Finger Foods

Anytime you host a Christmas/Hanukkah party, you should include kosher foods into your celebration menu. You can purchase kosher foods or you can make them yourself or hire a kosher caterer.  I suggest purchasing kosher or using a kosher caterer, that way you know your food has been prepared according to the Jewish tradition.

You will want to make sure the party date does not fall during Hanukkah, which is December 12-19, 2009.  Scheduling your party is very important, for both your Christian guests and your Jewish guests. As it gets closer to the holidays, both groups will have their own traditions to keep and religious ceremonies to attend.

Once the date is set and the invitations sent, food and decorations are at the top of the party planning list.

Food & Drink Suggestions

For a cocktail party, finger foods work the best. Try incorporating a few of these kosher food ideas in your menu.

• Potato Latkas(potato pancakes) traditional food for Hanukkah
• Baba ghanouj (eggplant dip)
• Kosher franks wrapped in dough
• Jelly Doughnuts ( jelly filled doughnuts are traditional Jewish food served during Hanukkah)
• Blintzes
• Rugulach
• Wine, water, mixed drinks, soda's are all okay to serve but they must be kosher.

Look for a local kosher deli or bakery, they can also make suggestion for food.  If you wish to serve some kosher items found in grocery stores, you can look for kosher symbols on the products. Look for these symbols on soft drinks, wines, mixes for mixed drinks, crackers, chips, dips and other food items.

It is best to serve your food and drinks using plastic  plates, glasses, and utensils. Plastic products ensure that your Jewish guest can keep kosher.

Inter-Faith Decorating

Hanukkah Flowers

With a bit of effort you can throw a great interfaith party, that shows you care about your guest religious traditions as well as enjoy their company.

This party planning tip was brought to you by WeddingandPartyNetwork.com

In 1959 for instance TV shows such as Bonanza and Rawhide premiered in that year, so a western theme might be what your draw from for a theme and decorations. You might choose to use Etch A Sketch as decoration on the tables since they were invented in that year. For entertainment you could hire impersonators to play the popular artist from the day, such as Doris Day or Frank Sinatra.

For food again look to the past for what to serve. In the 50’s grilling was a rising trend, so grilled food may be a good choice for this party. Or any other food items that were popular during that time. Do the same with your beverages choose drinks that were popular during the anniversary couple’s wedding year. In 1959 soda pop in bottles were the rage. See if you can find soda in bottles to continue the theme year. Tang was a popular drink as well. For adult beverages, martinis were very popular in the late 50’s.

With a bit of research on your part, a golden opportunity to give a wonderful walk down memory lane to an anniversary couple is a snap. And remember you can do this with any wedding year.

This anniversay party planning idea was brought ot you by weddingandpartynetwork.com.

Halloween theme parties are one of my favorites. When throwing a Halloween party, you’ll need to invest in few scary surprises for your party guest.

Tip #1 – DRY ICE

The most important surprise begin with dry ice.  It creates the ultimate spooky party feeling. You can use it in your punch and with your decorations. Not sure about dry ice but still want the creepy affect of an eerie fog rolling in? Rent a fog machine.

Tip #2 – Get Into Character

Create the ultimate Halloween party atmosphere by hiring some scary characters to mingle with the crowd. There performers can liven up the party with ghoulish activities and spooky skits.  Be part of the fun by renting a character costume for yourself or make it a Halloween costume party. Transform your party area into a Halloween mecca. Decorate with fake spider webs, mini caskets to hold the food, orange and black streamers and black candles placed in a fake skull. Cardboard cut out tombstones for your outdoors and well as indoors.

Tip #3 – Ghoulish Food Equals Good Time

Once you’ve got your dry ice punch, other food and drink ideas are simple.  Serve a blood drink for Vampires (7up™ or Sprite™ colored with red food coloring). Serve your ghoulish dip served in carved pumpkin. (Ghoulish dip can be made from anything but dips with chunks of pimentos, mushrooms, etc. give a creepier effect.) Don't forget the spooky sweets.  If you’re not good at making creepy cakes and spooky cookies have your bakery make them for you. Serve super spicy bat wings. Okay, you can’t really buy spicy bat wings but you can chicken wings and call them bat wings.

