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January 31, 2013 by Kelly Curtis

Celebrate Mardi Gras like New Orleans

Mardi Gras is a festive celebrate full of purple, gold, and green! It’s time to celebrate with beads, King Cake, and costumes. Are you not anywhere close to New Orleans? That’s okay, just celebrate at home just the way they do down in New Orleans. Wedding and Party Network has a few tips on celebrating Mardi Gras.

King Cake – This is an essential part of any Mardi Gras party. It is actually traced back to the 18th century and tradition has it, whoever gets the plastic baby hosts the next party and buys the next cake.
Flambeau – These carry lights to light up the night and offer some heat for the celebrations. Yes, heat in a warm up kind of way, but also they’re experienced and skillful at carrying these flame torches which provides some fun as well.
Not So Secret Societies – Better known as The Krewes, who are the masking and parading clubs, which were developed from private social clubs.
Mardi Gras Ball – Celebrate Mardi Gras with a festive party that features gowns, elaborate costumes, and masks. This event dates back to the beginning of Mardi Gras when there were kings and queens.
Purple, Green, Gold – Everyone knows these colors. They represent Mardi Gras in every way and are incorporated EVERYWHERE!
Beads – Go ahead and stock up on beads, because these are everywhere during Mardi Gras. This is the first thing that people think about when they think of Mardi Gras. These are used as party decorations or they are thrown off floats.
Golden Nugget – This is another popular item that is thrown, just like beads. It’s actually a painted coconut that is decorated with a Mardi Gras feel.
Costumes – Another big part of this celebrate is the costumes. Everyone is decked out in elaborate get ups, masks, boas, and beads! Now is the time to dress up, besides Halloween.
Mardi Gras Indians – Back in historical Mardi Gras, they were comprised on mostly African-Americans and gathered to settle scores and debts. It’s definitely not the case today.
Parade Floats – Lets not forget about the floats. They couldn’t have a parade without these extravagant and colorful floats.

Now, how can you incorporate these into a party? Easy! Host a Mardi Gras Ball at your house, deck everything out in green, purple, & gold, use beads for party decorations, have everyone dress in costume, and serve a King Cake for dessert. It’s that simple.

January 21, 2013 by Kelly Curtis

Will the Groundhog See It’s Shadow?

Groundhog Day is February 2nd and this is the day everyone finds out if we get 6 more weeks of winter or if spring is coming early. Why not celebrate this day with a little party, because every holiday needs a party, right? Wedding and Party Network has 7 reasons why you should host a Groundhog Day Party.

Easy party theme – Why is this an easy party theme? You could easily just put Bill Murray’s movie “Groundhog Day” on repeat the entire party.
Simple party concept – The whole point of this party is finding out whether you have more winter coming or if spring comes early. Everyone gets the concept!
Brown – Make everything the color brown, considering this is the color of the groundhog.
Spring or winter – Have your guests dress up as spring or winter. It’ll be fun to know what everyone thinks will happen.
Party games – Your guests can predict the weather, toss a stuffed groundhog into a basket for the little ones, or they can create their own masks. There are many out there for all ages.
Party decorations – Make part of the room winter and the other part spring. Find blues and whites for winter and pastels for spring. Very easy and such a fun party theme.
Chocolate – Since we’ve incorporated brown, chocolate is a must as well. You can go with chocolate cupcakes, chocolate candy, or cookies. Don’t forget to serve winter and spring drinks as well.

Groundhog Day can definitely be turned into a party theme. Invite friends, neighbors, and the kids in your neighborhood for a little viewing party. Everyone will enjoy it!

Photo via Aaron Silvers

January 17, 2013 by Kelly Curtis

Start Your Valentine’s Day Off Right

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Now is the time to start planning the special details. There are many special date ideas or party ideas you can create for this holiday of love. Why not start the morning off right with breakfast in bed for Valentine’s Day? Wedding and Party Network has a great party or even date idea that will make anyone’s Valentine’s Day start off right.

