Planning A Themed Party: Your Guide To Party Perfection
Planning a party is one of the most fun things you can do! Even better if you’re planning to throw a themed party. Adding a theme to your party adds extra fun and excitement to the preparations and the event itself. From toga parties to Halloween costume parties, from Christmas to murder mysteries, there are loads of themes out there to choose from. Whichever theme you select will alter the planning process significantly and add fine details that will shift from theme to theme. There are a few things that every top-notch themed party needs, and we‘re here to share them with you.
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A defined theme
This might sound obvious initially, but it is essential to define your theme well and clearly before planning. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and buy decorations or plan a costume that comes from the wrong era. If you are clear in your invitation and say something like “Versailles Themed Party, please dress in Ancien Régime appropriate costumes,” your guests will know precisely what is required of them in terms of attire. If you’re throwing something like a luxury casino-themed party, specify something like “Monaco Themed Casino Night Party – please dress in black tie attire,” for instance. Do not be broad in your themes; narrow them down as much as possible so you can get the details of the film, the period or the holiday precisely right.
Cater thoughtfully
We are not suggesting that you serve gruel if you are hosting a Medieval party, but we do recommend that you look up a number of the most beloved dishes of the day, the location or film and try your best to incorporate some version of them into your catering for the evening. Some themes might come with ludicrously expensive food items: luxury or black-tie parties. Choose your favorite luxury food items and customize them to be affordable for your budget but still in line with your theme. Don’t forget to ask your guest about any food allergies or dietary preferences before you inform the caterer of the menu.
The same goes for party drinks. A Sex and the City party has to have cosmos available, an olden-timey party should have wine and mead, and a Harry Potter party wouldn’t be right without a foaming mug of butterbeer. Do have a full bar of the usual drinks available, because people like their usual.
The same should be said of the crockery and drinkware you hire or provide for the party. It may be simplest to approach a catering or costume hire company if you throw something like a Viking or Renaissance-themed party. They can assist with things like drinking horns and goblets to add an air of authenticity to your table setting.
Add that extra touch
If you want to go all out, add thoughtful extra touches that will help immerse the guests in your theme world. Ask all the guests to meet at a pickup point and have a Sprinter van collect and ferry them to your party location. Play music from the time period on the ride and tip the driver a little extra to put on an accent or speak in an olden-timey voice for extra authenticity.
When guests arrive, be sure to have period, film or location-appropriate music playing at the event. It might be wearying to play the music your guests do not know or love all evening, so include danceable or familiar music in the playlist too.
Make costumes a must
There’s always that one Scrooge on the party invitation list who will try to find some way around dressing up for your event. Make it straightforward on the invitation that costumes are compulsory, and your costume is our ticket to get through the door. Some guests may not have the financial resources or the knowledge to make dressing up easy, so do your part as an excellent host to provide the names of different costume hire companies at various price points as well as tips for using things that guests already have at home to add to or create their costumes.
Capture memories
People will be taking photos on their phones all evening and shooting some videos to share with friends or on their social media. Why make your party photo-friendly and add a photo booth with theme-appropriate props? You can hire companies who do photo booth setups or photographers; it is up to you which makes the most sense. Have the guests provide their email addresses to receive their images rather than adding the cost of printing them out.
Entertainment like a band or DJ makes an event more special and memorable. See if your budget can stretch to include a band, DJ, dancers or a performer. These unique touches will make sure your party is remembered.
These tips will ensure that whatever your party’s theme, it will go down in history with our friends and family as one of the best parties ever.