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Baby Shower on a Dime

There seems to be this span of years in your life when every time you turn around, one of your friends is either getting engaged or having a baby. Speaking from someone who is deep in the trenches of this, it can get expensive FAST. Just in the month of February, I’ve helped host two baby showers and one wedding shower. So, here are some of the best tips on how to cut corners without showing it that I've earned.

The Location

Sometimes, it seems like we don’t have a house big enough for a shower. When determining location, you just have to go with what you have. There’s usually no need for renting a big space, especially if you’re having a drop in shower. People expect to not be all in one place at the same time, so use what you have and try to have extra seating available. Just make sure your guest of honor has a place to sit and you’re good to go!

Bridal Shower Food Ideas

For our shower, we did a simple brunch. We were expecting around 30 people so we planned food accordingly. Each person brought enough food to feed 15 people. We had homemade cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole, fruit and powdered, chocolate and glazed mini donuts. The donuts were a favorite of the mommy to be and were one of her big cravings, so we added those for a personal touch. We had punch and water to drink and we were done! I would suggest looking in your pantry and refrigerator to see what you have. I made homemade cinnamon rolls and ended up having everything I needed on hand, except cream cheese. You would be surprised what you can make at home to save money! Plus, they were delicious.

What's a Hostess Gift?

Shockingly, the Millennial generation has rarely heard of a hostess gift. Each time I host a shower with friends my age, I suggest a hostess gift and no one has any idea what it is. A hostess gift is a gift where all the hosts go in together and combine money to get the guest of honor a bigger, better or more expensive gift than what they could do alone. For example, for this recent shower, the hostesses went in together and got the mommy a mattress for her baby’s crib. The hostess gift also takes some of the burden off those throwing the showers, who are already investing money into the shower.

Here are a few other tips that will help you throw a more budget friendly shower:

  • Decorations – Blend tissue paper flowers with real flowers. Choose flowers that are full such as hydrangeas and baby’s breath. One small arrangement in a bowl or a vase on the food table can be beautifully simple! See our tutorial on How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers.
  • Continue reading "Baby Shower on a Dime" »

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Top Party Themes for January

Planning a party this January? Need ideas for future parties? We've searched all over and found the best party themes for January. All of them are absolutely great and sound like so much fun!


Milk & Cookies Baby Shower from A Small Snippet

A milk & cookies baby shower sounds so adorable! From the milk jars, variety of cookies to the decor, it all looks great together!


80s Themed Birthday Bash from The Blue Eyed Dove

Who doesn't love an 80's themed bash for their birthday? This one looks like so much fun with the 80's candy, costumes and decorations.


Hot Cocoa Party from Duke & Duchesses

A hot cocoa party is perfect for winter. It'll warm anyone up. These tips are great if you're throwing one. The cute marshmallow snowmen, peppermint edged cups and cocoa mix in mason jars are all perfect touches for this party.

iced_snowflake_cookies
Baby, It's Cold Outside from simply social blog\

Again, a Baby, It's Cold Outside is a great theme for the wintry weather outside. And, a great theme if you have a little one who is turning one this winter. We love snowflake cookies, party favors and hot chocolate bar.

If you're looking to host a party this January or within the upcoming months, these are all great ideas! We love the attention to detail of each one of these parties.

Special Thanks to A Small Snippet, The Blue Eyed Dove, Duke & Duchesses,  simply social blog

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Christmas Parties With A Twist

Christmas party themes are full of holiday spirit. You see the classic Ugly Sweater parties with the spiked eggnog and the dirty santa gifts. But this year, how about something a little different? Wedding and Party Network has three great ideas to make your Christmas party one to remember.

Lights, Camera, Movie Themed Parties

Nightmare Before Christmas
Draw inspiration from a popular seasonal movie to create a holiday party theme.

The Nightmare Before Christmas, for example, can give your Christmas party a Halloween twist.  This Not-So-Scary-Christmas theme combines two very fun holidays into one wonderful event. Adding Santa hats to black cats and draping faux spiderwebs over red poinsettias is a great way to mingle the elements of each holiday into one fun-filled party.

Tip #1: You can twist black and white pipe cleaners to make Halloween themed candy canes.

Tip #2: For entertainment have the movie playing in the background the same way you would music.

With so many wonderful holiday movies there are endless party themes possibilities.

Party to the Holiday Tunes

Turn up the holiday music and start the party! Make a popular holiday song into the theme of your celebration. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, for example, lets you get really creative. All you have to do is listen!

