Party Decorations: Step 5 of the Party Planning Checklist

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Party decorating can be very exciting and allows your imagination to run wild.  However, it is important to keep check of the party budget from step 1 of the party planning checklist because it is very easy to let your excitement get ahead of you and you can end up spending a lot more than you initially bargained for!

In this post we are going to look at the following;

♥ How to choose decorations.

♥ How to decorate according to your chosen theme.

♥ Examples of decorations you can use.

Organise your decorations according to your party theme:

You will have already decided upon a theme for your party by working through step 3 of the party planning checklist.  The decorations will fall easily into place once a theme has been decided.

In step 4 of the party planning checklist, we looked at completing your invitations.  This will have already given your guests an insight into the style and theme of your party and your decorations will be based around this.

Now you just need to use a little bit of creativity and time.  The time and effort that you put into your decorations will give your party that wow factor!

What type of decorations should you choose? 

As discussed previously, the type of decorations you choose will greatly depend on the party theme and the budget that you have set for yourself.

Lets consider some decorating ideas:

Balloons:

Are you someone that thinks of balloons and children?  Whilst children love balloons, they don’t have to be limited to children’s parties.  With the right colour coordination and placement they can look very stylish and add a slick element to your party.

The advantage of balloons is that they add instant colour and are reasonably cheap to arrange.

Helium or air balloons? 

If you wish to fill your balloons with air, will need to do so at the last minute because they will not stay inflated at their premium all day.

Balloons filled with air will only hand down and not sit upright!  If you wish your balloons to sit upright, then you will need to add helium.

You can either have the helium installed by a party store, or if you have a lot of balloons it would be cheaper to hire a helium canister and inflate them yourself.

Tip: If you want your balloons to last longer than a day, ask the party store to add gel into the helium.  This will let them last 1-2 weeks!

Paper Streamers:

Streamers are very cheap to use, but depending on your decorating style, they can also look cheap – so be careful!

Streamers are easy to decorate with and can be hung in many different ways.

If you choose to use streamers try to stick to about 3 colours as one can look too bland, but too many will look disorientating.

Streamers can be the prefect way to add instant colour to a room, especially if you are planning a children’s party.

If you wish your decorations to have a more sophisticated style, then you may want to steer clear of them!

Candles:

Candles can create a lovely sophisticated atmosphere without costing too much.

There are many ways for you to use candles as decorations;

♦ Floating in clear or coloured water

♦ Pillar candles sat in sand

♦ Standing on glass to reflect the light

♦ Made into floral arrangements

There are many designs to choose from, just be careful of fire hazards!

Flowers:

Depending on who the party is for, you may wish to decorate with some flowers.  Watch your budget here though, because flowers can be very pricey!

Flowers will cost a lot less from grocery stores than from florists so do some shopping around!

Purchasing already made bouquets will ensure that the flowers are presented to their best.

Place the flowers on the dinner table, present table, foyer and other strategic places.

 Tulle:

Not many people think of using Tulle, but you can create a dramatic effect in many different colours.

You may wish to cluster the tulle around the bottom of balloons or drape from the ceiling or windows.

You could even tie the tulle to the backs of chairs for an engagement or anniversary party.

Lighting:

The lighting plays a huge part towards the feel of the party.

Once again, think back to your party theme (step 3 of the party planning checklist) and what lighting will be appropriate for that theme.

Fairy lights would look great at a children’s party.

You may want to have some disco balls for a themed 60′s or 70′s party.

The lighting creates the mood and the ambiance so think about what you want to create and then find the lights to fit!

Specific Theme decorations:

Incorporating decorations specifically to your party theme leaves your options wide open.

All you need to do is scatter some items which relate to your theme.  For instance:

Pirate theme: Gold coins, parrots, wooden chest, black flags, skulls, play jewelery …..

Hawaiian theme: Palm trees, hula girls, bright flowers,

Casino theme: Casino chips, cards, poker and blackjack tables.

Hollywood theme: Big stars, Oscars, movie clipboard.

In essence you need to think about your party theme, and use as many props as you can from it.

If you are still stuck for ideas and need some extra inspiration, why not visit some party stores, or browse the internet for photos.  You will be able to obtain some ideas and then recreate them for yourself.

Now that your decorations are organised you can concentrate on Step 6 of the party planning checklist: Activities.

Thanks for reading

Catherine