PLANNING THAT UNFORGETTABLE PARTY LAST MINUTE
There are a few things to keep in mind when planning a party. First of all, pick a theme for the evening. Choosing a theme will simplify the planning process as it will be your guide to choosing the menu, decorations as well as the attire and entertainment. Deciding on a theme can be a fun process as it sets the tone for the entire party. Once a theme has been decided, it is best to make a guest list. A completed guest list will come in quite handy when creating a menu. Your menu can be developed to suit your individual party needs. Make sure you keep in mind the time of your party as this will determine how many courses will be served. Next up are the decorations. I like to use decorations that serve dual purposes. Such as a candy buffet set up in the theme colors that looks uniquely fabulous as a decoration but doubles as a fun dessert option for the gala as well. Be creative with your decorations and recycle from previous parties. Vases, frames, assorted glass bowls and material can be used over and over again in many different ways for the happening event. Also please keep in mind that less is more (In most cases anyways...Although there are a few instances where more sparkle is absolutely necessary!!!) I also like to bring in a few fresh flowers in the appropriate colors to help tie the event together. Once the decorations are decided upon, you get to come up with the entertainment for the party. As this might already be decided for you, depending on the occasion, the ideas are endless. Keep in mind the guests you have in attendance and their ages and have fun with picking entertainment options that will appeal to all groups. Attention to detail is a must when designing a unforgettable event as that is what makes each celebration unique and remembered!!! Please see the outline below of the latest event I designed as a guide to follow when creating your next unforgettable bash!!!
NYE PARTY
Theme: CHEERS TO 2014---Gold Glitz Italian Gala
Colors: Gold, White & Sparkle
Food Menu: Please note that I designed a Dinner Menu, Bar Menu and Italian Soda Station Menu all placed in frames to tie in the theme but also serve as information for the guests! (The frame I used was an old wooden frame that I spray painted gold and added glitter. Please see pics below)
Antipasti--Prosciutto e Melon (Prosciutto wrapped melon), Caprese Skewers, Assorted Cheese Plate (Served with bread and Olive Oil)
Pasta--Classis Lasagna, Cheese Tortellinis
Insalata--House Salad(Served with house made italian dressing)
Dolce--Choccolata e Nocciole (Layered dessert from homemade chocolate chip cookies, oreos and brownie mix), Assorted Biscotti
(Served with Espresso)
**I created the menus in Italian as I thought it would be fun for the guests to try to read the descriptions!!!
Bar Menu: Limoncello Twist, Vino Rosso, Vino Blanco, Birra, Scotch e Soda and Champagne
**I also had a water station set up by the bar for easy access through the event
Decorations:
I set up an Italian Soda Station to greet guests when they arrived. This doubled as a decoration as well as a beverage for guests.
*All guests enjoyed creating their own creation of Italian Sodas and it was a great conversation starter. Please see pics below for How To.
A candy buffet is always a fun way to bring in the theme and double as fun dessert options. Since my party was a gold and white theme, I placed several glass bowls and vases in various sizes on top of the white tablecloth on the main table and filled with various gold candies. It looked very classy and really added the the glitz of the event. I also had a special candy dish of gold hershey kisses that was labeled Midnight Kisses! *See pics below
Now for the centerpieces I used 4 wine bottles that were set to be recycled. I spray painted each bottle gold, added a little glitter and finished with an extra layer of gold paint. I then placed a white flower into each bottle. To tie in the theme of 2014, I added the numbers 2, 0, 1 and 4 into each bottle to create a fabulous centerpiece for the table. Please see pics below.
I also LOVE using chalkboards and usually can tie them in to many themes. I used one chalkboard for the main focus that read : Happy New Year in large print. I then added cheers in multiple languages around the board. **It was fun watching guests try to decipher each language. I used another smaller chalkboard to set up a Resolution Board. I had this board easy accessible and each guest took turns through the evening adding their own resolution. **It was very entertaining trying to figure out who made which resolution. **Please see pics below.
Entertainment:
The Italian Soda Station was the first activity of the evening. I also had a top hits play list playing for those guest that wanted to hit the dance floor. We had a fire pit set up outside for those that preferred to relax and catch up by the fire. A poker game completed our entertainment for the evening. I also had a table full of random, fun hats for each guests to choose from upon arrival that was to be worn through the event. This made for great conversation starters as well as fun photo props!
**Please keep in mind that if you have children in attendance, you should include them in the fun! We had 4 kids at our NYE bash and they had a blast bringing in the New Year! To keep them awake and entertained, I had time balloons made. What are time balloons might you ask? My event began at 6:00 with dinner being served at 7:00. I had balloons blown up for each hour until midnight, starting at 8:00. Each balloon had the time written on it in big numbers. Each balloon also had a mission card inside. At 8:00, the children popped the balloon to find out that their mission was to go to the park as a spaceship had crash landed and lost special glowing artifacts that needed to be collected. (We hid glow in the dark fun items all around the park a few minutes before 8:00) At 9:00, they had a snowball fight with homemade snow balls. 10:00 had them attacking ninjas with nerf guns.(Ninjas were made from using red balloons blown up and eyes and mask drawn in to resemble a ninja) 11:00 had then making smores at the fire pit (With adult supervision of course!!!) All of the kiddos really enjoyed the balloons and were anticipating each hour for the new mission. I loved that they felt included and had as much fun as the adults did. Details, Details, Details!!!
** I also must add that since the children were occupied with the hourly activities, the parents were able to relax and enjoy themselves.
CHEERS TO 2014!!!