Use the song lyrics as the inspiration for your event. Decorate with blue and silver candles, serve eggnog and play card games too, just like the song cheerfully belts out. Make sure to have the lyrics printed out in case some guests don’t know the song.

Tip #1: Draw sled tracks on paper and tape them around a chalked-in body outline.

Tip #2: Make it fun by dressing up. Pick someone to dress like grandma and another guest as a reindeer and watch them act out the song as it plays. Your guests will be laughing all night long and hoping to play grandma next year.

Choose your favorite holiday song and let your creativity go to work!

A Cozy Soup Soiree

Everyone loves a good potluck and soup is a great way to warm up your guests from the chilly temps. Melt the cold this season with a soup bar.

When deciding what soup to serve, your options are endless. Offer classic soups like homemade chicken noodle as well as some with a Christmas twist, like winter squash soup or a hearty stew. Invite guests to bring their favorite sides, or even a delicious dessert that will go well with hot cider and mulled wine.

Tip #1: Tell your guests that their ticket into the soup bar is Christmas sweater attire.

Tip #2: Decorate your soup bar with a wintry flower arrangement. Combine amaryllis with, evergreens and deep red cranberries in a frosted vase or red tin pail.

Christmas parties don’t always have to be the usual “singing carols and drinking eggnog.” Mix it up, and you’ll have the most interesting and original party around!

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What is a Quinceañera?

A Quinceañera, the Hispanic equivalent of the American Sweet 16, is the day young girls dream of. It is the day they turn 15 and get to wear a gorgeous ball gown and have best friends join them for a party to remember.

But what exactly is a quinceañera and what does it entail?

A quinceañera is a celebration that marks the transition of a young girl into womanhood. This coming of age celebration is seen in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, and South America and ranges in traditions and ceremonies. There are too many variations to count, but here are the basics of this big occasion:

© Depositphotos.com/LondonDeposit

The Planning
Like a wedding, the quinceañera–the birthday girl–decides the type of party she would like. Does she want a lavish, wedding-esque party or would she prefer a vacation with friends? Ultimately, parents and family members help make a young girl’s dreams come true on this important day.

If she chooses a party, then there are a couple of things she must decide on. She chooses a color scheme, her “court,” and events. She also decides, with her parents, on the guest list, the food, if there will be a religious ceremony, the party favors, the decorations, and so on.

The best way to describe it is a princess’ wedding to herself.

The Details
Since this event is very family oriented, the quinceañera’s parents and godparents play a major role, but her friends get to join in on the fun as well.

A quinceañera’s court consists of chambelanes (like groomsmen) and damas (like bridesmaids). They are usually made up of close friends, siblings, and cousins. They are used to introduce the quinceañera to the guests. She also chooses a chambelan de honor or escort of honor who serves as her “date”– usually a boyfriend or brother.

To continue the princess theme, the birthday girl chooses a dress in her colors with a matching tiara.

© Depositphotos.com/BST2012

The Party
The celebration begins at the church where the quinceañera receives a blessing that will follow her through her transition into adulthood. She then goes with her court to take pictures while the guests head to the party venue for the meal.

When she arrives at the venue, her court enters and begins to dance, showing off their outfits. She is then escorted by her chambelan de honor and dances with her chambelanes. A toast is given by her parents, with words of wisdom and usually tears all around.

She then shares a special moment with her father. A common cinderella-style tradition is of a father changing his daughter’s flats into heels to signify her transformation into a young lady.

They have a father-daughter dance and then she dances with family members.

Like a Sweet 16, a Quinceañera employs many traditions to make a young girl’s birthday very special. The party may not last very long, but the memories will last a lifetime.

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Throwing a Star Wars Party

Whether it's a 10th birthday or a 21st birthday, you are never too old for a Star Wars themed party. Wedding and Party Network has your top tips for throwing a fun galactic bash!

Food and Drinks
Get creative with fun Star Wars puns. With Hans Rolos, Pincess Lays, and Vaderade, you can create a fun snack table that will crack lots of smiles. For the main course, make burgers with Leia's Buns or Jabba Hutt Dogs.

Here is a simple recipe for Yoda Soda:

  • Green Hawaiian Punch
  • Lime Soda
  • Lime Sorbet

Games
For the little ones, create a Jedi training camp in your back yard. Put together an obstacle course and make each Padawan a Jedi certificate. For the older crowd, play Star Wars Bingo with any (or all) of the Star Wars movies. Really put your knowledege to the test with some Star Wars trivia.

