skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Themed parties are so much fun! From simple to extravagant these types of parties present great ways to get your guests involved.
Most theme parties can be accomplished with the use of color. Do you have a birthday com
ing up and you want to do something fabulous? Well, have a “White” party and request that all of your guest wear white. Take it to another level and make it a red, or should I say a “white” carpet event with a press board designed with logos wishing you happy birthday as a backdrop so all of your guests can walk the white carpet and have their pictures taken in front of it. It makes for great memories and a great take home gift for your guests. The theme can be carried through with white floral arrangements like Hydrangea and having the appetizers or meal served on clean white plates. Having a signature beverage, like a White Russian, can also bring elegance to your themed party. Bringing in rental items like chandeliers dripping with crystals, candelabras with white candles, or white ottomans or couches will truly take your event from simple to extraordinary.
With the right imagination and budget your themed event can truly be the talk of the town!
With reality television shows on the rise, it can be very difficult for a parent to plan a birthday party that is within reason. What’s a parent to do when they are faced with over the top themes, outlandish party favors, and a demand for gourmet catering? Well I have a solution! I call it “Back to the Basics”.
A birthday party is about celebrating milestones and becoming a year older. It is about sharing joy and happiness with your closest family and friends. It’s not about spending thousands of dollars on locations, catering, and entertainment. I advise my clients to take on an “Old School – Back to the Basics” approach. Before the onslot of event planning shows on cable television, parents made up games for entertainment, they cooked the birthday meals or asked a relative or friend to pitch in, and they chose their child’s favorite cartoon character or favorite activity as a theme.
So let’s explore getting “Back to the Basics”! First the guest list should be limited to a select few, approximately 15 kids. There is no need to invite the entire class if your child isn’t friends with everyone. I still believe in mailing out or handing out invitations. An evite or e-mail can be used as a back up to make sure the parents are aware of your child’s birthday party. I would suggest giving the parents a call over the e-mail if their number is handy. The personal touch goes a long way in our world of electronics. To save a few dollars make the birthday party invitation an art project for the entire family. Decide on a theme and design the cards on the computer or use stamps and artwork to make your own custom invitation. If you’re not art savvy then go down to your local party supply store and look on the clearance racks. Sometimes you can find exactly what you are looking for on sale for half the price. Start early if you choose this option!
It isn’t necessary to rent out the hottest lounge or club for your child’s 8th birthday. Your front yard or back yard would make a great location! If the lawn isn’t quite up for guests then how about your local park? Many parks have picnic areas, built-in playgrounds, and wide open spaces just yearning for the pitter and patter of little feet. Most of the time parks have a “first come first serve” policy for use of their picnic area, making your location free. For those parks that require a reservation, the cost is minimal.
Choosing a park setting can also minimize the headache of figuring out what to serve. Picnics scream sandwiches, hamburgers, and hot dogs! You and a friend can make a variety of fun sandwiches – peanut butter and jelly cut into fun shapes from the cookie cutter, tuna on a mini crossaint, turkey and swiss on a bagel. If there is a BBQ stand in your picnic area then how about cook to order hot dogs and hamburgers! The possibilities are endless and cost saving. If being a chef isn’t quite your fortay, then go to a local Subway or Supermarket deli and get the sandwiches premade for a minimal cost. Add a huge bowl of chips (or individual bags) and an ice bucket full of juice boxes and you will have happy children all day long. Many parties have loads and loads of sweets. This has a tendancy to make the children overactive and uncooperative. The birthday cake is all the sweets children need. Go down to your local wholesale wharehouse and get a great price on a sheet cake that can be decorated to suit your theme. If you are intersted in something a little more fancy, then go to your local grocery store bakery and ask for themed cupcakes or the new favorite – a pull apart cupcake cake where the baker groups the cupcakes together and smooths out the themed icing decoration across all of the cupcakes!
Now on to the entertainment. Let’s say your child loves soccer – well a soccer theme would be great for a birthday party in the park. Choose a picnic area close to an open space and create a soccer field. Bring in orange cones, throw on a referee jersey, buy a whistle and a stop watch. Whola! You have all the makings of an authentic soccer party without being at the local sports stadium. I’m sure you’ve been to enough soccer practices and seen enough soccer drills to turn them into timed party games. Get all the children involved and let them know that prizes will be given out to the children with the best times. Be sure to include achievement awards for those who may not be so athletically inclined. With a few trips to your local grocery store, a perfect spot at your nearest neighborhood park, and a little imagination your “Back to the Basics” birthday party will score the team winning goal for the kids without a penalty on the wallet!
ing up and you want to do something fabulous? Well, have a “White” party and request that all of your guest wear white. Take it to another level and make it a red, or should I say a “white” carpet event with a press board designed with logos wishing you happy birthday as a backdrop so all of your guests can walk the white carpet and have their pictures taken in front of it. It makes for great memories and a great take home gift for your guests. The theme can be carried through with white floral arrangements like Hydrangea and having the appetizers or meal served on clean white plates. Having a signature beverage, like a White Russian, can also bring elegance to your themed party. Bringing in rental items like chandeliers dripping with crystals, candelabras with white candles, or white ottomans or couches will truly take your event from simple to extraordinary.
