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 set up, amount of guests, food service and amount of help involved in planning the party. Fabric is your best friend when creating anything above the head. Green fabric draped from the ceiling tiles creates a tree top “canopy”.  This effect will give guests the feeling that they really are under towering trees of a rain forest. To create vines hanging in the lush green layers twist and drape different shades of brown fabric.  Then add table cloths with assorted animal print fabrics throughout the room for a “wild” flare!

Plates, napkins, and other tableware can be simple if decorations are elaborate. Solid hues like orange or red stand out and an assortment of colors is great for added interest.  Catering can get very creative with the foods that coincide with the  jungle theme. Discuss kid-friendly jungle theme foods with your caterer like banana pops or green french fries.  If it is a birthday party, then cake is definitely in order! Jungle theme cakes are so much fun and can be done as simple or as elaborate as you please.

Whether birthday party, kindergarten graduation, or end of school bash, jungle theme parties are appropriate for any time of the year and for any occasion. So remember these fun jungle theme tips when it comes time to plan your next kid’s party!

Let’s focus on the first part of the old adage for a moment. In the age of contemporary weddings and modern brides, sometimes incorporating something “old” just doesn’t seem to work. However, there are many great ways to bring luck and happiness to your union by fulfilling the “something old” tradition.

Many women look to mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and older family members when searching for something old. Many times these women have vintage jewelry, antique handkerchiefs and other family heirlooms. These are very appropriate and can be incorporated into a modern ceremony with ease. For instance, a beautiful white wedding gown with a ribbon cinched around the waist is an excellent place for a vintage brooch. Simply attach the brooch to the center of the bow and bob’s your uncle!

It’s important not to think of “old” as “ugly” or “run down.” In fact, “old” can mean “vintage” or “antique” which are always in style. Think about how styles seem to repeat themselves every 20 years. Once a generation hits their mid-life, they begin to relive their younger days and their children mimic this. Lucky for the modern bride, this means that “vintage” will always be in style!

While the wedding gown that my mother wore in 1980 may not be the best fit for me, the ring she wore on her right hand is the perfect fit. Not only does this put a smile on the face of the special lady whose articles you are wearing, but it also bonds you to her in a very unique way.

What you definitely do not want to forget is to find a wedding photographer to capture these moments! It will be such a sweet treat down the road to look at the pictures of the first time that your mother saw you in her wedding veil or your groom’s grandmother handed you the same penny for your shoe that she wore in hers. These treasured moments will last a lifetime in your memory but seal them in the minds of everyone else with photography and/or wedding videography. You’ll be glad that you stuck with something old!

The family of the bride is typically responsible for:

• All of the reception costs including the reception location, food, decorations, entertainment, etc.
• Bridesmaids bouquets and wedding flowers
• Wedding ceremony music
• Wedding photographer and photographs, wedding videographer and videos
• The bridal gown and accessories
• Transportation and parking expenses (validation) for the wedding ceremony and reception
• Wedding invitations, stationery, etc.
• The groom’s wedding gift and wedding ring

The family of the groom is typically responsible for:

• The marriage license
• Officiant’s fee, officiant’s tip
• The bride’s wedding gift and wedding ring
• All groomsmen gifts
• The bridal bouquet and corsage
• Mother, grandmother corsages
• Boutonnieres for the groomsmen and groom’s party
• All of the rehearsal dinner costs including location, entertainment, caterer and food, etc.
• The honeymoon
• Ties and gloves for the groomsmen and groom’s party

Choosing A Party Theme

These days it’s all about the theme and a must have before you can plan any further. There are endless theme ideas for childrens parties; some more elaborate and creative than others. Cartoon character or movie character parties are always exciting themes for children; plus invitations, decorations, and even party favors can usually be bought pre-made in corresponding theme motiff thus keeping the planning stress at a minimum. Remember your child’s interest when choosing a party theme

Providing Entertainment

Without entertainment of some form a kids party isn’t a party.  One great and effortless form of childrens entertainment is inflatible game rentals. This entertainment option is perfect for kids’ parties.  Many inflatable game rental companies have packages that revolve around themes.  Set up is easy for “mom” since the rental company provides that service.

For more creative party theme ideas, the entertainment may require more work and planning. Camping themed parties and sleepovers are always great for school age kids and lend themselves to many forms of entertainment.  If weather permits, you can have the whole party outdoors with a campfire, tents, and s’mores.  For an inside party, you can set up tents or drape blankets indoors, and roast hot dogs over the fireplace. Telling stories around the “campfire” while roasting food is an inexpensive form of entertainment.

Guest Participation

The more the guests are allowed to participate in the festivities the more fun they will have.  So plan your party around guests participation.

Need a great party theme and entertainment for older children? Try  is to have a decade party. 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s themed parties are fun for both boys and girls.  Ask guests to dressed in decade attire. With their attire the guests will become part of the decorations and involved in the party fun.

With any party the invitations, entertainment and decorations can be coordinated with the theme you choose. So start with a theme and build from there.  Don’t forget to check with your local bakeries. They can help you with themed cakes for the party and other themed sweet treats.  After all you can’t have a party without cake.

Many of these resorts have on-site wedding specialists who work to personalize weddings and receptions to fit the bride and groom’s ideal. Their attention to details helps turn a couples dreams into reality. Some of the unique facilities available are historic barns and vineyards for outdoor weddings and grand ballrooms and castles for indoor nuptials, which can be tailored to large or small weddings. They can include special touches like a horse-drawn carriage, a unique menu, and a Nebraska welcome basket for your guests.

