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Party Theme: Bring Your Own Plate

Need a theme for a housewarming party?  Take a cue from the old saying  "Bring Your Own Bottle" and throw a Bring Your Own Plate Party.  This is a prefect party for a someone moving out for the first time or someone newly divorced who needs dinnerware.

Plate Party Dish
Plate Party Dish
Each guest is asked to bring a plate for the new home owner. You can vary it by asking guests to each bring a plate, glass, and coffee cup.  Be sure to specify this on the party invitations you send. To add a little extra fun, have the guest bring food on the plates with recipes attached to the back.  They can bring items like home-made brochette, cheese and crackers,  mini sandwiches, cupcakes, pies, or even a whole meatloaf.  Leaving the food choices up to the guests and their culinary specialties makes for a fun surprise.

For decorations, create a table centerpiece by purchasing flatware, some ribbon and some flowers.  Group the knives in a bundle leaving an open center and tie them tightly with the ribbon. In the center place a few items of the flower of your choice. Buy a  short vase to hold the spoons and forks. Place flowers inside or around the vases.  Since the flowers will be without water during the party, wait until the last moment to add them to the centerpieces.

You can vary this party idea in so many ways.  Maybe they need furniture.  Ask guest to give a piece of furniture they no longer use.  The party would then change to "Bring Your Own Chair", or a "Bring Your Own Wall Art".

It all depends on the needs of the honoree. The concept is to help set up a new home, have some fun and make memories. I love the idea of an eclectic mix of plates and cups. Each individual item represents the friends and family of the honoree.  After all, memories of family and friends help make a house your home.

Wedding and Party Network is happy to bring you this party planning idea. Also, a special thanks to PittyPat's Porch, an Atlanta GA Caterer for the use of their southern Georgia Gumbo picture.

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Hosting An Interfaith Christmas-Hanukkah Party

Most of us have friends or family who are of different faiths than us. As the holiday's approach and we start planning our parties questions will arise on planning an interfaith party.

Finger Foods
Food is the biggest concern when planning an interfaith party. Including your friends with dietary restrictions takes a bit of extra planning and preparation. A cocktail party is a fantastic way to accommodate different dietary needs. By serving finger foods, you can prepare different serving platters based on dietary restrictions or customs. This is especially helpful if your Jewish guests observe kosher laws.

Anytime you host a Christmas/Hanukkah party, you should include kosher foods into your celebration menu. You can purchase kosher foods or you can make them yourself or hire a kosher caterer.  I suggest purchasing kosher or using a kosher caterer, that way you know your food has been prepared according to the Jewish tradition.

You will want to make sure the party date does not fall during Hanukkah, which is December 12-19, 2009.  Scheduling your party is very important, for both your Christian guests and your Jewish guests. As it gets closer to the holidays, both groups will have their own traditions to keep and religious ceremonies to attend.

Once the date is set and the invitations sent, food and decorations are at the top of the party planning list.

Food & Drink Suggestions

For a cocktail party, finger foods work the best. Try incorporating a few of these kosher food ideas in your menu.

  • Potato Latkas(potato pancakes) traditional food for Hanukkah
  • Baba ghanouj (eggplant dip)
  • Kosher franks wrapped in dough
  • Jelly Doughnuts ( jelly filled doughnuts are traditional Jewish food served during Hanukkah)
  • Blintzes
  • Rugulach
  • Wine, water, mixed drinks, soda's are all okay to serve but they must be kosher.

Look for a local kosher deli or bakery, they can also make suggestion for food.  If you wish to serve some kosher items found in grocery stores, you can look for kosher symbols on the products. Look for these symbols on soft drinks, wines, mixes for mixed drinks, crackers, chips, dips and other food items.

It is best to serve your food and drinks using plastic  plates, glasses, and utensils. Plastic products ensure that your Jewish guest can keep kosher.

Inter-Faith Decorating

Hanukkah Flowers
For decorations, I suggest using your traditional Christian or holiday items, but include some Hanukkah decorations as well.  Items such as Star Of David, dreidel, and a menorah can be easily incorporated with your toher decorations. Think optional holiday colors.  Blue and white are good colors to use for Hanukkah celebrations and still appropriate for the season. So forgo the traditional red and green holiday arrangements. Instead use flower arrangements with blue and white flowers or decorations with silver embellishments.

With a bit of effort you can throw a great interfaith party, that shows you care about your guest religious traditions as well as enjoy their company.

This party planning tip was brought to you by WeddingandPartyNetwork.com

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How To Host A Dirty Santa Party

With Thanksgiving and Christmas, quickly approaching party that involve gifts are pushed to the forefront of party planning.

