Woo your party audience and keep their attention with these unique theme ideas
BY ROBIN KRING

As the party designer, think of yourself as an eager suitor. You want to woo your party audience by making a great first impression and then keeping their attention throughout the event. Most of all, you want the party mood to linger in their minds long after they depart for home. With just a little imagination, you can create the right mood to romance your parties to success.

Start by developing a theme — a unifying motif or idea — to complement the occasion and your host for your party event. A theme sparks your guests’ interest and entices them to attend your event. Theme parties pull an event together with one main topic. Every aspect of a party, from the invitations, food and decorations to the drinks, costumes and entertainment, reflect a certain topic.

A theme gives us all a chance to be creative. It’s the ultimate mood-enhancer that is sure to create an event that guests will long remember. What kind of mood will fit your event? An air of sophistication, high-energy festivity or a carefree and fun flair? Let the occasion and personality of the host drive the theme. Plan an evening of “Rhapsody in Blue” for an elegant fund-raising event or a Club Fusion dance party intensified with cyber-age energy for a 21st birthday party. A “Camp XYZ” theme will give that added “summer camp fun” dimension to a company picnic.

Theme parties allow guests to step out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. Theme designs can range from as simple as planning details around the guest of honor’s favorite color to as elaborate as transporting guests to another time and era.

Making a Great First Impression. Once you’ve decided upon a theme, set the mood right from the start with an unusual, attention-getting invitation. The invitation sets the stage for the event and will help guests to visualize the “story.” You want the invitation to capture their attention and create an irresistible urge to attend. People are always enthusiastic about something different.

Print invitation details on labels glued to inexpensive perfume bottles for an “ooh la la” impact for a Paris in the Springtime wedding. Make a big Pool Party Splash by tying invitation details to a rubber flip-flop sandal. Deliver the invitation with style by placing an elegant, formal invitation on a silver platter (inexpensive version) for a Silver 25th Wedding Anniversary party. Insert a Luau invitation, along with a colorful lei, inside a Hawaiian shirt-shaped gift bag.

To Costume or Not To Costume. Costume parties are a definite mood setter. Many actors admit that once they are dressed for the part, they really feel “in the scene.” However, finding costumes can be difficult for many guests. Keep the suggestion simple and let the individual interpret it for his or her own expression. You could simply ask guests to wear something “French” to a Paris in Springtime wedding, and let them decide whether they want to wear a French beret or French perfume.

Tailor your request to the occasion and mood of the event. For a more casual Le Chic Cocktail Party, you could request that guests wear something “Ooh la la.” The Paris fashion statement — a couture hat, a simple little black dress or French-designer sunglasses — is up to them.

Another simple, yet festive, costume touch is to ask guests to wear something “wild or western” for a Cowboy barbecue or to wear the honoree’s favorite color.

Keep the Mood Going — Romancing the Room. Greet guests with mood magic right from the beginning. For a train party, create a railway-station welcome for guests with the ambience of train-whistle blowing and train “arrival-and-departure” announcements. A costumed Ticket Master character is also a great welcome aboard. The fun and camaraderie — the most memorable moments of a party — revolve around the theme.

For a speedway theme, greet guests with the energizing sounds of a race-car engine and wave black-and-white checkered flags to rev up some Nascar racing excitement. For an American as Baseball and Apple Pie theme, have costumed greeters in old-time baseball uniforms greet guests next to picnic tables laden with stacks of homemade apple pies.

Some decorating mood themes are more subtle, but not necessarily understated. The statement “less is more” may be just the answer for creating a warm welcome for guests. Set out a fresh flower arrangement or warm up the entrance area with luminous pillar candles. The soft flickering glow of candlelight is simultaneously relaxing and celebratory.

Continue this welcoming mood throughout the room. Spread out the hors d’oeuvres on different tables to create a flow through the room that will encourage mingling. Create conversation centers by arranging seating so it encourages small intimate and comfortable interaction.

Color their Mood. Color is an instant mood-setter. It’s also a great visual theme. Gold or purple speaks “royalty” in any language. Yellow is cheery and blue is a soothing favorite color of many individuals. Red instantly signifies romance and hot sizzle. Pink is sweet and orange is definitely fun. You can even create an instant theme with the guest of honor’s favorite color.

