Author: Lauren Smith

Take a look at this reception. Yes, it is pretty, but boy do those Edison bulbs help take it to the next level.

You don’t need a large budget to accomplish this, in fact, quite the opposite.  If you spend time executing your details, you will spend less. It is always the last minute stuff that can and will blow a budget. The planning phase is often overlooked but is perhaps the most important detail of any successful event. Before any event, I host, whether it be a fundraiser or a BBQ at my home I always pre-plan the menu and fine-tune the details as I go.  I am a list maker by nature and while I love my smartphone, I seem to stay the most organized with an old-fashioned pencil and paper. However, you need to make a list is up to you, but the main thing is to make a list. Your list needs to begin with the large details planned far in advance, leaving time to plan the small details, making the event perfect and memorable.

I also find it easier to pull an event off if I decide on a theme.  For instance, make the event Italian, a Southern BBQ, a crawfish boil, whatever you choose.  Once you decide, research other events with that theme. Make a board on Pinterest of everything you love about the party theme and spend time researching how you can replicate while adding own unique touch. Party Place offers just about any theme you can think of.

Take these cute Llama Cutouts I found there the other day. An entire party theme can be planned around them. Who wouldn’t want a great llama-themed birthday party like this one from Style Me Pretty?

From these simple cutouts, you can create this great party. Party Place has just about everything you need to help you pull this awesome theme off from the balloons to the plates and napkins.

Remember, the difference in the details goes for weddings, small dinner parties, or anything else you may be hosting.  Stop by a Party Place near you today to check out all the great items for your next event.

1. First and foremost, your guests are key to the event being a success. It is a must hat you invite people that will embrace their role and dress the part. Had my guests not been so great, the party would have been a complete flop.
2. Next, decide on the type of party you want to have. I went with Night of Mystery because some friends of ours had used this particular company. They have tons of themes to choose from, but I wanted to do something set in the roaring 20s. Don’t order the party at this point though, because you will need to know how many guests are actually coming.

3. Send an initial invitation about a month in advance asking for an RSVP. Again, this is a must, because the parties will have a specific number of people that will need to come to make it a success.

4. Once you get your RSVPs back and know how many people you have, then you will order your party. We had 25 guests, so we needed to order one of the larger parties. The packet you receive to download is full of details to help you have a great party.

5. Now, comes the tricky part. I wanted to be just as surprised as my guests about who the murder victim and killer were, so I chose to read very minimal information. At times, this proved a bit difficult when assigning characters, but the instructions were detailed and told me exactly what not to read if I didn’t want to know.
6. Once you assign characters, you will need to send them their particular role with a detailed description about their character and costume suggestions. I suggest sending this at least two weeks in advance allowing them time to purchase costumes and accessories if needed.
7. Now comes the rest of the prep work, once guests arrive they will have objectives to complete. Each guest will have their own envelopes with specific things for them to do like creating a bit of drama with another guest or taking a bribe. You get the idea. You will need to have all of this done way beforehand. My daughter and I, of course, wanted to be extra so we chose to seal the envelopes with wax.

8. Any other things your packet has for you to do or gather ahead of time…DO IT! Our packet had money for me to photocopy and give each guest a set amount to bribe other guests or purchase things. For example, the cigarette girl sold Cracker Jacks and cigarettes, but she charged a little extra for clues taped to the merchandise.

Again, once all the initial work is done, you will have the time of your life. I would definitely do it again! One other piece of advice, when assigning guests, if you have enough people try to keep yourself as an “extra” less important role just in case someone cancels at the last minute. That way you aren’t scrambling trying to reassign parts after people have planned on being a specific character.

Party Place has many of the supplies you need to create a fun, Gatsby-inspired party. They have signs and many other things you need like plates, napkins, cutlery, and more! I saw the mini spoons a while back in the story, so I had to find a way to use them.

We chose to serve chocolate mousse for dessert, so I bought the 2 oz. clear cups and the silver mini spoons. The portion was perfect for serving and it turned out to be a great choice for dessert, because the party was in full swing by the time dessert was served.

Get started planning your murder mystery party today and stop by Party Place for everything you need to have a great party.

Mardi Gras parties are steadily creeping up from the South and gaining popularity.  Tasting the Cajun cuisines, hearing the Zydeco music, and seeing the bright colors makes you want to experience it again and again.  Reliving Mardi Gras and celebrating the southern tradition creates an exciting evening!  It’s also nice that it falls right in the middle of winter, so it gives a reprieve to the cold and dreary days.  You can enjoy it with a group of friends or a simple family gathering—either way it’s worth celebrating.

