Planning a party for your tween or teen? Is a country music an everyday necessity for them?  Well then it looks like you need a to throw a Country Music Awards party.

Setting The Party Stage

Set up the front walk way of your party event location with a red carpet. Do this by buying inexpensive red craft paper in rolls.  This will help you create the "red carpet" for an awesome kid’s party.

Every awards event has a red carpet photo op including paparazzi.  You can hire a  photographer or play the part of the paparazzi yourself.  As kids arrive at the party make sure they walk the red carpet.  If you hire a professional photographer make sure the teens shot for the country music star interview and photo experience.

This country music bash doesn't end with the red carpet.  Tweens and teens will need the whole country music award atmosphere. Party decorations must include glitter stars, balloons, fan banners and a glitzy food table with floral sheeting.  Add a country music band or DJ emcee with country music karaoke and you have the makings of a fine country music hall.  Take it to the next level by renting a dance floor. A the band plays or even during karaoke the kids will want to dance.  So, checking into renting dance flooring.

Award Them With A Country Feast

This party is more about dressing up and walking the red carpet. A fun night partying requires a fair amount of fuel.  Grab and run is the food of choice -  chips and dips, granola bars, sodas and bottled water.  To add a little WOW factor to the party get a country music theme cake and it the focal point of the food table.

Since the food and beverages are simple and relatively inexpensive, you'll have more money and time to invest in the party decorations. Be sure to make this party just as glitzy and great as the awards show.

And The Winner IS

All who attend this party! Give every person who attends an award – their own party favor or favors.  Create a goody bag for each tween or teen with an inexpensive cowboy hat, sunglasses and tiny chocolate cowboy boots.  To really make it memorable have some party glasses engraved with the date ad theme of the party.

With a little planning your tweens/teens next party will be a winner!

This party theme planning idea was brought to you by www.weddingandpartynetwork.com.

In my post Reeling in a Great Bachelor Party, I suggest a fun-filled bachelor party can revolve around a fishing theme. A few suggestions may have been cast here and there, but a real "how to" was not offered.  Here are implementable tips for decorating, food and entertainment to create a fishing theme party.

Decorations Are Like Bait

Just like a fisherman knows which lure will attract which fish, you need to know what will put your guests in a fishing mood.  A tackle box is a good place to get ideas.  Lures, bobbers, nets, and hooks are all things that dangle and so must your decorations.

So this party must incorporate streamers into the decor.  Here is how to make fantastic party streamers using fishing line and bobbers:

Items you will need:

• 50-100 plastic fishing bobbers. These bobbers come in various colors — red and white are the most common.  Should you need a variety of colors, you can always spray paint them a different color to match your theme.
• 1 spool of fishing line (you can buy this at the same place as the bobbers)

To make the streamers, begin by determining how much line is needed to space the bobbers apart so they dangle but with enough extra line to attach to the walls or tables. To create a table streamer for a 6 foot table, you will need 7 feet of fishing line. If you want a swag effect with this streamer add another foot or two. Same principal applies if you are hanging these streamers from wall to wall or around a pole.

After you decide line length, take the bobbers and hook them to the line spacing them every 6-8” apart. When finished attach the streamer to the table using heavy duty tape or clear packing tape. Hint: Fishing lures come in many shapes, styles and colors making them a great items to decorate with. So you can do the same thing with fishing lures as the bobbers. However, you need to remove the hooks and barbs from the lures before using them in this fashion.

Party lights are another way to decorate. You can buy fishing theme lights at party supply stores. Attach these lights to some fishing nets and hang them on the walls. Use your imagination, don't be afraid to jump right in and tackle the decorating with any and all fishing related items.

If your having the party outside or if room allows, you can always use a small boat as a table. Place a sheet of painted or decorated (use stencil to decorate) ply board over the boat.

Rig Up Some Great Food And Beverages

Use a “live well” to hold your beverages.  A live well is a tank they hold the bait or the fish after you catch them.

Make a "live well" by painting fish stencils on new Styrofoam “minnow” buckets. Then place ice and beverages in these cleverly decorate buckets. Shazam! You now have a beverage "live well" for you fishermen. Don't forget to purchase fish themed drink koozies. You know the ones that look like bass, trout or catfish. These koozies are great as decorations, as well as drink holders and party favors.

