Birthday Party Shirts for the Guest of Honor and Everyone They Invited
Birthday party shirts: one for the birthday kid, matching tees for guests as the favor, milestone 30th to 60th designs, and birthday trip shirts. No minimum.
The cake gets eaten and the balloons deflate. The shirt is the only thing from the party still around in March. Part of Custom Party Shirts for Every Celebration.
What a birthday shirt order usually looks like
A kids' party: the birthday child and the guests
For guests the shirt is the favor - handed out at the door and worn back to school the next week. Plastic trinkets are in the trash by Tuesday; a printed tee goes back on a kid every week. For the birthday child it is the outfit that marks them out in every photo. A typical order is eight to twenty Youth Tees, one special shirt, and a few Adult Tees for the parents running the games. There is no minimum, so two more RSVPs on Thursday means two more shirts.
A milestone adult birthday: 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th
Usually ten to twenty-five adults and one punchline. The shirt is part costume for the dinner, part souvenir that ends up as a sleep shirt for years. The guest of honor often gets a different color or line.
A birthday trip
A 40th in the mountains, a cruise for a grandparent's 70th. The shirts help a group find each other in a crowd, and the order often covers several households, kindergartner through grandparent. See family vacation shirts for the travel side.
One shirt that is different from the rest
The simplest pattern that works: everyone shares the same artwork, and only the guest of honor's line changes.
- The birthday child wears "Birthday Girl, 7" with the number huge across the chest.
- Guests wear the same art with the party name - "Ruby's Dino Party."
A year later, when grandparents are scrolling these photos on a phone, the guest of honor is still instantly findable. Other ways to set one shirt apart:
- A different shirt color, same print. Guests in Royal, the birthday child in Gold or White.
- A back print only on theirs. "The Birthday Boy" across the shoulders, while guest shirts keep a single print. That back print is an extra surface on that one shirt.
- A name and number. With free names and numbers the birthday child can wear "MAYA 9" like a jersey. The lettering is free, but a back print beside a printed front is one extra surface.
Design ideas by kind of party
Describe these to Remi in plain English and change anything you like.
Kids' themes
- Dinosaurs: "Ruby's Dino-Mite 7th" in chunky letters over a cartoon stegosaurus, with the date small along the bottom.
- Space: a rocket leaving a trail that bends into the number 6, "Leo's Launch Party" under it, on Navy or Black so the stars read.
- Sports party: "Team Theo" across the chest with the birthday number on the sleeve; the Youth Tee and Adult Tee both print on the sleeves.
- Slumber party: a crescent moon and "Up Past Bedtime - Ava Turns 10" on a Long Sleeve that doubles as pajamas.
Keep the main art big on the front, where the group photo is pointed. Small type disappears on a seven-year-old in motion; see group design tips.
Milestone jokes that survive the guest of honor's mother
- 30th: "Dirty 30" is common; "Thirty, Flirty and Needs a Nap" gets more laughs and less side-eye.
- 40th: a vintage-badge layout reading "Aged 40 Years - Limited Edition," with the birth year where a brewery would put its founding date.
- 50th: "50 and Still Rolling" over a cartoon roller skate, or a fake concert tee with "The Half Century Tour" on the front and the guest list printed down the back like tour dates.
- 60th: "Vintage 1966 - All Original Parts" in a worn-in type style.
The tour-tee back list adds an extra surface to each shirt.
Birthday trips
"Grandpa Joe's 70th - Lake Weekend" on the front, and "Find the Orange Shirts" on the back so stragglers know who to look for. Orange, Kelly Green or Carolina Blue are easier to spot in a crowd than Navy or Black.
Pull the color off the streamers
You already picked a palette when you bought the plates. Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White, Sport Gray, Forest Green, Gold, Maroon, Purple, Orange, Carolina Blue and Kelly Green all print on the Adult Tee and Adult Hoodie, but not every garment carries every one. The Youth Tee has no Gold, Orange or Carolina Blue, so check the kids' shirts before planning an orange party around them. The color guide shows how each shade takes ink.
