If you’re planning to have a few friends over Saturday night, it’s easy enough to turn on the radio, open some bottles of wine, and put out chips and dips. Likely, if you have the right mix of guests, you’ll end up with a pretty nice gathering. But if you really want to knock your friends’ socks off, create a theme and turn your party into an event.
Choose Your Theme
You theme should take into consideration components such as the age of the attendees, the season, time of day, and what you’d like the party to address. For instance…
You could have a spring party that’s outside and is centered around a large picnic.
Holidays are easy since there are built-in themes associated with Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Food is always a great central focus, but you can add to the excitement with costumes or by pulling in traditions from around the world.
An awards show party could mean a black-tie soiree complete with champagne, petit fours, and a red carpet.
A birthday party is easily tied to the birthday person’s age (‘80s party for an eight-year-old or over-the-hill theme for a friend turning 50?) or his or her favorite thing (Skylanders, superheroes, or American Girl?).
Build from the Ground Up
Once you have a theme chosen, start to plan all of the aspects of the party you want to support the theme. Consider music, food, colors, activities, and food. If it’s a birthday party, the cake should tie into the theme, and remember goody bags and decorations that keep your guests thinking about your party long after they’ve left.
Be sure that your invitations let everyone know what to expect and how they can play a part in the festivities. Some people get confused by the parameters of a theme, so make it easy for them by giving them limited options. If you’re hosting a Thai-themed night and you want guests to bring a dish to share, give them some websites or books with recipes; better yet, give them the names and numbers of local Thai restaurants!
Go Big or Go … Small
How involved you want to be with your party theme is completely up to you. Perhaps you’ll choose to really go over the top and speak with a British accent during your Anglophile party. Or maybe you’ll just have red and white decorations with heart-shaped cookies for a Valentine’s Day party.
Remember that themed parties can be fun for partygoers of all ages, as well as for all types of parties. Sure, it’s easy to make a kid’s party be themed around the toy favorite this month, but have you thought about a themed wedding? Think about it: most weddings are definitely themed around color and feel (afternoon, evening), but they can also have a bigger theme, if you so desire.
Whatever you choose for your party theme — all well as how pervasive the theme is — is completely fine. When planning and considering a theme, always remember to keep your audience in mind. If you choose a theme with a pretty niche audience, you may find yourself with more no responses than yes. For instance, while your favorite show may be Doctor Who, how many of your friends even know what the show is about, much less have a sonic screwdriver at home to bring to the party? Costume parties can also scare off certain attendees. But if you have the right mix of people who will come and play along, go for it!
Save Money by Renting
You probably don’t have everything you need to create an over-the-top themed event, so remember that you can rent many of the items that will make your party a winner, such as tables, chairs, linens, and decorations. AZ Party Zone has a complete selection of items that will help to support your theme and make your party a huge success. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to attend a party to be surprised by a bounce house out back (yes, even the adults like to jump around)? Call 602-277-2789 to make your reservations now and get ready to have an amazing event!