip or garnish.
- Start by placing 3 small bowls or dips in a triangle shape. I always love a fig jam, tapenade, honey, hummus or artichoke dip.
- Next, add 3 cheeses displayed 3 ways like slices, cubes, and a wedge in the same triangle layout. I usually look for a cheese wedge, block and circle shape.
- Then include 3 meats displayed 3 ways like rolled pepperoni, torn pieces of prosciutto or Reese's specialty, the salami rosette.
- Then add 3 types of crackers, or crackers in 3 separate spots keeping in mind that triangle shape.
- Then finish with 3 fruits, like grapes, strawberry slices, satsumas cut in half or figs.
- And the last step everyone forgets: the greenery garnish and nut "confetti". My favorite greenery for a charcuterie board is sprigs of rosemary so tuck that in groups of 3 anywhere that could use a little color and sprinkle some nuts or marcona almonds anywhere else that needs a spot filled.
The Coastal Getaway Birthday Desserts
I also love baking cakes, but a homemade cake wasn't in the cards for this 40th birthday picnic. I packed my favorite scalloped dessert plate to match the coastal vibes and on our way out of town, we stopped by the grocery store with my fingers crossed they'd have something that wasn't spray brushed hot pink or rainbow barf. I immediately spotted a beautiful and simple vanilla bean cake, and Reese eyed the tiramisu cupcakes with a graham cracker sprinkle that reminded me of a sandy beach. We got the simple gold "40" candles and had enough dessert to feed 20 for our party of 6 which seems to be my specialty when planning parties.
My other favorite "behind the scenes" detail of this party set up was my brother and husband being the best sports ever carrying everything out to the dock and rallying the kids to help and then hanging off the dock from an unstable ladder so they wouldn't be in the pictures while holding a blanket to try to block some of the direct sun from melting us for pics. My brother even offered to get on the kayak and hold the blanket from the water. I laughed out loud, and also felt such immense love that they know how much special celebrations like this mean to me. I have built a business doing this for the past 10 years, and every party and memory and behind the scene moment bringing my crazy ideas to life is a gift in itself.
A special 40th birthday gift
My 12 year old has been very into designing acrylic nails, and her excitement planning parties with me makes this experience even better. She spent endless hours creating these coastal inspired acrylic nail set for my birthday, and then directed a photoshoot at sunset to capture this picture. Be still my heart.
Our Coastal Weekend Food Menu and Agenda
Beyond the birthday picnic itself, we enjoyed walking the beaches, the peaceful ocean views and listening to my husband and brother grumble as I snapped pictures of food before people could eat, only to have them ask 10 minutes later "hey, can you text me that picture of dinner." We enjoyed so much good food and adventures. (The recipe to a successful getaway!)
Friday Dinner: Seafood Scampi. This was my one special request to my brother, the chef, for the weekend and he sure delivered! It tasted even better than it looked, and filled the house with the yummiest aroma.
Saturday Brunch: Avocado Toast Bar with homemade butter decorated with edible flowers. I planted edible flowers in my yard, literally to decorate a charcuterie board with someday and my Dad's girlfriend had the idea to make butter with them. It was so beautiful and fun to add to this yummy avocado toast bar. We had cotija cheese, cilantro, chili flakes, lime, bacon and eggs to go with our sourdough bread.
Saturday Lunch:
Grilled Steak lettuce wraps with corn salsa salad and beach exploring and kayaking.
Saturday Dinner: Charcuterie Picnic
Sunday Brunch: Yogurt Parfait bar with plain yogurts and toppings like granola, coconut flakes, peanut butter and fruit that I actually brought the supplies to set up in a cute and fun way, but we just ate it like normal people instead of photographing everything *gasp*
This isn't just for Milestone Birthdays
If I took anything from this experience, it's once again the reminder of my own motto. There really is no wrong way to celebrate EXCEPT doing nothing at all! Don't let the overwhelm of perfection prevent you from doing the thing! This turned into a big event because that's my love language, but a simple beach or mountain picnic with a personalized birthday banner is a great way to celebrate a spouse, mom or friend and elevating the occasion with a personalized banner adds that extra touch to let the birthday person know you planned something special for them.
If you're ready to plan a coastal chic celebration of your own, you can shop the personalized birthday banner and customize it for any age or milestone, or browse my adult birthday banner selection for dozens of party themes.
Beach Birthday FAQs
What makes a birthday party "coastal chic"? The summer I turned 40 was perfect for the coastal chic vibe. It leans into soft blues and beiges as the base, then adds small coastal details of natural textures like driftwood and rope, and beach-inspired details like seashells and starfish, without going full tropical or nautical theme.
Can a beach picnic birthday work as a surprise party? Yes! A picnic setup is easier to pull off without the birthday person noticing than a full party, and a personalized banner adds a special touch without requiring a big guest list or venue. Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect to be memorable. A curbside pickup with deli favorites on your way out the door will be loved and appreciated.
What food works best for an adult beach picnic? Charcuterie, premade sandwiches, pasta salad, fresh fruit, seafood and bakery desserts are perfect to snack on, and sparkling drinks or chilled champagne make the perfect drink to toast a birthday celebration. All of these can be prepared ahead of time and travel well to let you spend more time celebrating!
How do I display a banner without stakes on sand? A dock, deck railing, or even a makeshift stand built from sticks, zip ties and string works (ask me how I know). Command hooks or fishing line also work for a cleaner look against a railing or wall.
How far in advance should I order a personalized banner? Order by Tuesday for delivery by Friday in most cases, making it easy to plan even a last-minute weekend celebration.
Beach Birthday Picnic Checklist
- Personalized Birthday Banner, Zip Ties, String, Scissors, Hammer and Dowels
- Picnic Blanket
- Cooler and Ice
- Cake Stand, Cake and Candles
- Charcuterie Numbers or board
- Drinks and glassware
- Battery candles, portable speaker
- Sunscreen or sunshade
- Camera, tripod or selfie stick
- Trash Bag
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