Throw Your First Post-pandemic Party- a Hollywood Themed One!

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As the world is slowly coming out of the pandemic’s grip, people are eager to make up for the lost year of party, travel and just being out without a mask on. And thanks to the faster COVID vaccine rollout, we no longer have to limit all our social interaction to the virtual world.

As the pandemic restrictions are being lifted and our social calendars are buzzing again with parties, outings, and get together, you might have already planned your first post-pandemic party. However, with more than a year’s worth of social distancing and celebrating Zoom birthday parties, you may have lost your touch in party planning.

And what better way to polish up your event planning skill than to throw a big glitzy Hollywood-themed glamour party? It is the wholesome combination of lavish decor, glamour, and drinks, perfect for celebrating the start of post-pandemic life. Let’s read on to know how you can pull it off.

Start From the Invitation

The essence of the Hollywood theme party is to make your guests feel special and to be treated like celebrities. And that should start with the party invitation. Design a stellar, unique card for your first post-pandemic party. While you can get Hollywood-themed invitation templates online, a customized invitation will be way better than what is available online.

And don’t fret; you don’t need to be a designer to create your invitation from scratch. Just use Canva or any other design platform to draft an invitation card. Just make sure the texts are captivating, and perfectly picture the core of your party.

Make sure you include all necessary information- time, venue, dress code for the guests. And also consider mentioning the size of your party, some people might still be worried about social gatherings unless it is small.

Line up the Cosplay Lovers!

Glamming up like Hollywood celebrities should be the highlight of your Hollywood-themed party. For cosplay lovers, it might be the first time in a year that they get to show off their cosplay skills other than their Instagram posts. So mention in your invitation that guests are welcome to dress up as their favorite movie star or character.

You should join in the dress-up fun as well as your guest. Whether you are aiming for a vintage Hollywood party or a contemporary one, make sure you have all the necessary gears to pull off the looks. You can check out thejacketshop.co.uk for some classic, movie-inspired jackets, or visit the nearest thrift store to find what you need.

Whether you want the enigmatic appearance of the phantom of the opera, or the Gatsby look, you will find something that reflects the style. If you are still in doubt about what to wear, you can simply recreate any Academy Award look of your favorite movie star. For your guests, you can arrange small accessories like feathers, glitter headbands, or even masquerade party masks.

Narrow Down the Theme

With more than a hundred years of legacy, Hollywood is quite a vast idea for a party theme. You might want to narrow it down to a much smaller scale, perhaps focus on a certain genre or a particular time frame.

While a disco ball, red carpet, glitter, balloons, or movie-themed hanging or props certainly screams “Hollywood”, you don’t want your party to look like another generic theme party. In addition to making your party stand apart, setting up a definite theme will ensure all the party elements- decor, food, music, costume, all merge together.

Before you buy some whimsical decor, props, make sure you have a specific Hollywood time in mind. You can explore the more detailed theme with a different genre or a particular decade.

You can go as far back in time during the silent movie era or be as far in the future with full-on sci-fi decor. Just narrow down the theme, so your guest won’t have to guess how to dress up or what to expect.

Set up a Glitzy Décor

Once you have fixed the theme, you need to set up the decor. However, don’t think you need to break the bank to get the glittery Hollywood decor.  For starters, think about having a gold, black and metallic color scheme for the decor, from wall hanging, balloons to the cocktail flute decoration.

You can add movie posters, print out or real-life cut out of Hollywood stars, and prop them up to use for photoshoots.  Consider hanging some gold stars bearing your guests’ names, it will make them feel special.  Set up Oscar-inspired photo booths, have a photo prop corner where you lay out all the props and accessories. Set a photo backdrop at the entrance so that everyone can get their photo clicked as soon as they arrive at the party.

Arrange Hollywood-themed Food

Hollywood-themed parties are all about dressing up and mingling, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook the food. Decorate the food spared with tasty finger foods and desserts.

From cheese and crackers, sushi bites to fancy caviar or oyster, you can go all out with appetizers. For desserts, red velvet cakes, black-tie cupcakes, raspberry macaroons or golden Oreo truffles will be perfect.  Don’t forget to dress up the table with Hollywood color and use fancy cake toppers to enhance the vibe.

Set the Ambiance with Music

Music is the heart of any party, and your Hollywood theme party shouldn’t be any different. It can either make or break your party. So create a playlist well before the party so that you have enough time to include all the Hollywood hits that made it to the top chart.

If yours is a family party, make sure your playlist is an eclectic one where everyone can find something to bob their head to. Think of adding Hollywood movie themes, some jazz, and classics. You can even throw in some classic Disney for your younger A-list stars!

Set Up a Cocktail Bar

It is not considered a party without bubbles and cocktails, right? And your cocktail bar needs to be extra special, because of the Hollywood theme. You can find hundreds of Hollywood or Oscar-inspired cocktail recipes online.

To name a few, champagne cream shots, Hollywood martini, golden glamour, the trophy margarita can be some hits among the guests. Select fruit-based drinks, pomegranate or cranberries, to bring out the colors of the glam night.

However, before you include them on your menu, don’t forget to try them out. That way, you get to keep only the best-tasting ones and cross out the bland ones.

Line Up Some Fun Activities

Foods, music are all fun but to take your party up an extra notch, think of some activities. For instance, how about hosting some Hollywood trivia challenge? Or perhaps some good old scavenger hunt with the ghost trap from the Ghostbusters or some Jedi lightsaber from Star Wars?

And if you can’t think beyond the Sci-Fi era, you can ask for some treasure suggestions from your friends. It will be just like going back to your middle school days!

Hand Out Some Oscar Souvenir

As well as having fun memories of the night, you might also want your guests to have some memorabilia of your party; perhaps some customized awards or some movie props. How about handing everyone some miniature Baby Yoda as party favors? Or you can think about handing out some knock-out Oscars as the prize to the scavenger hunt winners.

Add the final touch-Roll out the Red Carpet!

Hollywood glams won’t be felt if you don’t roll out a red carpet. As your guests walk on the red carpet, they will feel the regal vibe. Besides, it doesn’t cost much but can elevate the mood of your party to a great deal.

And if you want to make it even more exciting, think about adding gold star stickers with your guests’ names on them to the carpet. It will be your Walk of Fame for the night; even though it’s just the length of your foyer!

The Bottom Line

This summer might be the start of many post-pandemic parties. However, your party might be the first one that your guest will attend after a year of restrictions. So make sure it will be a memorable one, a perfect party to kick start the post-pandemic life. However, that doesn’t mean you need to micromanage or plan every little detail.

Even if you are the host, just try to enjoy as much as you can. It’s the impromptu fun that ends up being more enjoyable than the planned ones. And as the last piece of advice, before you plan to throw a party, check with your local authority.

While some areas are faring better and ready to get back on the wheel, some are yet to come out of the restrictions. So, unless you want to break any rule, make sure you are allowed to host any indoor parties or gatherings.