Tip #4 – Treat Them To Entertainment

Although entertainment will vary by age, a Halloween party lends itself to many options. A unique kids entertainment ideas is pumpkin bowling.  All you need for this low-cost form of entertainment is some empty water bottles and a few pumpkins.  Everyone loves to bowl, but teens and adults might prefer a more refined type of entertainment.  Try a murder mystery game.  Halloween entertainment options are endless.

These are basic tips you can use for any type of Halloween party. These same principles for a kids Halloween party or for adult parties.  Just remember with the help of these tips, your local bakery, and a  party supply store, you can throw a wickedly fun Halloween party!

As always Wedding and Party Network, is a great place for ideas when planning your party.

]]> http://www.weddingandpartynetwork.com/blog/uncategorized/halloween-party-4-spooky-tip/feed/ 0 http://www.weddingandpartynetwork.com/blog/uncategorized/celebrating-40-better-with-age/ http://www.weddingandpartynetwork.com/blog/uncategorized/celebrating-40-better-with-age/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:07:29 +0000 Leigh Morrisett http://www.weddingandpartynetwork.com/blog/?p=808

40th Birthday – You're Not Old – You're Like Fine Wine & Cheese – Better With Age

Having  reached my fortieth year (a milestone birthday), my sister threw me a great party. It was subdued, yet a fantastically wonderful party. My Sister…

Simple get their family involved.  Ask their family to share the hobbies, favorite color, food, and drink of the retiree. Get those questions answered then run with it. If you’re having the parties at work, decorate the party area with balloons, streamers and table cloths in their favorite color or colors.  It also a nice touches to have a "Happy Retirement" banner made.  If you’re having a quick retirement party, you can serve cake and ice cream with water, soda, and juice for the drinks and food. If you found out the retiree's hobby is golfing then purchase napkins with a golf theme.

To do a more formal dinner party, you can book a room at restaurant. For larger parties with entertainment,  rent a party hall and hire caterers. as for decorations, skip the streamers and balloons instead use candles and flower arrangements. Keep table cloths in basic black or white and use flowers in the favorite color of the retiree. If this party is for multiple retirees, go with company colors in the table flower arrangements. That way you'll offend no one by leaving out their favorite color.

Being in charge of the office retirement parties isn’t really a difficult task when you ask the right questions and follow key party principles.

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.

What You Need For A "Sock Hop" 60th Birthday Party

1) A Classic Car. Have the honoree picked up and driven to the party site in a classic car from that era. This will set the stage for what’s to come.

2) Sounds From The 50's. Don't forget the music which was a huge part of the 50’s. Hire a DJ to spin 50's tunes or turn in to the fifties channel on your stereo.

3) A 50's Atmosphere. Decorate your walls with pictures of the honoree from the 50’s that have been enlarged. Decorate with retro items. Create a 50's atmosphere by setting up a "Malt Shop" bar with 50's memorabilia including glasses containing hand-dipped milkshakes and malts.

4) The Taste of the 50's. If you’re serving a meal, consider classics like meatloaf and mashed potatoes or drive-in favorites like burgers and fries.

5) Party like they did back when. Hula hoops came of age in the 50’s, so why not have a hula hoop contest?

6) A trip down memory lane. Most of all, give the guests an opportunity to pay tribute to the guest of honor. A 60^th birthday is a special milestone and it’s a great time to tell humorous stories and anecdotes about the honoree. With a trip down memory lane the stories should be abundant and a great way to share how important the guests and birthday boy/girl are to each other.

So stroll down to the party store and pick up some 50’s theme party supplies and in no time your 60 year old birthday boy/girl will be rocking and rolling their way to fabulous birthday.

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?

