Party shirts are some of our favorite orders. They are usually small, they are always personal, and they come with a deadline that will not move. A bachelorette weekend in Atlantic City, a 50th birthday dinner in Ridgewood, or an eighth birthday party in the backyard: the same few decisions make the difference between shirts people wear once and shirts they keep.
Choose the right shirt for the group
For party shirts, fit and feel matter more than they do for a work shirt. People will be in photos all weekend.
- Bella+Canvas 3001: soft, lighter-weight and a slimmer unisex fit, about 4.2 oz per its specs. The most popular choice for bachelorette groups.
- Comfort Colors 1717: heavier, garment-dyed and relaxed, about 6.1 oz per its specs. That lived-in, slightly oversized look people love for beach weekends.
- Tanks: Bella+Canvas 3480 and Next Level 3633 tanks for summer trips.
- Women's cuts: Bella+Canvas 6400 relaxed tee or 6004 slim fit, if the group prefers a fitted shirt.
- Gildan 5000: the budget pick, and great for kids' parties and big groups.
Tip: order unisex shirts in your normal size for a relaxed fit, or one size down for a closer fit. Women's cuts run smaller, so check the size chart in the designer.
Bachelorette shirt ideas
- Bride and crew: the bride gets white with "Bride" and the group gets a color with "Bride's Crew" or "Bride Squad." Classic for a reason.
- Destination themed: "Last Fling Before the Ring" with the city and dates. A Jersey Shore or Nashville weekend shows up a lot.
- Names on the back: each person's name or nickname, like a team jersey, with the date as the "number."
- Photo of the couple: a fun one, not the engagement photo. These get the biggest reactions.
- Two shirts: one for the day and a matching sweatshirt for the night. Our sweatshirt guide compares crews and hoodies.
Bachelor parties tend toward the opposite approach: a simple shirt with a joke on the back and the groom's face somewhere it should not be. That works too.
Birthday shirt ideas
Milestone birthdays
"Est. 1976" style shirts for a 50th, a "40 and Fabulous" weekend, or a vintage-style design with the year are always popular. For a parent or grandparent turning 80, a shirt with their photo and "Our Favorite" is the one people keep.
Kids' parties
A shirt for the birthday kid with their name and age is the easy win. Some families give every guest a shirt as the party favor, which ends up costing about the same as goodie bags. Youth Gildan tees are $22.50 each at 6 and $22.00 at 12 for a colored shirt with a front print.
Family trips
Theme park trips, cruises and beach weeks are big ones. Matching shirts make it easy to spot your kids in a crowd. Put a phone number on the back of the kids' shirts in small print. It is a small thing that parents appreciate.
What party shirts cost
Here are three typical orders using our current prices:
| Order | Details | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelorette, 10 people | 9 Bella+Canvas 3001 colored, front print, $29.50 each, plus 1 white bride shirt, $23.00 | $288.50 |
| Same, with names on the back | 9 colored at $36.00, plus 1 white at $28.00 | $352.00 |
| Kid's party, 12 guests | 12 youth Gildan colored, front print, $22.00 each | $264.00 |
There is no sales tax on clothing in New Jersey, and contactless pickup in Paramus is free. Shipping is $9.99 for up to 12 pieces. To keep the math conservative, the white bride shirt above is priced as a single shirt. Your exact total shows in the designer before you pay.
Timing: order earlier than you think
Standard printed orders are ready 7 to 10 business days after the deposit, or 5 business days with rush for 25% more. Business days do not include weekends, so for a party on a Saturday, a standard order should be placed about three weeks ahead to be safe. If you are reading this the week of the party, see our rush order guide for what is realistic.
The other delay is people. Collecting sizes from the group, and confirming whether Aunt Linda wants an XL or a 2XL, takes longer than printing. Set a deadline and order with what you have.
Design tips for party shirts
- Keep the front readable from across a room. One phrase, big.
- Put dates and details on the back or sleeve.
- Glitter and metallic effects look great on screen but print as regular colors with DTF. Pick bold colors instead.
- Check the spelling of every name on the back. Then check again.
- Use a transparent PNG for any logo or graphic. Our artwork guide explains why.
How to split the cost
For bachelorette and birthday groups, the cleanest approach is for one person to place the order and everyone else to pay them back. Our pricing makes the per-person number easy to share: every shirt price is shown before you check out, there is no sales tax on clothing in New Jersey, and pickup in Paramus is free. If someone in the group lives far away, it is often easier to ship the box to the host and hand shirts out on day one, rather than shipping to each person separately.
If the bride or birthday person is not paying, some groups add a second shirt for them as a gift, like a matching sweatshirt for the evening or a shirt with a photo collage from the weekend that gets made after the trip. Since there is no minimum, a single follow-up shirt is easy.
Kids' party sizing
For children's parties, ask parents for sizes instead of guessing by age. Kids in the same grade can be three sizes apart. If you cannot get sizes, youth medium and large cover most elementary school kids, and a youth large fits loosely on a lot of eight- and nine-year-olds, which is fine for a party shirt they will grow into. For toddlers, we have toddler tees and infant bodysuits.
Add a sign
A big "Happy 50th" or "Welcome Home" yard sign out front costs $24.00 for one 18 by 24 inch sign in our sign designer, and it makes the house easy to find for guests. A 2 by 4 foot banner for the party room is $30.50.
Start designing
Open the designer, pick a shirt, type your phrase or upload a graphic, and you will see the price for your group right away. Have a picture of a design you like from somewhere else? Text it to 201-948-4433 and we will help you make your own version.