“What’s all the fuss about?” you ask.  ‘Mardi’ is French for Tuesday and ‘gras’ is French for fat.  This is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian season of Lent—46 days before Easter.  Many Christians fast during Lent, refrain from eating meat on Fridays, and/or rich foods containing, eggs sugar, butter and milk.  So Mardi Gras season is a time to eat decadently and feast anytime following the Twelfth Night after Christmas or another name for it is the Epiphany.

Mardi Gras-themed parties are some of the least expensive and easiest to decorate.  Must haves for a party are masks and the traditional color of purple that represents justice, green represents faith, and gold represents power and last, but most important are beads, beads, and more beads!

The food can be a bit more involved as many of the traditional cuisines require a lot of ingredients, but well worth it!  Traditional menu items are Jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, and anything else Cajun.  My menu this year is consisting of Grits a Ya Ya, Jambalaya, red beans and rice, and, of course, a King Cake with a little tiny Baby Jesus hidden inside. The tradition is that the person who finds the baby Jesus will have good luck for the rest of the year.

I have compiled a few Mardi Gras family fun ideas for you:

PHOTO CREDIT: projectforpreschoolers.com

• Kids can make their own masks from paper plates. Cut eye holes and attach ribbon for tying on or tape on bamboo sticks for handheld masks before decorating.  All you need are markers, stickers, beads, and feathers along with scissors and glue.

PHOTO CREDIT: www.neworleansmomsblog.com

• Host a shoebox parade. Save shoe boxes or ask guests to bring a shoebox to decorate.  Take the lid off and turn the box upside down to decorate.  Slip the lid onto the side of the box to create the back of the float.  Give the kids paint, glue, feathers, jewels, markers, and let them create their own Mardi Gras magic. For details on how to make the perfect shoebox parade float, check out neworleansmomsblog.com.

Get yourself on down to Party Place for all your Mardi Gras party goods!

Since the holiday season has come and gone, cupid’s arrow is aiming right for you. Ok, cupid’s arrow doesn’t have to strike to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s a perfect day to host a party no matter what your love situation is. You can host a sweet little party with your kids, keep it low-key with your sweetie and have a romantic dinner, coordinate a Valentine’s Day potluck in your neighborhood or go Leslie Knope style from Parks and Recreation and host a Galentine’s Day party for the girls.

What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn’t love festive balloons. This party set-up from https://thehouseofhoodblog.com is sure to make any kid want to celebrate Valentine’s Day. When hosting kid’s parties I have always found it to be helpful to have some kind of craft for them to keep them occupied. INSERT VDAY FRIENDSHIP NECKLACES PIC These Valentine’s Friendship Necklaces are perfect for little ones. All you need is yarn, foam hearts and beads. There isn’t much prep work involved other than precutting the yarn and punching holes in the foam hearts. Click through Creative Child’s full tutorial.

Brunching and Galentine’s Day seem to go hand-in-hand. Brit + Co refers to Galentine’s Day as Valentine’s Day “spunkier twin sister”. I mean, who doesn’t love a spunky twin sister! Nothing will do for this event but pink waffles and champagne.

PHOTO CREDIT: EATYOURSELF SKINNY

To add a little more fun, offer your guests a mimosa bar with various juices, champagne and fruit selections.

I’m in love with the decorations from Brit + Co, they are easy, yet classy. All you need to pull off the look is red and pink paper tassels, heart garland and XO Mylar balloons.

PHOTO CREDIT: KITCHEN AID

For any Valentine’s Day party you can’t go wrong with chocolate fondue. Kids and adults both love dipping food in chocolate! Off your guests, a wide variety of dippers like strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzels. Here is a delicious and easy chocolate fondue recipe from Fox and Briar.

They recommend using a good quality chocolate with a high cocoa content for the best results. Melt the chocolate with some half and half and you’re done. Be sure to stay with the chocolate and stir constantly if you are melting on the stove, because one step away and it will burn. If you are melting in the microwave, do it in 30-second intervals and stir between each one. Again, from experience, it has a way of suddenly melting and burning.

One commonality among all these party ideas is to go heavy on pink and red. Mix it up, have fun with it from pink napkins to Valentine’s Day cupcake sets to assorted heart-shaped serving trays. You can pick up all these great supplies at Party Place plus many more, like this Valentine’s Day hanging decoration.

Stop in today to stock up on your Valentine’s Day party supplies!