Ashley
For my 15th birthday I want to throw a vintage themed party! What type of decorations would I need, what type of cake and what type of music should I have? Also, what type of food do you think would match this theme? Thanks(:
Answer
Sounds like it could be a cool party, but 'vintage' can refer to anything more than a few years old. Maybe you could narrow the focus a little? You could pick a decade theme - 20's could be flappers and strings of pearls ala gatsby; 30s is great depression, so probably not the best party, haha, same with 40's (the war); 50's is pretty cute - fitted prints and hourglass shapes, high wastes, like mad men era. 60's is obvious, hippies and stuff; 70's disco, and head scarves, and the rise of 'lounge wear'; 80's madonna and hair metal, jean jackets and punky styles; 90's is pushing it a little
If you wanted to make a more general vintage theme, I guess you could sort of pick-and-choose from retro items and just have a lot going on. It would be kitschy, and it could be cool, but it wouldn't be consistent.
One kind of really great vintage party is a Garden Party. The idea is that it's a semi-formal, chic cocktail party that would happen in a garden (or in a yard), usually in the late afternoon, or at night with paper lanterns strung up. Women would wear sundresses and floral gowns/ jewel tones and heels (anything but dark colors and heavy fabrics). Men could wear normal suits, but were also invited to wear lighter colored suits and jackets, and be more creative in prints and colors than if it were black tie. You serve light, cold refreshments: hors d'oeuvres, finger sandwiches, chilled soups, etc - and to drink, crisp, clear beverages - iced tea, lemonade, punch, sparkling white wine, cocktails with light, sweet liqueurs like St Germaine. The cake can be anything, but I think something light and airy would be appropriate, maybe a tall, spongy cake with a thick, fluffy white icing, hint of lemon or something.
Decor: for a Garden Party, of course the 'garden' is the most important component. But that doesn't mean you have to be limited to a backyard! A few years ago in college, I actually threw a garden party, and it was widely considered the best party of that year. I didn't have a garden, but my apartment was pretty spacious. I moved all the furniture out of the living room, except a big table which I put against the far wall, and put down an retro-looking table cloth (anything will do, stripes, gingham, pale pink cotton or even lace doilies/ table runner!), and used that for the finger food and punch. I was really proud - I managed to find this gorgeous antique crystal punch bowl with a set of matching crystal cordial glasses. To decorate the table further, I had an antique birdcage full of flowers, and a garland of flag bunting on the wall behind it. Also, if you can find those glass (or plastic) pedestals/ covers for your food, that would be perfect :)
So, to deal with the fact that my 'garden' was inside, I had to transform my living room into a garden. I borrowed some potted plants, and had a lot of plants around. I also made flowers out of pastel-colored tissue paper (tutorials online) and hung them up on rows of white string lights, and it was a cool effect. Alongside the paper lanterns and an old-fashioned table lamp, I had some great indirect lighting that made everything look like sunset :) I set out some lawn furniture, and bought an old-fashioned notebook to use as a Guestbook, in which everyone wrote a little note for me, which I still cherish, and people had a great time! Everyone got really into the theme and looked amazing, I couldn't have been happier with it. Also, for invitations, I wrote them on a ribbon I tied to the stem of fake flowers that I handed out in school. But I was thinking another cool idea would be to buy some old picture postcards from an antique shop and write them on that. Handwriting is key, there were no shortcuts back then!
Music: the garden party is a good theme because it's pretty general within the vintage realm. Chic, fancy people held garden parties pretty consistently until about the 70s, so it's pretty classic and open to interpretation. But because it's mostly a cocktail party, the best music should be subtle, pleasant and not distracting from conversation. I recommend you listen to the following cool old-timey musicians, and see which of these fit in most with your aesthetic:
Fats Waller, George Gershwin, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Chico Buarque, Astrud Gilberto, Bobby Darin, Leslie Gore, Frank Sinatra, Andrews Sisters, Serge Gainsbourg, Nancy&Lee, Velvet Undergound, Patsy Cline, The Shangri-Las....
I totally got carried away with this, but I hope you have the best birthday party ever :)
Sounds like it could be a cool party, but 'vintage' can refer to anything more than a few years old. Maybe you could narrow the focus a little? You could pick a decade theme - 20's could be flappers and strings of pearls ala gatsby; 30s is great depression, so probably not the best party, haha, same with 40's (the war); 50's is pretty cute - fitted prints and hourglass shapes, high wastes, like mad men era. 60's is obvious, hippies and stuff; 70's disco, and head scarves, and the rise of 'lounge wear'; 80's madonna and hair metal, jean jackets and punky styles; 90's is pushing it a little
If you wanted to make a more general vintage theme, I guess you could sort of pick-and-choose from retro items and just have a lot going on. It would be kitschy, and it could be cool, but it wouldn't be consistent.