Carry a color theme, such as orange, throughout the decor. It’s really rather easy. Send the invitations in orange-colored envelopes, or for a novel touch, write details on a plastic orange. Fill a bowl with oranges as the centerpiece and set out orange votives at each placesetting. A fun “orange” touch is to fill carved-out orange skins with tea lights. They look beautiful, smell wonderful and give off

an orange glow. After dinner, serve guests a special orange-flavored liqueur drink for dessert, such as coffee with Grand Marnier topped with whipped cream.

Flower Power. It’s true that anything goes when it comes to flowers, but the right variety or design can enhance the mood. Daisies in a fruit jar have a definite country charm. Roses are always romantic and elegant. Just the right color can make a statement by itself. “Yellow Rose of Texas” centerpieces sing a Tall Texas Barbecue song and pink sweetheart roses are perfectly pretty for a Sweet 16 celebration.

Use floral decor to flavor your food menu, too. Spice up a zesty Mexican meal with bright red and gold flowers. For a romantic mood at a traditional wedding brunch, paint the room with pastel florals. Eclectic-colored floral arrangements set the mood for a casual backyard barbecue.

Creative Menu Planning. A party theme is defined by the sum of all its parts, including the menu. French champagne and a crepe dessert station is the “pièce de resistance” of a Springtime in Paris event just as a Margarita Bar is the “Olé” to a Mexican Fiesta. Sometimes a novel touch will set the party mood — like Twinkie, Snoball, Velveeta Cheese and Spam bites served with white-glove service on a silver tray.

Presentation can also turn a simple menu item into a fun and interactive activity. Set up a cheesecake bar by adding glass bottles filled with a variety of sauces for guests to drizzle their own creation over a slice of cheesecake. Share these easy sauce recipes with your hosts/hostesses for a big “cheesecake” smile. Raspberry (pureed sweetened raspberries), caramel (store-bought caramel sauce thinned with half & half and butter schnapps), and mocha fudge sauce (purchased fudge sauce thinned with half & half and a coffee liqueur such as Kahlua).

Mood Lighting. Consider the lighting when selecting your floral arrangements. For a room with low light or when using candlelight, choose lighter colored flowers with a warm hue, such as shades of yellow, orange and red. White and lighter colored flowers are also an excellent reflective choice for candlelight. Cooler-hued purple, violet and dark blue flowers don’t reflect light very well. They are more of a passive color. In a bright space, anything goes. Use deeper and darker tones of burgundy, purple and deep blue in bright light which will be highly reflective and show the color in it’s purest hue.

Lighting can also create mood magic. Choose up and down sources of light and try out different colored bulbs to create calming or energizing effects. Add twinkle lights to trees to create a fairy-tale ambience. Shine colored lights on sheer draping to create a surreal look. Shine a spotlight for the most dramatic of Hollywood-like impact.

Music is a Mood Maker. Music is essential to the mood of the party. Select theme-related music that also carries the beat and essence of the mood you are trying for. Parisian tunes transport guests to the Eiffel Tower for a Springtime in Paris event. And don’t be afraid to expand the theme with a little creativity. Play “How Much is that Doggie in the Window” for a novel touch to a French Poodle-decorated vignette.

Live music is always a great touch. A Mariachi band instantly adds festivity and smiles to a Mexican theme. A strolling violinist will capture the romance of an elegant evening. For a dramatic statement, hire a marching band to introduce the guest of honor or make an important announcement.

When playing recorded background music, try this tip to keep the mood from stagnating. Play mixes of different artists and songs instead of playing an entire album or CD at one time.

Romance your next party with these mood-making ideas, and add a few of your own, for party success that will linger long after the last guest has left.

Robin Kring is the author of Memorable Milestone Birthdays — 48 Theme Parties to Help You Celebrate (Meadowbrook Press, 2001). She has also written three other creative event planning books including Party Creations — Book of Theme Event Design, Storybook Weddings and Happy Anniversary! Contact her at P.O. Box 102324, Denver, CO 80250, (303) 671-8253, or raksparkle@aol.com.