Hawaiian, Western, Hollywood, Casino, Aussie, Mexican …and the list goes on! Party themes we have all seen lining the walls of discount stores uncomfortably close to offensive hens related paraphernalia. And because of this, our preconception of these themes is way overdone and cheap. But let’s be honest… common themes can be pretty fun.
NOT TO WORRY! There is such thing as the best of both worlds– it is totally doable to throw these common themes in a classy way. No need for your inflatable cacti and foil palm trees. Start from scratch, take a step back and do a quick internet search if you need to. Think about what is traditional to that country or place? In what era was it at its finest? How can I manipulate the theme to the kind of party atmosphere I would like to have? And most importantly, what angle can I take to make it a little different?
We have had a lot of fun putting together common themes with a twist. The best thing is you will shock your guests with your different take on the theme, even if it actually isn’t all that creative in the scheme of things! Certainly makes creating a memorable party easy!
We have two examples of our common parties for this blog to share our ideas on how we came to recreate them…
Day of the Dead Mexican Party
We are currently styling an 18th birthday party for next weekend. As the first of his friends to turn 18 and parents worried of underage drinking, he requested a modest 20 person get together, with food and some fun gimmicks to keep them entertained.
The thought to do a Mexican theme started with an idea of having a burrito bar, kind of like a candy bar where you make your own – so that the party would be focused on the food rather than the drink. And Mexican is of course PERFECT for gimmicky fun – piñatas, maracas and guitars, moustaches, mariachi and just simply getting around in a sombrero.
Then for the perfect twist…What Mexican’s celebrate as Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead involving elaborately decorated skulls, oil cloth flags, traditional day of the dead flower, Merygold flower (which look remarkably like tissue Fleur Poms!!), and religious shrines to loved ones.
Taking these concepts, together with collecting bright coloured and rustic items, we have ourselves a pretty uncommon but wicked Mexican theme!
Stay tuned for photos from the Mexican 18th in the next two weeks!
Vintage Hawaiian Party
The vintage Hawaiian pool party we styled was well, to be honest a bit too easy. Pop a vintage twist into a theme and it’s safe to say you have a winner.
Our inspiration for this theme was mostly gathered over the net from images of vintage travel posters and post cards from Hawaii. With a new take on a grass skirt, honeycomb flowers, flamingos and vintage tiki bar all in pastels, REAL coconuts and long board, we safely avoided the preconceptions for this Hawaiian party. To complement the look, we created a board of the prints that gave us inspiration as a backdrop. Coupled with traditional steel guitar luau CD on repeat, it actually felt like we were on a Hawaiian beachside escape!
If you love this theme visit our Themes and Decorations Page for a full gallery of the party, and our online Shop for the products!
Mia