Of all the responsibilities of throwing a party, the invitation is often the most overlooked—and the most important. The party invitation is the first thing guests will see. It gives them an idea of the theme, atmosphere, and basic information about the party. If you rigorously work to throw a party, you want the invitation to show it!

For every type of party, there are hundreds of invitation possibilities. While creativity at a party is somewhat optional, it is a must for the invitation. It’s the “calling card” for the event. Invitations represent the event in its entirety.

Add A Personal Touch To Party Invitations

Beach Party Invitation With Photo Insert

Find a humorous or endearing photograph from a scrap album, have copies made at any photography development counter, and add the time, date, and location on the back or on the rest of the invitation. Imagine getting a photo in the mail of a friend dressed like a cowboy as a four-year-old and how difficult it would be to forget. We all have such photos, and using them as invitations is a memorable way to bring guests to the party.

Announce The Special Event With Party Invitation Pizzazz

Another event that requires an invitation is a wedding. The invitation, like the ceremony, can be as extravagant or as simple as the bride and groom desire. Including the color scheme of the wedding is a good idea in any case. For more casual weddings, such as a beach wedding, gathering cues from the surroundings is an excellent idea.

Sending a customized monthly calendar with the date marked is one way to add flair to function. Another functional idea that is also appealing is a magnet with a picture of the couple and the wedding information. Both of these unique options ensure your guests will remember the big day and are full of personality. Black-tie weddings suggest a more formal invitation, but any of these personal touches can be sent in addition to a high-quality wedding invitation.

Playful Invitations For Playful Occasions

Fun Theme Party Invitation

Also, don’t be afraid to get creative. If there is a theme or a location, something tropical for example, perhaps add a little umbrella to the invitation. A simple card with the basic information and an umbrella attached sets the tone for the party, provides the necessary information, and suggests an exciting time.

House-warming invitation invites can be something as simple as a paint sample with printed information. A take-out menu with a quip about being sick of eating it could be a humorous invite to close friends and family. However, if the guest list is large, it may be wise to stick to a more generalized invitation.

Birthday parties for kids are usually themed and the possibilities for invitations are numerous. The invitation should display the theme for the party and be kid-friendly, as in no small parts a child could choke on. A common theme for children’s parties is a pirate theme. The invitation could be a treasure map made of card stock or a paper bag. Draw a map, add the basic information, crinkle the paper, and burn the edges.

After a child grows out of his pirate years, the graduation party invitation is another easy way to be creative. A mock diploma, rolled up, tied, and sent in a little tube is a quirky way to invite people to the celebration. A copy of the “last report card”, complete with funny grades and comments, is another way to humorously let people know someone is out of school.

The Sky Is The Limit With Creative Party Invitations

There are endless possibilities for parties and party invitations. Celebrations go from traditional to outlandish, and the invitation should reflect whatever direction you choose. While the purpose is the same for every invitation, no two should ever be the same. Putting thought into an invitation is the same as putting thought into the celebration. It doesn’t have to be complicated, although it can be, it just needs to provide guests with an idea of what to expect when they RSVP to your event.

Contributor: Ashley Slayton

Choose one or two favorite colors of the birthday man or women. Start with decorating with crepe paper. String crepe paper from each of the four corners of your room to make a crepe paper canopy. To the center of your crepe canopy add a huge bundle of balloons; continue the color theme by draping your tables with theme colored tablecloths.

To really add a splash of color and some extra fun to the party, send out surprise party invitations asking guests to wear clothing in the selected color(s).

A Sample Of A Color Me Surprised Party

The theme color is red and black. Choose black as the background color and red as the color splash. Your canopy is made with black crepe papers and the balloons are a mixture of red and black. Use black table linens and add the splash of red in the flower centerpiece arrangements.

To incorporate your guest into the party theme, ask them to come dressed in either black or red. Don’t forget the birthday cake; work with your bakery to incorporate the colors into the cake.

Now sit back and enjoy your party guests and honoree, as they are truly surprised at the abundance of fun and color.