Especially eco-friendly, is their reception place settings and party favors of tree seedlings personalized with your own message that the recipient can then plant in the bride and groom’s honor, wines made from Nebraska grapes, and natural elements that reflect Omaha’s simple beauty. Their attention to detail and mid-west hospitality will make your wedding a truly special occasion.If you’re planning a wedding, many venues near Omaha can help your “green” dreams come true.

Engagement parties are usually a drop-in type of event, where family and friends actually “drop in” to congratulate you and your future mate, wish you the best, and leave.  Drop-in’s usually call for some kind of hors d’oeuvres and a sparkling cider, tea, and/or wine and beer.  Liquor and spirits can be appropriate for any engagement party from casual to formal.  But in most cases the the “Black-Tie” affairs include wine and spirits along with champagne.

Formal parties require “black-tie” attire and causal parties usually have a wide range of acceptable dress.   Attire for a formal engagement party should be reflect the same “black-tie” formal wear and causal parties allow for more relaxed attire options.

Dressing For Your Engagement Party
When deciding what to wear to your engagement party follow a few of these handy suggestions.

• If the party is hosted in the home of a family member, a simple elegant dress or skirt would be perfectly appropriate for the bride-to-be.
• If the event is at a banquet hall, with elaborate decorations, some form of entertainment, and with a large guest list, an elegant evening gown would be more fitting for the occasion.
• For the groom, a tie is necessary, regardless of the event’s formality rating, and possibly a suit jacket. For the most formal of engagement parties, the groom may wear a casual styled tuxedo.

Just remember that when you are the center of attention, it is better to be over-dressed than under-dressed. So, when in doubt, go for the more formal option!

When planning your wedding, the chances are great that you’ve asked yourself this question more than once. Well for the blushing bride planning her wedding ceremony in 2009, Wedding and Party Network has come to the rescue with the wedding attire color trends of the year. Fret no more; instead, simply decide which colors work together with your plans for the perfect wedding.

White, red, pink, blue and black are the popular colors of wedding clothes in 2009. These are pretty easy to envision as a part of your wedding day. Contemporary weddings tend to stick to a palette of red, black, white, subtle olive greens and other subdued but vivid colors. Red, pink and white are very popular colors for romantic celebrations. Valentines Day weddings will very likely use these colors often, but incorporating this loving color scheme into an earlier or later wedding in 2009 will help keep your celebration the event of the season.

While most brides will still stick with white wedding dresses for their celebration, incorporating these other colors into the bridesmaids dresses, groomsmens cumberbunds, flower girl dresses and more will make a very trendy and colorful splash during your ceremony.

What Color Should My Bridal Shoes Be?

Again, many brides often run many bridal shoe color scenarios through their heads over and over before they make a choice. In sticking with what’s trendy in 2009, there are a few great colors for your wedding day shoes that will add elegance and flair to your wedding gown. Gold, pink, clear, silver, ivory and white bridal shoes are the “in” items for 2009.

Adhering to the traditional, ivory and white bridal shoes resist rocking the boat during the ceremony by staying with pretty mainstream colors. Gold and silver shoes usually accompany a very pretty, creative ceremony for brides that want to stand out and be recognized as the amazing lady of the hour. Clear bridal shoes are quirky and fun–not to mention that they go with everything! If staying ahead of the latest trends is what you want for your big day, you can’t go wrong with these wedding attire and bridal shoe color tips!

You’re excited about this year’s holiday office party or maybe a little nervous. If this is your first Christmas party with your coworkers, chances are great that you want to make a favorable impression and not do something silly. If you’ve been to many office parties in your time, you probably are well aware of the things that can happen when ditzy meets clumsy. This year, avoid the snickers that last until St. Patrick’s Day by following a few simple office party guidelines:

First, if alcohol is served at your party be careful not to overindulge. Know your limits. While loosening up may be fun and promote more interaction among coworkers, appearing to have imbibed too much is not only very unprofessional and rude but also leaves an impression that stays with your coworkers long after the party. Set a professional but casual reputation for yourself by enjoying the party calmly.

Another great holiday party etiquette tip for your office is to be sure to thank the host. A friendly toast is a wonderful way to get everyone involved. If there were many people involved in setting up the festive party decorations, hiring a caterer, booking an entertainer and more, a toast is an even more appropriate way to graciously thank everyone for participating without making it sound like an acceptance speech. If your boss hosted the whole shebang singlehandedly, raise your glasses of egg nog to him or her for a job well done.

If your office is relatively small, it’s also a good idea to make sure that plenty of people stick around to help clean up. It’s very polite to make sure that someone has been slotted to clean up the mess. After all, you do not want to return to work on Monday to a messy office or a clean one with sufficiently negative coworkers who gripe about how they got stuck with all of the work. Two very solid ideas for preventing these situations are to hire bar and wait staff to take care of the food and clean up or to organize a party planning committee that selects the clean up crew prior to the event.

For even more fun, make sure that the entertainment is appropriate. Renting a karaoke machine is a great way to loosen up your coworkers. For larger affairs, hiring a disc jockey will keep the tunes bouncing into the night. Even something fun like hiring a comedian could be fun!

So long as everyone sticks to these simple suggestions, your office party is going to run very smoothly! Whether celebrating Channukah, giving thanks during Thanksgiving, or enjoying Kwanzaa, every holiday office party will be a blast when everyone follows this etiquette advice. So go ahead! Relax, unwind, and enjoy the party with your coworkers. Live it up! It’s the holidays.