Party Themes | Celebration Advisor - Wedding and Party Network Blog

May 15, 2015 by Kelly Curtis

Inspirational Friday – Birthday Parties

Planning a birthday party soon? This can most definitely be a stressful task since you want it to be perfect. So, this week's Inspirational Friday will focus on birthday parties to give you a little inspiration.

It's all about the recipient when planning a birthday party. What do they like and enjoy? Base it around that. For example, if your child enjoys a certain cartoon, it may be a good idea to base their party theme around that. It may not be something you personally like, but if they do that's all that matters. Once you figure out a theme, research all about it. Once you know and understand your theme, you can start picking up details for your party. We hope this tip helps and don't forget to share your birthday party pictures with us at social@weddingandpartynetwork.com.

May 2, 2015 by Miroslava Casiano

Hosting a Cinco De Mayo Party

We celebrate Cinco de Mayo but do you really know what this Mexican holiday stands for? Here is a brief history, traditions and activities that take place this day.

Some people think Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence day but these are two completely different holidays. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the French army at what is called “La Batalla de Puebla” or the battle of Puebla. On September 16, 1862, President Benito Juarez made this day an annual holiday in Mexico.

Most celebrations take place in Puebla. It is tradition to have speeches, parades and reenactments of the battle with people dressed in Mexican and French soldier uniforms. This is all done for visitors/tourist and residents to attend. Everyone wears patriotic clothing and accessories in green, white and red. Traditional Mexican food is served such as tamales, mole, salsa and tortilla chips, tacos, arroz (rice) and guacamole. What makes this celebration extra fun is the Mariachi music and folk dances, definitely bringing life to the party! Not in Mexico? No problem. Here are a few tips on hosting a Cinco De Mayo party of your own.

In the United States this is more of a day to celebrate the Mexican culture. Cinco de Mayo is surprisingly celebrated more around the U.S. than in Mexico. This day gives people in the US a chance to celebrate like Mexicans do! Are you planning to have a Cinco de Mayo party this year? Here are a few ideas for a fun Cinco de Mayo fiesta!

Cinco De Mayo Decorations

Use a very colorful scheme when decorating. Colors such as yellow, blue, purple, orange and green, white and red are perfect for this occasion. This is a very happy culture so pretty much any bright color will look great!

Often crepe or tissue paper is used to make decorative pieces to hang on walls or ceilings. These are known in Mexico as “papel picado”. If you’re looking for a fun, inexpensive way to add character to the fiesta, this is it! Not only inexpensive, but very easy to make! All you need is patience and a little imagination.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Crepe or Tissue Paper (variety of bright colors)
Scissors
String or tape to hang

Directions

Step 1: Cut the paper to about “letter” size (8×10)

Step 2: (This step is optional) Draw or print template of design on a blank piece of paper.

Step 3: Select a variety of colors and stack them. You’ll be able to make more banners at a time.

Step 4: Place template (if available) on top of crepe or tissue papers.

Step 5: Fold papers down the middle. Make sure the template is in front of all papers. This is the first thing you want to see when papers are folded.

Step 5: Start cutting!

Step 6: Unfold the papers and…voila! You’re done.

This is a great activity to do with family and friends!

Spice It Up with Your Food

The traditional foods to eat on Cinco de Mayo are tamales, tacos and mole. Tamales and mole are not easy to make so make a taco bar so everyone can make their perfect taco.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Flour and corn tortillas
Fillings (beef, meat, chicken, turkey, etc…)
Variety of Salsas
Guacamole
Dips
Beans
Taco shells
Salad (lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeños, cheese, onions, etc.)

You can have as many ingredients as you like. The options are limitless.

Traditional Music

What’s a party without music? Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with some Mariachi.

Mariachi is the most traditional type of Mexican music! Singers like Vicente Fernandez and Alejandro Fernandez are most known for singing with Mariachi. Maybe even search for a local Mexican band in your area.

A Cinco de Mayo fiesta is all about enjoying the Mexican culture. Gather with your family and friends and enjoy a delicious Mexican fiesta.

April 18, 2015 by Hannah Jackson

Top 5 Birthday Party Themes for Girls

If you’re beginning the research for your special girl’s birthday party, here is a helpful shortlist of five themes to choose from that can take your celebration to an extra special level of girly sweetness.

Tea Party: If you’re somebody who loves entertaining, this is a good one to throw at your house. Not only will you save money on a venue, but your birthday girl can have an intimate place to celebrate with her friends.