The Setup – Depending on if this is a date or a party will determine the setup of this party. If you are turning this idea into a date, all you really need is a tray to serve breakfast. However, if this is a party actually consider serving everything on the bed. The bed will serve as your table. You can hang party decorations over the bed, such as streamers, balloons, or banners. Add some gorgeous fresh flowers, heart pillows, and serve food on cute Valentine’s Day themed trays. These items will complete your party look.

Also, if you’re making this into a party theme, tell your guests to come over in their pajamas.

“Love” Themed Food – There are many types of breakfast foods you can serve for this party. Again, if this is a date, serve her or his favorite breakfast food. Heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes, strawberry french toast, coffee cake, granola, or breakfast strata. Whatever food you choose, make sure to put a fun Valentine’s Day themed twist on it. Add strawberries, cherries, or red and pink food coloring.

It’s really easy to create these party or date for Valentine’s Day. Plus, it’s a great way to start the day!

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Decorations
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find party decorations near you!

Valentine’s Day Breakfast via a pretty cool life

January 9, 2013 by Kelly Curtis

Neon Glow Party

Want a fun party theme that every one of all ages will enjoy? There are many themes out there but one that everyone will love is definitely a glow party. Even adults can have fun with this one and the kids will just eat it up. Wedding and Party Network has a few tips and ideas in creating a fantastic neon glow party.

Neon Party Decor – This is where it’s at when you’re having a neon glow party. Your party must be decked out in all things that glow. Where do you start? First off, make black your base color. Find black table cloths and black paper to make that your backdrop for the walls and tables. Next, find black lights. Black lights are great to place on walls, underneath tables, or just about anywhere you would like.

The final key components in creating a fantastic neon glow party is finding great glow sticks and accessories. You can find all kinds of glow sticks at your local party stores. There are necklaces, bracelets, glasses, earrings, glow sticks in all sizes and colors, glow cups, stickers, and many more items. Just find the right items that work best for your party. Place the glow sticks underneath the black table cloths, around tables, in vases, and just anywhere you think needs a glow stick.

You can also find great neon party accessories, like party plates, cups, napkins, servingware, and utensils. Place these items next to black lights and they’ll glow even more!

Glowing Food – What sort of food do you serve at a neon glow party? Anything you want. Do you want it to be a fun party with a bit of sophistication? Consider serving tartlets, smoked fish, lettuce wraps, crab rangoon dip, various dips, or a tortellini salad. However, if you just want it to be all about fun and being laid back, you can always serve up delicious finger foods.

For desserts & drinks, serve up neon colored desserts. For example, pick your favorite cake or cupcakes and then just add food coloring to create a glowing look. You can also add some fun glass candy that is colored as well, colorful cookies, and fun candy. Again, find great neon servingware and place it next to a black light to make it glow! If you add tonic water to any punch recipe, the drink will glow! Get creative with it!

A glow party is just a fun time and party theme for everyone to let loose and have an unforgettable time! So, get to glowing!

This post is brought to you by Houston Party Caterers
Not in Houston, TX? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find party caterers near you!

January 7, 2013 by Kelly Curtis

Bundle Up Baby!

Bundle up baby, it’s winter! If you’re planning a baby shower during these winter months, why not find a great theme that plays off the season? There are definitely adorable details that you can add to your baby shower during these colder months. Wedding and Party Network has a great baby shower theme that will keep everyone warm during the shower.

Find Inspiration

You know you’re going to play off winter and the colder weather for this baby shower. Choose your colors, maybe like a pastel blue or pink paired with white depending on the gender of the baby. Those color combinations also play off the winter theme too. However, focus on some key words. Think about the words like bundle and cold. Next, associate those words with food or baby products.