Which garment for which party
| Garment | Price | Sizes | Prints on | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Tee | $19.99 | Youth XS-XL | front, back, both sleeves | kids' party favors |
| Adult Tee | $14.38 | S-2XL | front, back, both sleeves | adult guests, tall kids, milestone parties |
| Women's Tee | $19.99 | S-2XL | front, back | a fitted cut for the 30th crew |
| Adult Long Sleeve | $22.99 | S-2XL | front, back | slumber parties, cool evenings |
| Adult Hoodie | $37.99 | S-2XL | front, back, both sleeves | a November 50th, a cabin weekend |
| Adult Polo | $25.63 | S-2XL | front, back, left chest | a sit-down dinner |
| Canvas Tote | $13.33 | one size | front, back | a favor for adults who will not wear a shirt |
Each price includes one printed surface; each extra surface is $8.99 to $10.99 depending on the product. The Youth Tee is printed by DTF (on a film, then heat-pressed), which gives crisp edges for cartoon art. The Women's Tee and Long Sleeve are DTG, printed into the fabric so it stays soft.
Sizes for a mixed guest list
Count from the RSVP list, not the invitation list. Then add the birthday child, any siblings, and the adults who will be in the photos.
Youth and adult are not one continuous scale. Every guest list has one eleven-year-old built like a teenager. A Youth XL and an Adult S are close but not the same shirt; size by fit, not age. The Youth XL vs Adult Small page compares them. An Adult S for the tall cousin is $14.38, and a 2XL costs the same as a small.
Ask, do not guess. A custom print cannot come back over a size chosen wrong, so collect sizes instead of estimating. Put a sizes link from collect shirt sizes in the evite or group text: each family answers who the shirt is for and what size, with no account and nothing paid on the link, and one button adds the answers to your order.
Buffer one or two. A spare Youth M and an Adult M cover the sibling nobody mentioned.
Milestone fits: the Adult Tee runs true to size with a little room in the body. The Long Sleeve runs smaller than usual, and the polo is trimmer through the shoulders, so size up if someone is between sizes. The size guide has the measurements.
Order the day the invitations go out
Do not count backward from the party; order when you send the invites. Everything is printed to order by US partners - typically up to 10 business days of production after checkout, plus transit - and the cart shows expected delivery dates before you pay. There is no rush printing and no guaranteed delivery date:
- Four weeks out: invitations go out with the sizes link.
- Three weeks out: close the link, add the answers to the order, and check out.
- Two weeks out: shirts are in production. Faster shipping can be added at checkout for most orders to the 48 contiguous states, but it speeds the trip, not the printing.
- The week of: shirts arrive. Set them by the door, sorted by size, so guests can grab theirs on the way in.
You can cancel within 12 hours after paying if printing has not started. If a print arrives wrong or defective, send a photo within 30 days for a reprint or refund. More on ordering deadlines and timing.
Shipping to several households
A 60th with grown children spread far apart, or a trip where three families fly in, does not need shirts mailed to one house and re-mailed. One order can ship to up to 10 addresses with one payment. The first address ships free; each further address adds its extra postage, shown in the cart before you pay.
How to order with Remi
- Open the designer and tell Remi, the chat designer, what the party is: "royal blue tee, giant number 7, cartoon stegosaurus, chunky yellow letters, Ruby's Dino Party." Or upload a drawing the birthday child made and ask Remi to clean it up.
- Refine by chat. "Make the 7 bigger." "Make a second version that says Birthday Girl." Designing is free.
- See it on the shirt in each garment and color you plan to order.
- Add sizes and pay at checkout. Youth and adult sizes, products and colors mix in one cart.
Questions about birthday party shirts
Is there a minimum order for birthday shirts?
No. One shirt is a real order, so you can order just the birthday child's shirt, or add a few more later when the RSVPs settle. Bulk prices apply automatically on larger counts of one item, counted across its sizes and colors: from 12 Adult Tees, and from 24 Youth Tees.
How far ahead should I order?
Order when the invitations go out, three to four weeks before the party. Production is up to 10 business days after checkout, plus transit, and there is no rush printing.
Can kids and adults be in the same order?
Yes. Youth Tees, Adult Tees and every other garment mix in one cart, in any combination of sizes. Each garment has one price for all of its sizes.
Can the birthday child's shirt be different from the guests'?
Yes. Make two versions with Remi - one with "Birthday Girl," one with the party name - and add each to the cart in its own quantity.
What if I guess a guest's size wrong?
A size ordered wrong is not returnable, because every shirt is printed for that order. Use a sizes link so each family enters their own child's size, and check the size guide for anyone between youth and adult sizes.
More ideas
See ready designs in the birthday party idea gallery, or browse other occasions on custom shirts for celebrations and custom apparel by occasion. Planning a graduation instead? Try graduation party shirts.