I suggest a menu of catfish, smoked salmon or trout which can be catered by a local company. For "fingerling" food serve shrimp dip and use oyster or goldfish crackers for the dippers. Shrimp cocktail or peel and eat shrimp are great appetizers for a fishing theme.  Your caterer may have some party platters in fish shapes. A party store is another fantastic place to find themed serving platters.

Don't forget the sweets. Have a local bakery create a theme cake in the shape of a fish. This will give them a tasty treat and add to your decor at the same time.

Entertainment – GO Fish

Rent a Playstation or a Wii game console with the fishing game. This game is great for kids and adults. In fact, adults love this game – all the fun and no mess.

Don’t want to rent a console. Create your own fishing game. Grab some fishing rods and hook the bait (candy bars tied on with fishing line.) Now have players stand on the opposite side facing the people who are holding the rods. Cast out your bait – just far enough for your teammate to be able to eat the candy bar (no hands can be used). Whoever eats their candy bar first wins. Or can always play a rousing  game of go fish!

Using a bit of creativity along with some real fishing tackle will ensure you and your party will defiantly not be up a creek with out a paddle.

***A little side note for those in the Port Coquitlam, BC – Luscious Creations created the awesome fish face theme cake in the picture above. ***

So the groom isn’t into the standard bachelor party of going to a bar with the guys. But, the groom is all about fishing. Make fishing your theme for your bachelor party.

Pick The Right "Fishing" Location

If you’re lucky enough to live in area where fishing is prevalent, rent a cabin and decorate it to the rafters with all types of fishing theme items. If you can't rent a cabin or a lodge, you can always use your home. Wherever you choose to hold this bachelor party, it can be transformed into a honey-hole.

Lure Them With Party Decorations

Colored bobblers found at any tackle store are the foundation for this bachelor party decor. With a little fishing line you can use the bobblers to make awesome streamers. To create the ultimate fishing atmosphere, beg, borrow and buy any type of fishing theme item you can find and deck the place out completely. Don't forget to buy a few inexpensive tackle boxes to decorate with or use as serving pieces. You can hang lures and lights from fishing nets to create a fantastic back-drop for the party. As a final decoration pick up some fishing theme napkins, maybe ones that have fishing lingo on them for fun.

Food and Drinks: Serving The Catch Of The Day

“Fingerling” foods will make this a record book party. Catfish fillets, fries, hushpuppies and all the "fixins" make an tasty treat for this bachelor party. If the frying pan isn't your thing have a local caterer prepare the meal for you.

Want a more casual bachelor food atmosphere?  Clean out those tackle boxes and fill them with chip and dip. Serve your own version of a jig-n-pigs (fishing lures) sandwich – a little fried bologna, ham, or other cold cuts with a variety of cheeses.  Add in a little beer, wine, soda or mixed drinks and you won't need a lure to get them to the buffet table.  For a fun twist to the evening, everytime someone gets a drink make them sing a song that uses the word "live well" (a fishing term).

A bachelor party should be all about having fun. Theme parties are all about creating fun around a theme. So playing up a theme based on the groom's fishing passion it will net you a great bachelor party.

This bachelor party planning idea was brought to you by weddingandpartynetwork.com.

Coming up with a party idea for a teenager is difficult. If I can come up with a party theme, I find it usually helps.  A friend of mine decided that her son's passion for the environment would make a great theme for his 14th birthday party.  This teenager is all about being eco-minded and recycling.  So going "green" for his party was a natural choice.

She bought recycled birthday party invitations, paper plates and napkins. They held the party at one of our local parks.  For entertainment, the kids participated in a trash scavenger hunt.  Of course, she pre-arranged this activity with the park rangers.  Yep, my friend had a good idea, one that provided entertainment for the kids and a community service for the park.

Each scavenger (kid) was given a list (on recylced-paper) of trash items: soda bottles, water bottles, papers, etc. The first to bring back all the trash on the list won a prize.  In my friend's case, she went with a green prize (as in cash). It wasn't much money, but, the teens sure enjoyed the hunt for trash.