Shower Decorations

For baby shower decorations, think absolutely adorable and usability. The word bundle can be used in many ways. Bundle up because it’s cold outside or bundle of joy are both phrases for winter and a baby. Instead of a diaper cake, make a blanket cake with a topper that says Bundle of Joy.

Lay out baby booties so they’ll have something to wear during the cooler months, but also serves as shower decor. You can also hang socks from clothes lines up around your venue, baby coats, or onesies. Have framed photos of the parents, or if they’ve taken any pregnancy photos, set those out. Just remember find great baby items that relate to colder weather and you’ll have your decorations. Add a few accents like banners or photos and you’ll have an adorable baby shower.

Also, don’t forget the mom-to-be and her precious baby warm wishes from a wishing tree. Have a beautiful tree with tags for guests to write warm wishes and to hang on the tree. The family will enjoy this and it can be placed in the baby’s room as well.

Baby Shower Food

Most baby showers are late in the afternoon and many people have eaten lunch. The best thing to serve at showers is just appetizers and desserts. The main thing to include for your shower is a hot chocolate bar. It plays off the cold weather theme and is a great detail to add to any party. Make sure to have your hot chocolate ready with all the toppings. Your guests will love it.

When planning for a winter baby shower, make sure to find inspiration from what is around you. The cooler weather can definitely be an integrate part of a baby shower. Everyone will love all the lovely details.

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Decorations
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find party decorations near you!

Bundle of Joy photo via Make it Cozee

November 8, 2012 by Celebration Advisor

7 Great College Party Themes

If you want to plan a party for your college friends, it’s likely you want your party to be unique and for guests to remember it for years to come. In this case, don’t go with the typical luau or toga party themes. Wedding and Party Network has some suggestions for party themes that are appropriate for post-grads of all ages.

1. ABC Party – This stands for “Anything But Clothes”–but before you assume something naughty, remember this just means your attire has to be created entirely from non-clothing items. Show up in a wardrobe made of duct tape, plastic bags, newspaper, or any craft or household supply. This can be a truly tricky party theme as guests put effort into creating a costume worth showing off.

2. Stoplight Party– In an effort to pair up your single friends or highlight a new relationship, host a stoplight party! Guests arrive wearing red to show they are taken, yellow to indicate “it’s complicated”, or green to declare their single status. Get creative by decorating red shirts with your boyfriend or girlfriend’s name or green shirts that read “Ready to Mingle.”

3. Rubik’s Cube Party– If you want a theme that compels guests to interact with everyone in the room, host a fun party that’s as challenging and competitive as the cube itself! Each guest must arrive with one article of clothing in each color of the Rubik’s cube–white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow. Throughout the party guests must trade garments with one another to achieve a solid color outfit.

4. It Used To Be Cool Party – Do you, or maybe your parents or older siblings, have clothes tucked in the back of the closet that you wouldn’t be caught dead in? Arrive “in style” with your old Hammer pants, track suits, hair scrunchies, or shoulder pads. Everything you wear must be something hideously out of style–no come-back trends.

5. Breakfast Club Party– Most people have seen this 1980’s brat pack classic where five teens of vastly different stereotypes attend Saturday detention together. Guests must attend your party dressed like a high school stereotype–a nerd, jock, prom queen, rebel, or wallflower are a few examples. Play the soundtrack of The Breakfast Club as well as favorite hits from your high school years.

This blast from the past can bring back some timeless memories.

6. Highlighter Party – Create a high energy party with lively dance music and lots of socializing. Guests wear a plain white t-shirt, glow stick jewelry, and come armed with highlighters. For part of the party, have guests write personal messages on other guests t-shirts with highlighters, then turn off the lights and turn on some black lights! Everyone’s messages will be illuminated and can make for some funny reads.

7. Olympic Party – If it’s an Olympic game year, host a party for the opening ceremony or even just a night of competitions. Guests must support America, or their home country if they are exchange students, by wearing patriotic colors. Another option is for guests to wear their best Olympic athlete attire. Bring on the workout gear, sweat bands, and gold medals.