Are your friends hardcore fans? Act out the movie instead of watching and record it. Your rendition of Star Wars Episode III could go viral!

For Adults
Have your guests choose their allegiance (Jedi or Sith) and make themed drinks for each team. Turn Star Wars bingo into a drinking game and spike the Yoda Soda.

Don't forget the cake! You can make two different flavors–chocolate for the Sith and vanilla for the Jedi.

No need to hide your love for this Sci-Fi favorite. Let your geekiness show through this fun themed party and prove to your friends that you are the ultimate Jedi master!

For more party themes, check out the Wedding and Party Network Celebrations Blog.

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Fall Party Themes

The end of summer marks the beginning of a new season. This fall, keep up the festivities with Wedding and Party Network's top five fall party themes.

Caramel Apple Party
Caramel apples are a popular fall treat that can be made in many ways. Have your guests make these sweet treats with a candy apple buffet. Set up different caramel types to dip and an assortment of candies and nuts to decorate the apples. Add a Halloween tradition and have your guests bob for their apple.

Homemade Pie Party
Like a cookie exchange, have friends bring a small homemade pie and hold a competition for the best tasting pie. Give out a prize to the winner. You can also go a different route and have friends in teams bake a pie together. Have some beginner bakers show their hidden talents.

Smores Bonfire Party
A bonfire is an autumn staple, but shake it up with a smores buffet. Every one knows the three basic ingredients for smores, but try using an assortment of treats to make this smores party unique. Try cookies instead of crackers, peanut butter or white chocolate instead of the normal Hersheys, and a festive Peep instead of a plain marshmallow.

Pumpkin Carving Party
Get the season ready with your own mini pumpkin patch in your backyard. Choose a couple of pumpkins from your local grocery store and get your friends and family to play ring toss to choose their pumpkin. Hold a pumpkin carving or decorating competition and everyone can take their pumpkin home as their party favor.

Day of the Dead Party
Make a party out of this hispanic tradition that celebrates life. Decorate with colorful paper-cutting banners, ma skull head cookies, have a face-painting booth, and tell the story of the Day of the Dead. Make this party in October just in time for the upcoming movie, The Book of Life.

All of these themes can be family-friendly or tweaked for an adult-only affair. Liven up a fall party with anyone of these themes for a fun holiday season. Check back for more Wedding and Party ideas and tips.

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Batter Up – Baseball Themed First Birthday

Recently I got to celebrate my son's first birthday. Being just one-year-old, he's not quite able to voice preferred theme ideas for his party, so we went with something pretty universal and characteristic for a warmer-weather birthday bash. We picked baseball, and I'm so glad that we did. More specifically, we stayed in the red and white category and utilized everything from borrowed baseballs to old Coca-Cola glass bottles. It was fun, and I want to share how we pulled it off!

Make it a Joint Affair

Probably the best decision I made when planning this party was to combine it with some friends of ours whose little boy was born three days after ours. To share all the details that come with trying to pull off a halfway decent party is so nice. It was my friend's idea, and as soon as she suggested it I was sold. We were able to split costs on food and decorations, PLUS we could use both of our connections to borrow a lot of things that ended up being staples at the party–like our tables, centerpieces, and most importantly our venue!

Be Flexible

When rain pulled the plug on our initial plans of having it on a baseball field, we used a local high school field house (for free!) that ended up being the most ideal location possible. It was indoor, but still roomy enough for kids to run around and be crazy for a little while. My favorite thing about it, other than the intense sporty feel of the place, was that it was a perfect indoor playing ground for the kids. Having it indoors brought to mind how chaotic the party may have been on a huge baseball field. The kids were more contained, yet were in a location where they didn't feel contained. When I was dreaming up this party I envisioned a baseball diamond, but having to re-think it provided us with more insight on how to improve the flow of the party.

Choose Two Colors

We decided to stick with red and white for almost everything we contributed to the party's visual. Even the food was mostly red and white. It made it pop and actually made it easier to shop for essentials. I had a few clear vases that I filled with red candies to add a little flair to the food table. We borrowed baseballs from friends that we sat around as decoration. We had only a few long tables that we placed around benches for seating and they had red (disposable!!!) tablecloths on them.