As party favors, she gave each guest a pair of cotton gloves (used during the scavenger hunt), a few packets of seeds, and peat pots filled soil.  Her bakery made a recycle birthday cake that was unique.  No, it wasn't previously used.  It was in the shape of a recycling container including a recycling symbol with a number 14. Although decorations were kept minimal, she was able to find recycled products including napkins and plates at her local party store.

All of this she did for her son, the eco-friendly kid.  This party was a hit with his friends and one that he whole-heartily enjoyed. I heard him tell her "it was the best party ever, it was fun and not wasteful".

Side note: they recycled everything they used that day and collected.

The Kentucky derby is not just a horse race, it’s a party!  You can throw a derby party, just as exciting and fun as the race itself.  The actually Kentucky Derby is held the first Saturday in May, but you can have a derby party any time.

A derby party should follow the traditions of the real derby after all those traditions have been going on since 1875.  So what are the traditions?

A Mint Julep drink (iced bourbon, sugar syrup and mint ) is one of the traditions. So, be sure to include that as one of your cocktails.

Ladies, get out your favorite hats and wear them in high-style as this is a huge tradition.

Good food is the best tradition. However, it isn't stringent as to the kind of food. An easy way to feed your derby party guests is with finger foods: such as, shrimp cocktail, bacon wrapped prosciutto, finger sandwiches and crudities.

Since the derby is know as the running of the roses, you must have roses! Use a few real or paper derby hats (these are felt hats that men wear) lined with water proof paper or another container and fill with water and  roses as decorations.  Not good at arranging flowers? Have your florist create a rose centerpiece for your food table or a few arrangements with roses that you can use for decorations.  Don't forget to decorate your tables. You can use white, black or pastel green colors for your table linens and napkins. if you’re having the party on the day of the derby, pastel green colors are great. It gives everyone a feeling of the green grass area around the race track.

Every party needs a little fun.  For entertainment, you can place "bets" on who will win the real race and use party favors as the prizes.  On non-race days create your own Kentucky Derby race. Make the track from brown felt and include horses that you have cut out from some horse theme party decorations. Place numbers on the cut-outs and have guests make up horse names.  Give guests a scorecard with each horse name and odds.  Then have them place "bets".  Use dice to move the horses around the track.  Roll the dice and see who wins.

The Kentucky Derby is a fantastic event to watch.  Having a party that revolves around the race is even better. So if you are looking for a reason to host a party, have a Kentucky Derby party.

Remember you can have a Kentucky Derby anytime.  It makes a great theme for birthday parties, anniversary parties and even retirement parties.

Everyone knows that a party is more fun if there is a theme involved. That’s why whenever hosting a party, I  try to have some kind of central idea to focus around whether it be Hawaiian themed, Mexican themed, or holiday themed. Here lately, I have been in a rut with my party theme ideas. I really needed some fresh ideas.  So, I started exploring possibilities outside of my norm. I considered weird wacky themes, outlandish themes and even considered recycling some old themes.  Then in the midst of my brainstorming, I thought of a new and exciting idea for any kind of party: Decade Themes.

With a decade as a theme, you can incorporate many aspects of entertainment into your party planning including: popular foods, clothes, games, and music. To make sure the theme really takes off, be sure and send out party theme invitations ahead of time incorporating elements of the decade. Let guests know that decade attire is required for the party. Guests decked out in decade party attire will add to another element to your party decorations, not to mention some good laughs. Think of how much fun guests will have putting together outfits for the event. You can even have a contest for the best decade outfit.

Choosing what to serve at your party is completely up to the host. Regular party food is always fine. However if you want to get creative, find or make some foods that were popular during that time. Entertainment is a must. Games are optional of course, but games such as Twister and Super Nintendo sure do bring some laughs to a room full of MC Hammer pants. Of course pumping it up with a little music, is probably the best way to immerse your guests in the decade, as well as, entertain them.  To add that special musical ambiance to the party hire a band that plays a variety of songs from the decade. If you can’t find the right live entertainment for your party, a good decade music list from your Ipod will work just fine.