Center this theme around pastel colors and the basics of any tea party: tea pots and tea cups, finger sandwiches, and yummy desserts. Set out foods such as grapes, crust-less pb&j sandwiches, cupcakes, and don’t forget the tea. Have the girls dress up and wear little crowns and feel like royalty at tea time.

Vintage Girl Superhero: It’s pretty awesome when a little girl wants to be a superhero for her birthday. What makes this party vintage is channeling the classic superhero look—think comic book style with lots of pink and blue accents. Your superheroes can even wear matching pink tutus under their capes if they want. It’s pretty simple to make your own tutu with tulle and ribbons so that each girl can wear them at the party and take them home as your party favors.

Pajama Party: Girls can either wear their own, or you can have matching sets for the kids to change into once they arrive. For the party area, create a ‘sleeping area’ complete with either one big pallet or multiple small ones laid around the room. Use paper lanterns, cute pillows, or stuffed animals to dress up the sleeping area. Making this party a brunch would be perfect so you could serve mini donuts, fruit, cinnamon rolls, or muffins as easy treats.

Country Fair: Wildflower arrangements, homemade pies and cakes, fair games are all great options for a fair themed party. There are so many cute and fun ideas to make kids feel as though they have spent the afternoon at the fair. Farm animals can also make an appearance at this old-fashioned party if you have friends who have access to a few that the kids can pet and feed.

Garden Party: With spring in the air, this is the perfect time to take advantage of all of the options at your local garden center. Buy terracotta planters, soil, and whatever flowers or seeds for the kids to plant together. Provide everyone with little hats and tools and fill the backyard with a long table as a work station with planting options laid out for them to choose from. Let the kids be creative tuning their gardening skills. Break for cake and ice cream and allow time for the kids to show off their work to each other.

Whatever theme you choose to go with, your little one will love it no matter what. Don't forget to send us your party photos at social@weddingandpartynetwork.com.

April 8, 2015 by Laken Watts

Kentucky Derby Watch Party

It’s off to the races! While you may not be traveling to Churchill Downs, you can bring that Kentucky Derby flare to your home! We’ve got your number one tips on how to throw: The Perfect Kentucky Derby Backyard Watch Party.

First things first: HATS. The most iconic item, maybe even more popular than the horses themselves, are the hats that women wear to the Derby. So what do we suggest since not everyone has extravagant, elegantly floppy hat? Make your own! Tell your guests to bring their garden hats. Have gorgeous flowers fresh from the garden or your local farmers market set out, and let your watch party assemble their own.

This is an inexpensive way to bring the Derby feel to your party, and let your guests have some extra fun. Wondering what to wear? Encourage your guests to find their inner Southerner. Sear sucker shorts for the men and light, spring dresses for women can bring the Derby feel without being uncomfortable in frumpy attire.

Next: Food. For your relaxed party, go with finger foods that are easy to make and filling to your guests. Southern delicacies such as fried green tomatoes, chicken salad mini sandwiches, fried pickles, and tasty crab cakes are great appetizers to serve.

Finish the night off with delicious Derby Pie. You can try to duplicate, but we suggest going with the real deal here. The Derby Pie has been enjoyed by Derby goers for fifty years now, and the recipe is top secret. If you can’t find the pie at your grocery store, head on over to derbypie.com to order and have it shipped to you.

Must have: Drinks. It’s not Derby until a Mint Julep is there! Juleps, along with Stella Artois, official beer sponsor of the Churchill Downs, are your must have drinks. Don't forget to make a virgin Mint Julep for the kids!

Money Makers: Place your bets. This is what it all comes down to. And just because you’re not there, doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the action! Mention to your guests before the party that they can place their bets online at twinspires.com, official partner of the Kentucky Derby. They even have a mobile site, so guests can increase bets from their Smartphone at the party!

Lastly: extra fun. Have horseshoes, corn hole and bocce ball, which are all fun activities for guests to participate in while you’re waiting for the race to start.

Be prepared for The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports with these simple tips!

April 4, 2015 by Kelly Curtis

Top Party Themes for April

With spring weather finally arriving, it's time to start planning those parties. We searched all over Pinterest and found our favorite party themes for the month of April. From tea parties to backyard barnyards, we're sure you're going to love every single one of them.

Mad Tea Party via A Fanciful Twist

This mad tea party is absolutely perfect! It truly captures the theme with all the little details in the decor.

Dr. Seuss Party via Make It Cozee

What a fun birthday party theme! Everything just comes together to make this birthday party perfect for a Dr. Seuss themed party.

