Award worthy party planning tips

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will hit the stage on February 27th. It’s a time for celebrating accomplishments and another year of terrific film. And as those famous actors and actresses step on stage to collect their Oscar, there is no better time for a theme party.
Local event planners, In-Style Weddings & Events, have all the details for throwing a stunning soiree from start to finish.
Tamara Kaye says the best place to start is with a proper invite, “If you’re having a party, there needs to be an invitation. It’s not pick up the phone. You set the tone of your theme by your invitation.”
For an Oscar-theme party, that invitation will set out not only the time and place for your guests, but also their dress code and what type of menu to expect. This might mean telling your guests to dress up as their favourite celeb while they snack away on elegant cocktail appetizers all night or wear their favourite black-tie garb for a sit down dinner.
“You have to get your guests motivated. If you’re not excited about your party, your guests won’t be,” she says.
Kaye suggests inviting no more than 20 guests to your event, but if you have a larger house and up the guest list, she recommends hiring staff to help your night flow smoothly. Just one bartender or service staff, from a local catering shop like Pelican Catering and Event Management or Kings Court Catering, will go a long way.
When it comes to making your home a Hollywood venue fit for a celebrity, Kaye has plenty of ideas and tips.

“You don’t have to go overboard on decor, but when people walk in, they really have to feel like they’ve joined in on the theme – whether that’s linens, lighting, flowers or the bar,” she says.
The obvious choice for an Oscar theme is gold and black. These shining details will make your party sparkle. Add a gold tablecloth that might be predominantly used during the holidays, topped with black charger plates, fine china and luxurious napkins and a motif will take off. Kaye explains that by using low-cost items from the dollar store mixed in with items you already have on hand, allows party planners to spend money where it counts – like on glittery embellished linen rentals or buying more expensive sparkling wine.
Gold and black isn’t the only theme available to Oscar-party throwers however. A red carpet theme or an art-deco old Hollywood motif will also shine just like Kodak Theatre on Sunday night as James Franco and Anne Hathaway host.
It’s the small details and dedication to the theme that makes a party a success, according to Kaye. “You plan a wedding so you can have stories for 20 years. And If you’re going to put this much heart and soul even into a small get-together of 8-10 people in your home, you want to make sure people that years from now people still talking about it.”
Watch this YouTube tutorial on how to create a Lady Windermere’s Fan napkin for presentation at your next gala dinner.