One kind of really great vintage party is a Garden Party. The idea is that it's a semi-formal, chic cocktail party that would happen in a garden (or in a yard), usually in the late afternoon, or at night with paper lanterns strung up. Women would wear sundresses and floral gowns/ jewel tones and heels (anything but dark colors and heavy fabrics). Men could wear normal suits, but were also invited to wear lighter colored suits and jackets, and be more creative in prints and colors than if it were black tie. You serve light, cold refreshments: hors d'oeuvres, finger sandwiches, chilled soups, etc - and to drink, crisp, clear beverages - iced tea, lemonade, punch, sparkling white wine, cocktails with light, sweet liqueurs like St Germaine. The cake can be anything, but I think something light and airy would be appropriate, maybe a tall, spongy cake with a thick, fluffy white icing, hint of lemon or something.
Decor: for a Garden Party, of course the 'garden' is the most important component. But that doesn't mean you have to be limited to a backyard! A few years ago in college, I actually threw a garden party, and it was widely considered the best party of that year. I didn't have a garden, but my apartment was pretty spacious. I moved all the furniture out of the living room, except a big table which I put against the far wall, and put down an retro-looking table cloth (anything will do, stripes, gingham, pale pink cotton or even lace doilies/ table runner!), and used that for the finger food and punch. I was really proud - I managed to find this gorgeous antique crystal punch bowl with a set of matching crystal cordial glasses. To decorate the table further, I had an antique birdcage full of flowers, and a garland of flag bunting on the wall behind it. Also, if you can find those glass (or plastic) pedestals/ covers for your food, that would be perfect :)
So, to deal with the fact that my 'garden' was inside, I had to transform my living room into a garden. I borrowed some potted plants, and had a lot of plants around. I also made flowers out of pastel-colored tissue paper (tutorials online) and hung them up on rows of white string lights, and it was a cool effect. Alongside the paper lanterns and an old-fashioned table lamp, I had some great indirect lighting that made everything look like sunset :) I set out some lawn furniture, and bought an old-fashioned notebook to use as a Guestbook, in which everyone wrote a little note for me, which I still cherish, and people had a great time! Everyone got really into the theme and looked amazing, I couldn't have been happier with it. Also, for invitations, I wrote them on a ribbon I tied to the stem of fake flowers that I handed out in school. But I was thinking another cool idea would be to buy some old picture postcards from an antique shop and write them on that. Handwriting is key, there were no shortcuts back then!
Music: the garden party is a good theme because it's pretty general within the vintage realm. Chic, fancy people held garden parties pretty consistently until about the 70s, so it's pretty classic and open to interpretation. But because it's mostly a cocktail party, the best music should be subtle, pleasant and not distracting from conversation. I recommend you listen to the following cool old-timey musicians, and see which of these fit in most with your aesthetic:
Fats Waller, George Gershwin, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Chico Buarque, Astrud Gilberto, Bobby Darin, Leslie Gore, Frank Sinatra, Andrews Sisters, Serge Gainsbourg, Nancy&Lee, Velvet Undergound, Patsy Cline, The Shangri-Las....
I totally got carried away with this, but I hope you have the best birthday party ever :)
Birthday Party Ideas?
Lynz
Hi, I'm a 13 year old girl. I need an idea for my birthday party. I need answers quickly because invitations need to be out tomorrow or perhaps the next day!
Here are some things you may need to know:
-I have 7 people in mind
-I want to have it reasonably cheap because my previous parties have been quite expensive for my parents
-I'm not exactly the most talkative person ever so if I have to do a lot of entertaining they will probably get bored :P
-I want it to be really fun because I'm going to turn into a teen!!
-Don't make it depend too much on weather because it's very unreliable
The party will be on May 31st so I need to get planning!
Thanks!
Answer
You could have a sleep over party. eat a nice dinner together, watch a movie(at home rent), etc.
Or you could go rollar blading, it's not to expensive and for seven people including rental and pizza, it could be a nice party under $70-$80
Same for ice skating and bowling(well maybe 100$)
You could have a sleep over party. eat a nice dinner together, watch a movie(at home rent), etc.
Or you could go rollar blading, it's not to expensive and for seven people including rental and pizza, it could be a nice party under $70-$80
Same for ice skating and bowling(well maybe 100$)
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