In the south, we have a gift giving party called Dirty Santa. In other parts of the country it is called White Elephant party.  Whatever name you want call your party, it has the same rules and played basically the same. The only thing that changes is the name since Dirty Santa seems more appropriate during December and November than July and August. Dirty Santa is a popular party during Christmas because it gives everyone a chance to share a gift without having to take out a loan to pay for them. It is especially popular with large extended families who get together for the holidays.

Sound like something you want to do? Here's how you do it.

Dirty Santa Party Rules

  • Ask everyone to bring a gift, preferably one that either sex might like. The gifts should be wrapped without identification. Half the fun is not knowing who brought the gift.
  • Set a price limit on the gift.  Most of the parties I have been to set a price of 30 bucks, but you can go as low as  5 or 10 dollars.  Include the rules and price limit with the party invitations.
  • As guests arrive, pile all the gifts in a stack and have each guest pick a number out of a hat or box. (Make sure you have equal guest to presents – you might want to stash one or two extra presents in case someone forgets.)
  • After everyone arrives and your ready to play, the person with the number 1 goes  first. They chooses a present from the pile and open it.
  • Now the fun part, the number 2 person selects a present from the stack. After they open it, Dirty Santa can be declared and anyone who has open a gift can steal an opened gift and replace it with the gift they have in their possession. As the game goes on, any one can declare Dirty Santa and steal a present from any other guest and leave them with the gift they chose. Once you declare dirty Santa you can’t declare it again.  But someone can declare dirty Santa on you, and take the present you wanted. Each person has once chance to declare dirty Santa, after every present has be picked and each person has declared dirty Santa, the game is over.

Gag gifts are great for this Dirty Santa game.  I remember playing one year,  one of the male guest end up with tiger print teddy.  Novelty or gag gifts add some fun and laughs to this crazy party.  With Dirty Santa or a White Elephant party, you can add to the rules or mix them up and make the party idea yours. It's a great idea for adult birthday parties, anniversary parties, family reunions, office parties and (of course) Christmas parties.

So – Merry Christmas!  Go out and plan a Dirty Santa party this year!

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Golden Wedding Anniversary Party: Remember The Year!

This is a fun way to celebrate the milestone of a 50th wedding anniversary, but you can use the same ideas for any wedding anniversary. Decorate the party place with all things from the year the couple was married. In the case of a 50th wedding anniversary celebrated in 2009 the wedding year is 1959. Dig up all the information you can on 1959 and use what you find to help choose a theme.

In 1959 for instance TV shows such as Bonanza and Rawhide premiered in that year, so a western theme might be what your draw from for a theme and decorations. You might choose to use Etch A Sketch as decoration on the tables since they were invented in that year. For entertainment you could hire impersonators to play the popular artist from the day, such as Doris Day or Frank Sinatra.

For food again look to the past for what to serve. In the 50’s grilling was a rising trend, so grilled food may be a good choice for this party. Or any other food items that were popular during that time. Do the same with your beverages choose drinks that were popular during the anniversary couple’s wedding year. In 1959 soda pop in bottles were the rage. See if you can find soda in bottles to continue the theme year. Tang was a popular drink as well. For adult beverages, martinis were very popular in the late 50’s.

With a bit of research on your part, a golden opportunity to give a wonderful walk down memory lane to an anniversary couple is a snap. And remember you can do this with any wedding year.

This anniversay party planning idea was brought ot you by weddingandpartynetwork.com.

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Scaring Up A Halloween Party: 4 Spooky Tips

Halloween theme parties are one of my favorites. When throwing a Halloween party, you’ll need to invest in few scary surprises for your party guest.

Tip #1 – DRY ICE

Spooky Halloween Decorations
The most important surprise begin with dry ice.  It creates the ultimate spooky party feeling. You can use it in your punch and with your decorations. Not sure about dry ice but still want the creepy affect of an eerie fog rolling in? Rent a fog machine.

Tip #2 – Get Into Character

Create the ultimate Halloween party atmosphere by hiring some scary characters to mingle with the crowd. There performers can liven up the party with ghoulish activities and spooky skits.  Be part of the fun by renting a character costume for yourself or make it a Halloween costume party. Transform your party area into a Halloween mecca. Decorate with fake spider webs, mini caskets to hold the food, orange and black streamers and black candles placed in a fake skull. Cardboard cut out tombstones for your outdoors and well as indoors.