April Showers Themed Baby Shower via Gluesticks

Hosting a baby shower in April? This adorable baby shower theme is perfect for this month. The saying "April showers bring May flowers" is captured in this theme.

Backyard Barnyard Bash via View Along The Way

A barnyard bash is the perfect birthday party theme for a boy or girl. The food table is adorable and with food like "chicken feed" and "little piggies", kids are sure to love it.

Aren't these parties just great? Thank you to all the bloggers for letting us share your wonderful parties and ideas. If you have a party you would like to share with us, email us at social@weddingandpartynetwork.com. We would love to hear from you and share you party as well.

March 15, 2015 by Kelly Curtis

Top Bridal Shower Themes & Ideas

Planning a bridal shower this spring? Wedding and Party Network went to Pinterest to find ideas and themes that we think you'll love. From games to unique themes, there's something for every type of shower.

Kitchen Wedding Shower Game via blue i style

These wedding shower games sound like so much fun and some stray from what you normally see at showers. We are also loving every little detail about this shower.

Frenchy French Bridal Shower via The Affair Shop

We absolutely love this theme. From the food to the decor, it all went together nicely.

Harry Potter Romance via Shannanigans

A Harry Potter themed bridal shower is such a fun idea for the bride who loves Harry Potter. The themed food, cake and tables went with the movie perfectly.

Planning a bridal shower this spring? Hopefully you'll gather some inspiration from these ideas. Also, we'd love to hear from you and see what you came up with.

Thanks to blue i style, The Affair Shop Blog & Shannanigans

March 1, 2015 by Laken Watts

Baby Shower on a Dime

There seems to be this span of years in your life when every time you turn around, one of your friends is either getting engaged or having a baby. Speaking from someone who is deep in the trenches of this, it can get expensive FAST. Just in the month of February, I’ve helped host two baby showers and one wedding shower. So, here are some of the best tips on how to cut corners without showing it that I've earned.

The Location

Sometimes, it seems like we don’t have a house big enough for a shower. When determining location, you just have to go with what you have. There’s usually no need for renting a big space, especially if you’re having a drop in shower. People expect to not be all in one place at the same time, so use what you have and try to have extra seating available. Just make sure your guest of honor has a place to sit and you’re good to go!

Bridal Shower Food Ideas

For our shower, we did a simple brunch. We were expecting around 30 people so we planned food accordingly. Each person brought enough food to feed 15 people. We had homemade cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole, fruit and powdered, chocolate and glazed mini donuts. The donuts were a favorite of the mommy to be and were one of her big cravings, so we added those for a personal touch. We had punch and water to drink and we were done! I would suggest looking in your pantry and refrigerator to see what you have. I made homemade cinnamon rolls and ended up having everything I needed on hand, except cream cheese. You would be surprised what you can make at home to save money! Plus, they were delicious.

What's a Hostess Gift?

Shockingly, the Millennial generation has rarely heard of a hostess gift. Each time I host a shower with friends my age, I suggest a hostess gift and no one has any idea what it is. A hostess gift is a gift where all the hosts go in together and combine money to get the guest of honor a bigger, better or more expensive gift than what they could do alone. For example, for this recent shower, the hostesses went in together and got the mommy a mattress for her baby’s crib. The hostess gift also takes some of the burden off those throwing the showers, who are already investing money into the shower.

Here are a few other tips that will help you throw a more budget friendly shower:

Decorations – Blend tissue paper flowers with real flowers. Choose flowers that are full such as hydrangeas and baby’s breath. One small arrangement in a bowl or a vase on the food table can be beautifully simple! See our tutorial on How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers.
Continue reading "Baby Shower on a Dime" »

January 10, 2015 by Kelly Curtis

Top Party Themes for January

Planning a party this January? Need ideas for future parties? We've searched all over and found the best party themes for January. All of them are absolutely great and sound like so much fun!

Milk & Cookies Baby Shower from A Small Snippet

A milk & cookies baby shower sounds so adorable! From the milk jars, variety of cookies to the decor, it all looks great together!

80s Themed Birthday Bash from The Blue Eyed Dove

Who doesn't love an 80's themed bash for their birthday? This one looks like so much fun with the 80's candy, costumes and decorations.

Hot Cocoa Party from Duke & Duchesses

A hot cocoa party is perfect for winter. It'll warm anyone up. These tips are great if you're throwing one. The cute marshmallow snowmen, peppermint edged cups and cocoa mix in mason jars are all perfect touches for this party.

iced_snowflake_cookies

Baby, It's Cold Outside from simply social blog\

Again, a Baby, It's Cold Outside is a great theme for the wintry weather outside. And, a great theme if you have a little one who is turning one this winter. We love snowflake cookies, party favors and hot chocolate bar.