Additional themes may include superhero, decades, masquerade, favorite childhood character, reality star, or all-one-color parties which are self-explanatory. Guests will be challenged to piece together costumes from what they have in the dorm or from what they can scavenge at a thrift store. Whatever theme you choose, your party is sure to be one that is remembered and you may gain a reputation as the most creative host! Suit up and stay safe with all of these fun party themes–remember there are dozens of weekends in a school year, so try them all!

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Decorations
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find party decorations near you!

November 5, 2012 by Celebration Advisor

ABC Party Theme

Many college students host parties, so in order to distinguish yours from the rest, try hosting an ABC Party. In order to attend, guests must construct a costume made entirely of Anything But Clothes. While normal shoes are allowed for safety and clothes can be worn underneath, everything that shows must be constructed from non-clothing items. Some great supplies to get you started are duct tape, newspaper, streamers, and anything else crafty and creative! Wedding and Party Network has a few suggestions for creating the perfect costume.

Get Started – Decide what materials to use and where these materials will come from. Do you have a stack of old newspapers or magazines you could cut up? If so, all you will need is tape or needle and thread to piece together your new look. If you don’t have anything in your dorm or apartment to use, try going to a local dollar store or asking your friends for help.

What’s Your Style?– Some people make outfits to mirror regular clothes such as cocktail dresses. Others simply cover a cheap or old outfit with items such as playing cards, tinsel, and ribbon. Decide what your style is and begin sketching out an idea of what your finished product will look like.

Piece It Together – Have a friend help you take measurements of your body to ensure proper sizing. Lay out a foundation and start sewing or taping pieces together. Top it all off with embellishment such as beads, silk flowers, or accessories made from ABC supplies.

Try It On – After all your hard work, nothing could be worse than a wardrobe malfunction. Try on your outfit with plenty of time to spare before the party. Walk and dance around to test how it will hold up. Mimic any actions you might make such as raising your arms up or bending down. If your outfit does not hold up during this test, you need to revise it! Just in case, wear something under your outfit.

Make Your Debut – Whether your costume is goofy or glam, you want to look the part. Styling your hair and wearing accessories to highlight your costume are key features to rocking the ABC design of your creation. As the host, greet everyone as they arrive and show off your creative job-well-done!

Whether you’re a craft guru or simply someone who loves to have fun, throwing an ABC Party can be a way to express yourself and see how much creativity your friends have as well. Play hits from the master of ABC herself, Lady Gaga, and remember to take plenty of pictures! These will be outfits and moments you won’t want to forget.

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Decorations
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find party decorations near you!

Newspaper hat via Henry happened

October 25, 2012 by Celebration Advisor

The Secret to Taking the Toga Party from Sheets to Chic

Ever since Animal House made “Toga! Toga! Toga!” famous, the toga party has become a rite of passage for party lovers around the world. With its popularity on college campuses, it’s no wonder it has acquired a questionable reputation. Don’t let this ruin such a fun party theme! Wedding and Party Network knows just how to create a classy mixer from this classic party theme, promising to give your club or Greek organization an Olympic image.

Amp Up the Theme and Transform the Toga Party

Why party like the average Greek when you could party like the gods? Tell your guests this toga party is for Olympians only with a Mount Olympus theme. With this simple change, you have made a sloppy cliché into a soiree promising lavish food and decorations worthy of Zeus himself. The transformation will take only a few minor changes.

The Invitations

To take your toga party to the next level, start with an elegant invitation. Use rich colors, specially gold, and a font which looks like calligraphy. Choose your wording to match the Olympic theme with something like, “Athena (or whichever Greek god or goddess you choose) requests your presence on Mount Olympus for a night of food, drink, and music.” Bonus points if you have them printed on scrolls and hand-delivered!

