40s Theme Party

Recently I planned a 40s-themed party for a Ft. Worth area chapter of the Lions Club. This chapter was celebrating their 75^th anniversary in 2015 so they wanted to have a 40s-themed party as they were established in 1940. I was so excited and thankful that the president of the chapter chose my company, Meetings and Milestones, to plan the party! First of all, I LOVE event planning. Secondly, I love research so this was right up my alley.  After I researched available venues in the area, the club decided on one that was conveniently located and had a beautiful room of ample size. I found a graphic designer who worked with me until we had an invitation design that the club liked that showed a couple dancing dressed in 40s attire.  The invitation included a listing of local shops I found where guests could purchase or rent 40s clothes for the party. Many guests did attend in 40s evening wear which added to the fun of the party.  I also collaborated with an event decorator who displayed 40s movie posters in lighted frames at the entryway. In addition, we booked a 40s band that provided wonderful entertainment. After dinner, it was time for dancing. Those folks can really dance! As it was also a fund raiser for the chapter, there was an auction offering several items. It was a blast! People really got into the bidding and I gave the winning bid on a poster from Casablanca! I so enjoyed working with this group and am so pleased their party was a huge success.

Planning Milestone Birthday Parties

I LOVE planning birthday parties. There are some people who would rather have a small, informal dinner celebration with just family and maybe a few close friends which is totally fine and one has to respect what the person wants. On the other hand, for those who like to party, I'm there! Milestone birthday parties are one of my specialties. I like working with the spouse/significant other or family to plan a special celebration. 

One of the common parts of a milestone birthday is the video presentation. To put this together, the family needs plenty of time to gather photos, song selections, etc. As an event planner, I can connect my clients with a professional who does these. They can be time consuming if the family puts it together themselves, but a professional knows what he/she is doing and can hopefully get it done faster and produce a better video than an amateur.

Another thing to consider would be a group activity. For one surprise party, I created a trivia game which consisted of questions about different topics (movies, TV shows, sports, etc.) from the decade in which the honoree grew up. The guests divided up into pairs and filled out the questionnaire.  Inexpensive prizes were given to the winners. It was a lot of fun & also got people talking and moving.

There are other parts to plan: Save the Date, invitations, venue, caterer/food, decorations, entertainment, etc. Most importantly, I would answer these questions: If this is a surprise party, would the person want a surprise party? If the person knows about it, what does he/she want? What is your budget? (At least a ball park figure is a must!) Again, give yourself enough time to plan all aspects so the evening will go off as smoothly as possible. There's a lot involved. That's why you need an event planner!

How to Find the Best Venue

Say you want to plan a milestone birthday party, an anniversary, retirement party or some other special occasion. How do you begin the search for the best venue? First, you need to decide on a budget (at least a ballpark figure). I spoke to a lady not that long ago about possibly planning her milestone birthday. Her budget was $5000. She was thinking she could feed 100 people a nice dinner and have entertainment and a cake, too. I did a little research for her before putting together a proposal to see if it was even possible. I called a venue I thought might come close and they did (for the rental and catering) but if she wanted all the other things, I didn't see how it would be possible to meet her budget. I suggested she think about having the party at someone's house so she could spend more money on the extras. In the end, she told me she found a place that could do it all. I'd like to know what that place is.  The point is you need to be realistic. If you'd like to spend more on entertainment and food then think about having it at a less expensive venue like a community center, clubhouse or someone's house. My husband and I got married in the backyard of a good friend. My husband wanted a smallish wedding but we still had a caterer, flowers, other decorations and entertainment.  Ideally, the venue should be easily accessible with enough parking as well. In the end, you want to select a place you like but that also stays in your budget.  What you don't need is to be paying party bills for the next several years!