Tip #3 – Ghoulish Food Equals Good Time

Once you’ve got your dry ice punch, other food and drink ideas are simple.  Serve a blood drink for Vampires (7up™ or Sprite™ colored with red food coloring). Serve your ghoulish dip served in carved pumpkin. (Ghoulish dip can be made from anything but dips with chunks of pimentos, mushrooms, etc. give a creepier effect.) Don't forget the spooky sweets.  If you’re not good at making creepy cakes and spooky cookies have your bakery make them for you. Serve super spicy bat wings. Okay, you can’t really buy spicy bat wings but you can chicken wings and call them bat wings.

Tip #4 – Treat Them To Entertainment

Although entertainment will vary by age, a Halloween party lends itself to many options. A unique kids entertainment ideas is pumpkin bowling.  All you need for this low-cost form of entertainment is some empty water bottles and a few pumpkins.  Everyone loves to bowl, but teens and adults might prefer a more refined type of entertainment.  Try a murder mystery game.  Halloween entertainment options are endless.

These are basic tips you can use for any type of Halloween party. These same principles for a kids Halloween party or for adult parties.  Just remember with the help of these tips, your local bakery, and a  party supply store, you can throw a wickedly fun Halloween party!

As always Wedding and Party Network, is a great place for ideas when planning your party.

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Celebrating 40 – Better With Age

40th Birthday – You're Not Old – You're Like Fine Wine & Cheese – Better With Age

Having  reached my fortieth year (a milestone birthday), my sister threw me a great party. It was subdued, yet a fantastically wonderful party. My Sister invited my husband and a few of my dearest friends over to celebrate my birthday. The black and white invitation arrived by mail, asking us to attend a wine and cheese party, and to dress in evening wear attire.

She decorated her home with flowers that coordinated with the wines we were going to taste. The serving table was decorated with flowers such as red roses behind a Merlot wine,  white roses for a Chardonnay wine. It was fragrant and beautiful, her home looked like a fine restaurant. The food was delicious yet simple, the rich cheese, the fresh fruits all served by a waiter dressed in a purple shirt with black pants (purple is my favorite color). The best part was the most decadent seven layer chocolate cake she served for desert.

My sister, always the best hostess, hired a wonderful singer/guitar player who softy played through out the night. As we drank the wines and sampled the cheeses, we swayed to the music even singing along occasionally.  This party is a relaxing way to celebrate a 40th birthday.

Sometimes we think a milestone birthday party means big and grand, but big is not what every 40-year-old wants. Some like a more subdued party that is rich in food, drink and close friends and family. My sister gave me what I needed a relaxing celebration of my birthday.  Keep this idea in mind you may have a friend or family member that wants to quietly celebrate their age. This allows you to celebrate their milestone without stressing them out with big party.

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Planning An Office Retirement Party

When someone retires, it is a great time for an office party.  However as with all parties, it requires organization and planning. Of course, the focus of the party should be on the life and work of the retiree which can be tricky. So how do you throw a great retirement party for some one you only know as a co-worker?

Simple get their family involved.  Ask their family to share the hobbies, favorite color, food, and drink of the retiree. Get those questions answered then run with it. If you’re having the parties at work, decorate the party area with balloons, streamers and table cloths in their favorite color or colors.  It also a nice touches to have a "Happy Retirement" banner made.  If you’re having a quick retirement party, you can serve cake and ice cream with water, soda, and juice for the drinks and food. If you found out the retiree's hobby is golfing then purchase napkins with a golf theme.

To do a more formal dinner party, you can book a room at restaurant. For larger parties with entertainment,  rent a party hall and hire caterers. as for decorations, skip the streamers and balloons instead use candles and flower arrangements. Keep table cloths in basic black or white and use flowers in the favorite color of the retiree. If this party is for multiple retirees, go with company colors in the table flower arrangements. That way you'll offend no one by leaving out their favorite color.

Being in charge of the office retirement parties isn’t really a difficult task when you ask the right questions and follow key party principles.

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Choose A Decade, Any Decade For A Groovy Party Theme

Everyone knows that a party is more fun if there is a theme involved. That’s why whenever hosting a party, I  try to have some kind of central idea to focus around whether it be Hawaiian themed, Mexican themed, or holiday themed. Here lately, I have been in a rut with my party theme ideas. I really needed some fresh ideas.  So, I started exploring possibilities outside of my norm. I considered weird wacky themes, outlandish themes and even considered recycling some old themes.  Then in the midst of my brainstorming, I thought of a new and exciting idea for any kind of party: Decade Themes.