The Coca-Cola bottles I mentioned were borrowed as well and were clear with red and white writing on them. We used them as one of the table centerpieces filled with white daisies. Not EVERYTHING was red or white, but for the most part we tried to stick with those colors so that the baseball theme would really stand out. You can choose the colors of your favorite baseball team, as well!

The Food

Our party was right after lunch, so we just provided snacks. Like I mentioned, we scattered clear vases with red candy in them around the food table. That was easy decoration, plus, it was another food option for our guests.

Any party's biggest food contribution is always the cake. We decided on cupcakes after looking online and finding a cute and easy way to ice cupcakes so that they looked like baseballs. We iced the top layer with white and then used red icing for the baseball stitches. It was super easy, just a little time-consuming.

We devoted an entire afternoon to our cupcakes. Our party was fairly small, so we ended up making about 50 cupcakes and we probably could have used more. I recommend coming up with a rough estimate of people you are expecting and doubling that number when you're deciding how many cupcakes to prepare. You can always let people take some home.

Instead of making individual cakes for the birthday boys to eat, we made two oversized cupcakes iced like baseballs. Neither one of us owned an oversized cupcake pan (I don't know anyone who does) so we improvised Continue reading "Batter Up – Baseball Themed First Birthday" »

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Hosting a Gender Reveal Party

Tips for Hosting a Gender Reveal Party

Gender reveal parties are definitely still going strong. The parents-to-be want to gather their closest friends and family members to share this special time in their life and find out the gender together. It's a special moment to be shared. However, are you unsure on how to exactly plan a gender reveal? Wedding and Party Network has a few tips on hosting this fun party.

Pick a Theme – The first thing to do is pick a theme. There are so many out there like, "Beaus or Bows", "What's It Going to Bee", "Team Pink or Team Blue" or "Lil Man or Lil Miss". Pick one that best suits the couple.

Party Details – Once you have a theme, you can focus on your party details. What type of decorations will you have? Will food be served and how will it match the theme? These are questions you need to ask yourself. You can easily stick with the pink and blue color scheme or you can add fun details to your party depending on the theme.

The BIG Reveal – The most important thing is how will you do the big reveal? You can release balloons, pop balloons to release the gender colored confetti, use silly string, cut cake to reveal the colored cake inside or maybe watch the ultrasound together. Just make sure to entrust someone who will not tell the gender and to find a reveal that fits you.

Start planning your gender reveal party and it is sure to be a big success just by following these simple rules.

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5 Summer Party Themes

Whether it's a family reunion or a birthday party, make it extra festive with a theme. Wedding and Party Network has the top five summer party themes for this summer.

1. BBQ

Your theme could be what you are cooking. Use red and white checkered table cloths to give that picnic feel. Put silverware in popcorn bags to keep utensils together for each guest and have them ready if they want popcorn in the evening. Instead of cans, make your party extra special by getting glass bottled drinks, putting them in a tub of ice and have red and white paper straws nearby. Make a grill out of a watermelon or get a small play grill and display fruit skewers on it for the kids to play pretend and eat too.

2. Beach

Even if you aren't near a coast, you can bring the beach to you with this summer party theme. Fill sand pails not with sand, but with snacks. Pretzels and chips can be shoveled out and onto your guest's plate. Decorate tables with sand castle molds and give out sunglasses as party favors. Make sand dollar cookies with snickerdoodle dough and adding sliced almonds in a star shape right after you pull them out of the oven.

3. Camping

Turn your backyard into a camp ground. Have a Build Your Own Trail Mix station with kraft paper bags. Fill lanterns with pine cones and use Pirouette cookies as firewood to decorate. For dessert, cover ice cream-filled bowls with Oreo crumbs to resemble dirt. Top it off with gummy worms and give your guests a piece of the outdoors to eat.

4. Luau

One of the most popular themes for summer parties, but it is easy to do and a lot of fun. Decorate your tables with surfboards; make them out of cardboard and paint them in your preferred colors. Not only can you use those little umbrellas and cocktail stirrers for drinks, but you can also use them on cupcakes and other snacks. Incorporate pineapples into decorations and even on your food. Make ham and pineapple kebabs and  a pineapple upside down cake as the finishing touch to your luau.

5. Farmer's Market

With summer comes the farmer's market, so why not turn that into your party theme? Use strawberry cartons as containers for snacks, fruit, or even serve a side salad in them. Continue the idea and serve finger foods like celery and carrots in plant liners. Have your guests go "shopping" for their lunch. Arrange wraps and sandwiches in baskets and fruit in crates. Have a big jug of lemonade with a 5 cent lemonade sign to add to your theme. As party favors, give your guests succulents and herb potted plants. It will remind them of their time at your farmer's market.