If you're looking to host a party this January or within the upcoming months, these are all great ideas! We love the attention to detail of each one of these parties.

Special Thanks to A Small Snippet, The Blue Eyed Dove, Duke & Duchesses, simply social blog

November 24, 2014 by Celebration Advisor

Christmas Parties With A Twist

Christmas party themes are full of holiday spirit. You see the classic Ugly Sweater parties with the spiked eggnog and the dirty santa gifts. But this year, how about something a little different? Wedding and Party Network has three great ideas to make your Christmas party one to remember.

Lights, Camera, Movie Themed Parties

Nightmare Before Christmas

Draw inspiration from a popular seasonal movie to create a holiday party theme.

The Nightmare Before Christmas, for example, can give your Christmas party a Halloween twist. This Not-So-Scary-Christmas theme combines two very fun holidays into one wonderful event. Adding Santa hats to black cats and draping faux spiderwebs over red poinsettias is a great way to mingle the elements of each holiday into one fun-filled party.

Tip #1: You can twist black and white pipe cleaners to make Halloween themed candy canes.

Tip #2: For entertainment have the movie playing in the background the same way you would music.

With so many wonderful holiday movies there are endless party themes possibilities.

Party to the Holiday Tunes

Turn up the holiday music and start the party! Make a popular holiday song into the theme of your celebration. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, for example, lets you get really creative. All you have to do is listen!

Use the song lyrics as the inspiration for your event. Decorate with blue and silver candles, serve eggnog and play card games too, just like the song cheerfully belts out. Make sure to have the lyrics printed out in case some guests don’t know the song.

Tip #1: Draw sled tracks on paper and tape them around a chalked-in body outline.

Tip #2: Make it fun by dressing up. Pick someone to dress like grandma and another guest as a reindeer and watch them act out the song as it plays. Your guests will be laughing all night long and hoping to play grandma next year.

Choose your favorite holiday song and let your creativity go to work!

A Cozy Soup Soiree

Everyone loves a good potluck and soup is a great way to warm up your guests from the chilly temps. Melt the cold this season with a soup bar.

When deciding what soup to serve, your options are endless. Offer classic soups like homemade chicken noodle as well as some with a Christmas twist, like winter squash soup or a hearty stew. Invite guests to bring their favorite sides, or even a delicious dessert that will go well with hot cider and mulled wine.

Tip #1: Tell your guests that their ticket into the soup bar is Christmas sweater attire.

Tip #2: Decorate your soup bar with a wintry flower arrangement. Combine amaryllis with, evergreens and deep red cranberries in a frosted vase or red tin pail.

Christmas parties don’t always have to be the usual “singing carols and drinking eggnog.” Mix it up, and you’ll have the most interesting and original party around!

November 4, 2014 by Hannah Jackson

A 'Frozen' Themed Birthday Party

When my niece turned three in August, there was no question what theme she wanted for her birthday party. My sister-in-law, Liz, outdid herself making her little girls' dream come true. Here are a few of the ways she made it happen.

The Decorations

Cotton balls were hung by fishing wire at the entrance of the kitchen to resemble snow falling. Using a leftover box, Liz made a snow-topped mountain with more cotton balls. She chose a blue and pink color scheme, representing the characters through each color that also made good contrast with the “falling snow.”

Party Food

Placed in front of some of the food that Liz prepared were place-cards with movie quotes relating to the type of food they accompanied. For instance, in the movie one of the main characters, Anna, sings about wanting to shove some chocolate in her face. Liz made delicious Oreo balls with that quote in mind. You could also make snowballs to coincide with the theme. The ones I am thinking of are basically marshmallows, chocolate, and coconut.

Break for a Game

After everyone was finished eating, kids were wrapped up like Olaf, the quirky and lovable snowman in the movie. You can buy cheap rolls of toilet paper, line the kids up and have the adults wrap them up from head to toe. The game was super simple, but it was a big hit. There was lots of laughter so you know it was a good activity!

My sister-in-law took her daughter's love of 'Frozen' and created a cozy little place in her home for us to envision ourselves as a part of this beloved movie. We even got to take our character-specific cups home as party favors. By incorporating little details, you can make your kid’s themed birthday party extra special.

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Inspirational Friday – Birthday Parties