With a decade as a theme, you can incorporate many aspects of entertainment into your party planning including: popular foods, clothes, games, and music. To make sure the theme really takes off, be sure and send out party theme invitations ahead of time incorporating elements of the decade. Let guests know that decade attire is required for the party. Guests decked out in decade party attire will add to another element to your party decorations, not to mention some good laughs. Think of how much fun guests will have putting together outfits for the event. You can even have a contest for the best decade outfit.

Choosing what to serve at your party is completely up to the host. Regular party food is always fine. However if you want to get creative, find or make some foods that were popular during that time. Entertainment is a must. Games are optional of course, but games such as Twister and Super Nintendo sure do bring some laughs to a room full of MC Hammer pants. Of course pumping it up with a little music, is probably the best way to immerse your guests in the decade, as well as, entertain them.  To add that special musical ambiance to the party hire a band that plays a variety of songs from the decade. If you can’t find the right live entertainment for your party, a good decade music list from your Ipod will work just fine.

A decade theme party is a fun and unique way to throw a fabloulous shin-dig.  So pick a decade and let the good times rock and roll.

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Celebrate a 60th with a 50's Party!

If you have a relative celebrating their 60th birthday this year, consider throwing a Party with a "Sock Hop" theme. Those born in 1949 will remember the 50’s and will appreciate a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

What You Need For A "Sock Hop" 60th Birthday Party

1) A Classic Car. Have the honoree picked up and driven to the party site in a classic car from that era. This will set the stage for what’s to come.

2) Sounds From The 50's. Don't forget the music which was a huge part of the 50’s. Hire a DJ to spin 50's tunes or turn in to the fifties channel on your stereo.

3) A 50's Atmosphere. Decorate your walls with pictures of the honoree from the 50’s that have been enlarged. Decorate with retro items. Create a 50's atmosphere by setting up a "Malt Shop" bar with 50's memorabilia including glasses containing hand-dipped milkshakes and malts.

4) The Taste of the 50's. If you’re serving a meal, consider classics like meatloaf and mashed potatoes or drive-in favorites like burgers and fries.

5) Party like they did back when. Hula hoops came of age in the 50’s, so why not have a hula hoop contest?

6) A trip down memory lane. Most of all, give the guests an opportunity to pay tribute to the guest of honor. A 60th birthday is a special milestone and it’s a great time to tell humorous stories and anecdotes about the honoree. With a trip down memory lane the stories should be abundant and a great way to share how important the guests and birthday boy/girl are to each other.

So stroll down to the party store and pick up some 50’s theme party supplies and in no time your 60 year old birthday boy/girl will be rocking and rolling their way to fabulous birthday.

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Hollywood Party Theme: Golden Globe Awards

I’m always looking for an excuse to throw a party. For 2009, I decided that the Golden Globe Awards was a great adult party theme to kick off the New Year. I’ve put together some great ideas to make your Golden Globes Party fun and creative without breaking the bank.

First, you can’t have a Golden Globes party without a red carpet. Run down to you’re local store in search for an inexpensive red carpet. If you can’t find one there, you can certainly make your own. A few yards of inexpensive red fabric will do the trick.

Games are always a great idea for any kind of party. Before guests arrive, prepare a list of the Golden Globe nominations on elegant paper in a fancy font. The guests can use this list to select who they think will win each category. Before the awards ceremony starts have everyone turn in their ballot and who ever has the most correct after the show receives their very own golden globe. You can pick up a fake Golden Globe at a local party supplies store or order online. If your budget allows, you could send everyone home with a mini Golden Globe as party favors.

Planning a dinner?

7 Tips: Hosting for the Holidays

The holiday season is all about joy, togetherness, and celebration. But let’s be honest—it can also be a little stressful, especially if you’re the one hosting. Whether you’re planning an intimate dinner with family or a lively party with friends, these tips will make hosting for the holidays a breeze!

Hosting 101: Tips for a Seamless Event

Hosting an event can be a rewarding experience, but it requires detailed planning and execution. Whether you're organizing a party, shower, holiday dinner, or just a casual get-together, it's important to ensure everything goes according to plan so that your guests have a great time, and *bonus* you come across as a hosting pro! To make this easier, we've outlined some tips to help you host your next event with confidence.

Winter Wedding Tips

Breaking news… winter weddings are our latest love affair! The days are shorter and the nights are colder, but winter weddings are full of romance and have a uniquely magical essence.

2024 Bid Day Themes

In recent years, these trendy Bid Day themes have made waves on campuses nationwide, combining nostalgia, elegance, and fun into celebrations that are unforgettable and awe-inspiring! This year is no exception, and it's safe to say that we've got a few rush crushes of our own. We've compiled a list of some of our favorite 2024 Bid Day themes that you can take inspo from for your next event.