A decade theme party is a fun and unique way to throw a fabloulous shin-dig.  So pick a decade and let the good times rock and roll.

I’m always looking for an excuse to throw a party. For 2009, I decided that the Golden Globe Awards was a great adult party theme to kick off the New Year. I’ve put together some great ideas to make your Golden Globes Party fun and creative without breaking the bank.

First, you can’t have a Golden Globes party without a red carpet. Run down to you’re local store in search for an inexpensive red carpet. If you can’t find one there, you can certainly make your own. A few yards of inexpensive red fabric will do the trick.

Games are always a great idea for any kind of party. Before guests arrive, prepare a list of the Golden Globe nominations on elegant paper in a fancy font. The guests can use this list to select who they think will win each category. Before the awards ceremony starts have everyone turn in their ballot and who ever has the most correct after the show receives their very own golden globe. You can pick up a fake Golden Globe at a local party supplies store or order online. If your budget allows, you could send everyone home with a mini Golden Globe as party favors.

Planning a dinner?

Jungle themed parties are, in my opinion, one of the best theme ideas for kid’s birthday’s or celebrations. Appropriate for all school age children, both boys and girls, jungle themed parties are exciting, creative and actually easier to plan than you think.

Party decorations would be the main focal point of the "jungle themed" party venue, so decorations need to be the first priority. You can do this several different ways, depending on the Read the rest of Jungle Theme Parties–Creative Kid's Celebrations Made Easy! »

Halloween is one of those fun mystic nights each year when anything can happen.  Sometimes though the safest thing for everyone is to throw or attend a Halloween party. Whether just for adults or bringing along the kids, here are some great ideas for your Halloween party!

Start the night out right with fun music at your Halloween party! Karaoke machines and CDs with Halloween inspired music are guaranteed hits for any spooky shindig. Hiring a disc jockey? Give him or her a list of popular songs like these and other great frighteningly fun Halloween party music!

1. "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett
2. "Love Potion #9" by The Searchers
3. "Witch Doctor" by David Seville
4. "The Addams Family" TV Theme
5. "Zombie Jamboree" by Rockapella
6. "The Munsters" TV Theme
7. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" Movie Theme

Fright up the night with a neat assortment of festive foods. If pumpkins are still available, any type of sweet pumpkin treat is a big hit with all ages (just don't tell the children that it's pumpkin!). Blood-colored punch is a Halloween drink so eerie that everyone will thirst for your exotic blend. Make plenty in case a bunch of Draculas attend the party.

A great way to avoid the hassle of cooking and cleaning is by hiring a caterer for your Halloween party! Let your caterer know what direction you'd like to take with the food and watch the creative ideas come to life faster than a midnight zombie.

Encourage a fun evening with a costume party contest! Will it be Marie Antoinette or Frankentstein to take the big prize this year? Who knows! The fun begins with a Halloween costume contest. Letting the guests vote is the best way to ensure a fair contest while giving participants a reason to go all out. Reward participants with spooky Halloween party favors. Once the guests arrive, sit back and watch the fun as you see just how creative your friends can be!

Get guests participating with fun crowd-pleasing games such as Boo-Bing For Apples, Kreepy Karaoke, the Dirty Dracula version of the Christmas game Dirty Santa, and other fun games adapted in rules (and title) to fit the Halloween theme.

Create the perfect atmosphere with Halloween party decorations such as spiced cider and other candles with scents of autumn, ghoulish plates and napkins, hay and gourds for outdoor parties, bonfire material for outdoor parties, and others. Ask friends for tips from previous Halloween parties that really stuck out in their minds. Find your own fun version and run with it!

Oh, and have fun!

There is a gamer in all of us, regardless of age. Whether starting on Atari™ or introduced to gaming via a Nintendo Wii™, gaming is a widespread phenomenon with staying power. For some couples or even close friends, a great way to share some extra time together is to throw a gamer party. Ditch the traditional dinner and a movie gig for something worth talking about the next day. Watch out, though. Personal experience has shown that some couples just are not meant to compete against one another. If you think your relationship is up to the challenge, let the gaming begin!

Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning a party for gamers: Read the rest of How To Throw A Fun-tastic Gamer Party »