Cold Stone Creamery Hot Cocoa Buffet
This past week, I had the opportunity to host a really cool kids get together in conjunction with our Thanksgiving celebration. Typically my family and I get together to celebrate the holiday and of...
Planning a Birthday Party
Planning a Birthday Party
How can we forget that parties are meant to be enjoyable? Oddly enough, however, many parties – though planned with the best of intentions – can turn out to be anything but enjoyable. Think about awkward family gatherings with relatives you haven’t seen in years or office parties that you wish you didn’t need to attend. So if you’re in charge of planning a gathering of friends, relatives, or colleagues, you’ll want to make the occasion more enjoyable – perhaps by including glamorous and unique food, invitations, decorations, and more. You’d be amazed at how the smallest details can take an event from drab and lackluster to exciting and fun. We hope that this Planning a Birthday Party post inspires you.
Planning a Birthday Party
Create a Theme
With themes like 1960s glam or ugly sweater fest, you can ensure your guests come dressed for the perfect party. Costume themes are a fun way to plan the party, but there are other ideas in this genre as well. Perhaps you could plan a food theme like dishes from around the world and it will be a potluck of dishes from all around the globe. Or you can host a gift exchange or make it a fundraiser to help a charity. Don’t forget TV viewing parties, movie streaming parties, and other entertainment-related events. There are countless ways to make a party special and fun with themes.
Unique Drinks
Instead of serving canned sodas and plastic bottles of water, get creative with drinks; this is another way that can make a party feel special. Serve Italian mineral water (still and sparkling), a pineapple-sweet tea punch or even margarita ice pops. Upscale parties could include martinis, warm spiked cider, and small glasses of peppermint schnapps. During the winter, a specialty cocoa bar with candy toppings can also make for a delightful spread of beverages. Add some stylish details with drink cards to tell everyone about how to make their own when they are home.
Cater Dinner
Are you a chef? If the answer is yes, you should make everything. If the answer is no, go ahead and cater your dinner. Catering a meal from an upscale restaurant can elevate your party even more. By catering, you get to experience new tastes and foods without needing to worry about cooking for your guests. You can mingle and enjoy your time with everyone instead of focusing your attention on being in the kitchen. Caterers can offer hors d’oeuvres and other appetizers to help your guests before dinner time. If the event is solely a late party with no dinner, your caterer can customize a delightful menu for your upscale party.
Send Invitations
Casual dinners are great. But when you want to elevate your party, invitations are a must-have. Whether you stay digital and create custom ecards or go all out with custom-printed invitations, you’ll be amazed at how this simple act makes a party feel more special before you even arrive. Either make your own using an online design program like Canva or hire a graphic designer to create an invitation that has the wow factor you’re going for.
Plan for Music
A good party should have light music playing in the background. If you’re going for an extremely formal event you might want to hire live musicians instead of playing something through speakers. A string quartet or pianist are the perfect options to create a formal and stylish mood. Hire musicians who can play a wide range of favorites for guests young and old. Music can make or break an event, so make sure the selection of songs or sounds the musicians plan to play creates the right mood for your party.
Decorations
Incorporate a lot of light into your party décor. Think about using simple and bright decorations that make a big impact. Decorate tables with festive items that reflect a lot of light, and include lights hanging from the ceiling and throughout the décor. By using fun decorations and focusing on bringing a lot of light into the room, you’ll create a warm, inviting atmosphere for your stylish party.
Planning a fun party is all in the details. Don’t try and wing it or plan a last-minute event if you don’t have the time to create those special touches that make a party feel more elegant. Whether you’re going for an upscale event or a semi-formal affair, start with the theme and move on from there. We hope that this Planning a Birthday Party post inspires you.
