How to Throw a Theme Party

Is there a party in your near future? Do you want to invite friends over for an outdoor barbecue but don't know where to start? Did you get elected to host the baby shower? Here are some ideas to help you celebrate with pizazz!

Create a time period theme. This is the easiest way to bring all your plans together. For example, if you are throwing an impromptu barbecue, try using a western theme. Use camping utensils and cups and checkered bandannas work great for napkins. Try using old quilts or old horse blankets to cover the tables and on hay bales if using them for seating. Add cowboy hats and other western gear as table decor and scattered throughout your outdoor serving area. Serve simple fare such as hamburgers and wieners on a stick, baked beans, pasta and potato salads and biscuits. Have guests wear western-style clothes, from jeans to chaps to hats and dresses. Be sure to play old cowboy or country music in the background.

Use color to create a theme. For a baby shower all pink or all green decorations look especially cute. Color coordinate your foods such as pink mints and pink colored punch. Use pink balloons, pink streamers, pink tulle wrapped around party favors, pink ribbons on all the gifts. Use Pink (or whatever color you choose) to tie everything together. It's even fun to have all the guests wear something in pink, even just a pink ribbon tied on their shoe. Play games with a twist using the color.

Decide if it is to be a formal or easy-going affair. For a formal affair, it should be a sit down dinner, with nice table covering, candles, and a centerpiece of flowers. Cover your dining chairs with slipcovers to match or coordinate with the table covering. Matching napkins, dinnerware and serving dishes create formality. Play classical music softly. For an easy-going affair, serve food buffet style, have guests sit either at your table or in chairs about the room. Use tableware of different styles, but that complement each other in some way. Table decor can be a few candles grouped together, a simple centerpiece, such as a child's sand bucket filled with seashells (or whatever your theme is), napkins of different colors, and serving dishes of different styles.

Use a food to get ideas for your theme. Use a specific style or country or region of food to dictate the theme for your get-together. How about a Mexican fiesta? Serve Southwest-Mexican style foods. To decorate your room, use sombreros, cacti, and piñatas. Serve food in terra cotta colored dishes. For an Italian feast, serve Italian foods and Italian breads, and use the colors of the Italian flag in your tableware and dinnerware.

When throwing a party, it's easy to pull all the pieces together with a theme. Adding little touches, such as music and games helps your guests relax. Most of all, as the host, relax and enjoy yourself. Remember, even if you forget something, no one will know but you!