The Costumes

The best thing about a toga party is the costume. Togas are easy, affordable, and fun costumes that all of your guests can easily put together. There will be those who are reluctant to surrender themselves to the toga, so help them out. Offer to help guests with their toga 20 to 30 minutes before the party starts so no one has to worry about making their own.

Encourage guests to make their most inventive Greek god or goddess costume for an elegant twist to these classic costumes. To reward guests for their efforts, have several thrones set up throughout the venue and have those with the best costumes claim their right to the throne. These thrones would also make great photo backdrops.

The Decorations

For the Mount Olympus party theme, the decorations are very manageable. Start collecting sheets and pillows in deep reds, blues, creams, or white. Ask friends if you can raid their linen closets and search your local department store. Drape the sheets over seating and hang it from the walls. Cover the floor with the pillows for a simple, lush detail. If you have any stone statues or pillars, these will be perfect accents to the decor.

You can also check your local party store for the perfect Greek pieces. To add the Mount Olympus touch, think paradise. Collect potted plants and trees and fill the area with greenery. String lights can add a magical touch. It’s as simple as that!

The Food

Depending on how formal you want the event to be, you can really make your toga party with the food. Of course grapes, cheeses, and olives are all perfect matches for the theme; but to really step up your game, don’t hold back. Wherever you serve your food, make sure to give it the appearance of abundance. An overflowing buffet will give your toga party an unforgettably extravagant touch.

Fill golden bowls past the rim with apples, pear and oranges. Have grape bunches of different colors hanging over the edges of the table and platters.

It doesn’t take a huge budget to achieve this look. If you are lacking enough food for the “overflowing” style, find smaller containers and tables. Remember, it’s about achieving a lavish image without breaking the bank!

Why stop with the food? Build a chalice tower of sparkling cider for a party without alcohol, or your favorite wine for those wanting some harder drink. Just remember, keep it classy! The chalices will give the powerful tone of the gods and the overflowing cups will delight guests. If you really want to impress, hire a catering service to meet all of your guests culinary needs.

Speak with your local caterers and see who specializes in Greek food and if they could provide some waiters to serve your demigod guests – maybe even in their own togas!

The Party Favors

When they come to your Mount Olympus party, your guests are going to want to feel like gods and goddesses. So give them what they want! Party favors can make your guests feel like royalty and leave with a reminder of how great your event was. A laurel wreath is the perfect addition to any toga costume, but not all of your guests will know how to make one. Hand them out as party favors and guests will be ecstatic. Don’t forget these are gods and goddesses, so paint your laurels gold with spray paint for a luxurious touch.

Around the room you can also have fun, themed props. Cut out and paint some lightning bolts for the Zeus-lovers and place roses around the room for your Aphrodites. Golden bows, spears, hammers, and other weapons will be perfect for warrior gods. Whatever you use, just make sure it’s fun and sticks with your Mount Olympus theme.

The Entertainment

If you want to entertain your Olympic guests, think extravagant. For music and an added class bonus, find or hire someone to play the harp while guests mingle. Even if you don’t stick with the Greek theme for your music – let’s face it, it’s not easy to find authentic greek musicians – hire music entertainment worthy of the gods.

For games, why not look on the local sports channel? The Greeks claimed the root of the ancient Olympic games were their gods. While many stories circulate about the Olympics’ origin, the purpose always remained to serve the gods and bring peace and harmony to the lands.

Organizing your own Olympic games would be a fun way to get everyone involved. Traditional games included foot races, long jump, discus throws, and other sports in today’s track and field competitions.

For a simpler take on this, think of fun, picnic relay races. Sack races, water balloon tosses, or a football throwing contest would be fun for everyone.

Everyone loves a good toga party, so it won’t be hard to delight guests with this classic party theme. When you transform it into this elegant Mount Olympus party, you open up your event to impress everyone in attendance. The Mount Olympus theme is perfect to introduce your sorority, club, or organization to the masses. While they’re having fun partying in a toga, they won’t forget that you made such an impressive party out of Animal House’s old party theme.