Whatever you are celebrating (birthday, long weekend, etc.) take advantage of the sunny outdoors and make your party a unique experience for your guests. Check back with the Wedding and Party Network for more tips.

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Summer Ice Cream Social

It's common knowledge that we all eat ice cream year-round, but it's a little more fun to consume in the summer when it can serve two purposes: satisfying a craving AND cooling you off. So why not plan an entire party around it? The time is drawing near to ponder about your favorite flavors and toppings so you can share them with others by hosting a party!

Gathering Your Supplies:

If you live for practicality (like me) in just about every area of your life, then this party should be no exception. While there seem to be loads and loads of options to choose from, look for cute serving bowls that are both reusable and affordable. You definitely want them to be affordable if your affair will be a large one. If it will be more intimate, then you can splurge a tad more if you want since you won't be buying as many.

Plenty of popular stores sell ramekins that are the perfect size for sampling ice cream. You may already have some you can use! You can get different colors, or stick with all one color, depending on if you have a theme going on. Depending on where you shop, you can find ramekins for as cheap as a dollar a piece. Like I said, if you are going big you may want to go half and half–buy as many ramekins as you can afford, but then also find some colorful disposable cups to use as back-up. If you really want to do all disposable, use a handful of ramekins to serve your toppings out of. They will add a pop of style to your table and will make it look put-together.

If you have enough, try using the silverware you already have for your guests to eat with. It will cut down (even just a little bit) on your cost and you can just throw them in the dishwasher when everyone is done.  Getting to use real silverware will also make your friends feel more at home at your party! I have found that it is much less stressful to utilize things I already have around the house than to have to keep adding items to a shopping list.

Flavors and Toppings:

To cut down on some chaos, go ahead and have all of your options prepared. What I mean is, if you are going to make smoothies go ahead and make them and have them set out in pitchers for your friends to directly sample. It could be fun to take the time to let everybody actually make their own concoctions, but only if it's a very small get-together. It usually seems like the more off-the-cuff aspects you incorporate, the more money you will end up spending to ensure that there are plenty of desirable choices.

A unique way to decide what flavors of ice cream to serve is when you send out your invites to the party have five or six (or however many you think you can manage) flavor options on there and let them check their favorite. They can send them back to you and this can be their RSVP. That way, you will know that you are going to make the right choices. And it will keep you from stressing when you stare down the endless aisle of frozen goodies.
For your build-your-own sundae bar, just think out of the box.

You can display the usual; various candies, sprinkles, hot fudge; OR you can have a theme. A theme might be more cost-effective. For an example, you can pick a color as your theme. If you choose red, have all red toppings on your bar. It's as simple as that. That will allow you to get more creative since you will have to be more narrowed in your choices.

There are tons of ways to make an ice cream party a huge success! Hopefully this will help you out as you take the journey of planning a perfectly practical ice cream party to cool you and your friends down this summer!

Celebrating Milestone Birthdays

Planning parties for a milestone birthday is particularly fun, but there can be a lot of pressure to make it special. What traditions should be included in a 1st birthday party versus a 25th birthday? We've created a full comprehensive guide to milestone birthdays from year 1 to 100, including what decorations to consider, traditions to include, and a glimpse into the different life stages to celebrate.

Retro Rings: Decades of Style

The 1980s were a decade of design and elegance. As the transition began from the laid back vibes of the 70s, engagement rings from this era became bigger and flashier as they pushed boundaries and mixed tradition with trends. With geometric cuts to cluster settings, these pieces reflect a time where style was anything but simple. Let’s take a look throughout the years and explore the rings that presented us with unforgettable taste. 

Aesthetics Over Everything: Niche Party Themes

You may have already heard these terms and can bring to mind the aesthetic that comes with them. These niche parties are the latest go-to for a theme, perfect for bachelorette weekends, dinner parties, family brunches, birthdays, friend getaways, wedding receptions, and babymoons. The following themes have made their way from online to in-house!

Standing Beside the Bride & Groom

Being included in a wedding party is a great honor and can be a wonderful experience. But if you’ve never done it before or it’s been a while, it can feel daunting or like you’re missing something. Here is a comprehensive list of what is typically expected and tips for maneuvering dress shopping with the bride, finding your own attire, ensuring a smooth rehearsal, and navigating expenses.