It can be quite indecisive to select a theme to a party unless you have a toddler screaming their guts out pulling you to the party theme aisle in Party City. How do we choose with so many options? It can become overwhelming to a point that we erase the idea of hosting a party for we dread the complications it brings. In a perfect world, you would have the funds and trust to hire a party planner to do all the hard work in bringing your ideas to life. It's great to just show up at a party with everything taken care of. I know there are affordable party planners (ahem, me) but the average person plans their own parties. In this entry, I would like to help you free of charge with ideas to make the decision of selecting a party theme seem less dreadful.
Listen to the star of the party: Make the effort to speak to the celebrated individual. What do they like? What do they hate? What will make them happy? Do they have allergies? I say allergies because there is such a thing as a latex allergy. Can you imagine throwing a party full of balloons? Souvenir rashes everyone! It’s really important to hear them out. Some people are divided in their own preferences and need help to identify what they like. For example imagine throwing a pool party for a person who hates water. Sounds insane put people will give you difficult tasks. It takes some level of creativity to pull of contradictory request. Most of these demanding individuals happen to be sweet little innocent children that quickly become dictators when it comes to their parties. Listen and give suggestions after all you want to please the person being celebrated.
Have an inspiration piece: An inspiration piece may be anything the star of the party likes such as a color, a cartoon, a movie, a TV show, an actor, a quote, a painting, a poster , a book, an era, a song...I can go on and on. Once you have this item, dissect it. Pull the colors and vibes from the item. Feel the item, rub it on your face, become one with the item...just kidding don’t take it that far weirdo. Let this be the piece you derive the inspiration for the food, music, cake, decor and ambiance. For example, if the inspiration piece happens to be the famous female painter Frida Kahlo, I would do the decor nature oriented with unstructured floral arrangements. I would use vibrant colors and incorporate food of Mexican origin. The options are endless if you listen to details.
Think outside the box: If you are tired of themes that are played out and predictable (Can you say Boring!), dig deeper with the inspiration. You may combine several ideas without being so matchy matchy. If the theme is butterflies, do not overwhelm the eyes of your guests with butterflies hanging from the ceiling over a butterfly printed table cloth holding a cake full of sugar butterflies in front of a backdrop of butterflies. Jeez that's tiring just to write, imagine to see it. If the theme happens to be a common one, do not fret, you can still keep the star of the party happy and not be too predictable. Kids like what they like and very often it's a theme that has been done time and time again. Boringggg! Let’s say your kid loves Mickey Mouse. You don't want to use the same decor available from the other dozen parties of Mickey you attended. Oh toodles! Put a twist on Mickey based on what your kid likes. If your kid likes the beach, do Mickey Mouse at the beach theme. It will make you think outside the box and plan a party that has not been seen before. I say kid, but this also works on an adult that wants to do a played out theme.
My nephew’s 1st birthday party just recently was celebrated. I enjoyed the planning and the final result. The theme was baby Hercules & Pegasus. From zero to hero was the slogan. My sister picked the theme for she loves Pegasus. The decor selected was Greek themed with flowy sheer white fabrics and green leafy garlands. Gold was the accent color. White balloon columns framed the picture backdrop. The cake backdrop included sheer fabrics with a curtain of twinkling lights to resemble lighting. The ceiling above the cake table had hanging tulle pom poms to mimic clouds. The cake was Greek themed with baby Hercules and Pegasus sitting as the center of the majestic focal point. The colors of the candy where baby blue, white and gold. While you did not see constant images of Hercules, the theme was undeniable. While planning this party and others, I followed the same 3 steps mentioned above. It keeps me organized as my imagination starts working on overdrive. Even if it is just a cake, I make sure I provide what was requested with creativity that builds great memories.
Get a pen and paper, start brainstorming, pay attention to the request and be creative. There are endless themes out there waiting to be explored. Let your next event be one to remember for now you are equipped with some good information to get you started. No let’s get the party started!
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