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Invitations
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find party invitations near you!

Greek party decor via Momentary Madness

October 23, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Day of the Dead Celebration

There are many holidays worth celebrating throughout the year. Why not this year choose a holiday that you’ve never celebrated before? There are many holidays that you may never have heard of before. Wedding and Party Network has a holiday that is a must to celebrate this year, the Day of the Dead.

This Mexican holiday has been celebrated for over 3000 years. The ritual of honoring the dead began with the Aztecs and other ancient civilizations. It’s a time to honor deceased relatives with a festive celebration that includes dancing, sugar skulls, masks and prayer. This is just a unique holiday and maybe something that you’ve never celebrated before. However, everyone will have a great time.

Party decorations – When decorating for this party, use bright colors, skulls, festive banners and flowers. If you need some ideas, visit your local party store for decorations and search online for ideas.

What to serve – Think about cooking up your favorite Mexican dishes. You can go with tacos, nachos, queso, mole, Mexican rice and Mexican hot chocolate. Try to keep it authentic. If you’re unsure on how to create authentic Mexican food, talk with your local caterer.

Also, use sugar skulls. This is part of your party decorations, and some are made out of paper mache or craft material. However, they are really made out of real sugar. Try and create them yourself or you can always talk with your bakery as well. It will be something fun and authentic to include in your party. Don’t forget about the tradition of breaking bread. It’s a sweet bread with anise seed and orange that is used as an offering.

Include traditions – This holiday is all about ritual. So, include some if within your party. Raise your wine to the dead or even create crafts. You don’t have to go full-out, but remember your loved ones during this time.

This party is something unique and is a great alternative for your Halloween party.

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Caterers. Not in Miami FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find party caterers near you!

October 16, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Flashback to High School

Are you looking for a fun party theme for a birthday party or even a class reunion? Of course, there are many out there. You can find various party themes, party colors or decorations. Wedding and Party Network has a great party theme that will take you back to high school.

Theme of this party – Really, the idea behind this party is to grab some of your friends together that you are close with or you may not have seen in awhile and center it around high school. It’s a time when you and your friends can relive the good ole’ days.

Invite your guests – For your party invitations, include elements of high school into it. Pom poms, glasses, books, footballs, basketballs, instruments or make it a chalkboard themed invitation. Tell them to dress up as some high school stereotypes or maybe what they were known as in high school. It may have been the jock, band student, honor roll student or cheerleader. It would be fun to relive that aspect in high school.

Party decorations – How do you decorate for a high school party? Break out the foam fingers, pom poms, signs like you used during pep rallies, textbooks or even maybe some cheesy prom decorations. Whatever you decide to use, make sure to incorporate something fun that everyone will remember. Hang signs on the wall, decorate the tables with foam fingers & pom poms and incorporate textbooks into the centerpieces.

High school food – What did you eat in high school? Does macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, chips, jello, sandwiches, pudding, nacho bar, pizza, candy, chocolate milk in milk cartons, tator tots and brownies. Basically, everything junk food inspired. Don’t forget to serve the food in the cafeteria lunch trays too. This makes for a fun addition to your party.

Party activities – Besides reminiscing on your found memories of high school, there are some games to incorporate into the party as well. Think about having a photobooth where you can take yearbook photos or have people vote on the most popular and who ended up being just what they planned in high school. It can be fun categories or really see how everyone’s life has turned out so far and if it is what they expected.

This party is great for birthdays, class reunions or just because. Get all your friends together and remember the high school days like they were yesterday.

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Photo Booths
Not in Richardson, TX? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network’s handy party planning directory to help you find Halloween Decorations near you!

Megaphone photo via Westside Shooter

Celebrate Mardi Gras like New Orleans

Will the Groundhog See It’s Shadow?

Start Your Valentine’s Day Off Right

Neon Glow Party