The Great Gatsby
With these tips, even a do-it-yourselfer can throw a celebrity-styled party!
People
Celebrities don’t just invite a few people, they invite everyone! Follow the rules of bars and nightclubs by arranging the furniture so that your guests have to walk sideways past each other, especially near the exit and entry points. People will be more likely to strike up conversations with each other, stay longer, and drink more when they are in close proximity.
Centerpieces
Photo by Julie Newman.
Centerpieces serve a few purposes. First, big and bold flower displays or the like add grandeur. Second, they can serve as conversation starters. Third, introverted guests will be more likely to sit at a table together when they realize they are not forced to make direct eye contact with the person across from them; once that comfort level is reached, they will settle right in.
Champagne
Your party will not be flat when there are sophisticated, fizzy drinks involved! The reasons for serving alcohol at parties speak for themselves, but keep it classy with a sparkling beverage and hide the other liquor bottles.
Make Your Invitation Over the Top
Black and Silver Brocade Musical Invitation
- Make the invites shimmer and shine – by using shimmer/glitter papers from a craft store you can do three layer invites. A standard invite is 5×7 (A7). The back layer should be the heaviest stock (usually the glitter stock) and should be cut to 5×7, the middle layer is 4.5 x 6.5 and the face is 4 x 6. You can wrap a ribbon around the face layer and add a lovely buckle (or fake engagement ring) or charm before you glue it to the middle page, and then glue those layers to the back page. Here is a tutorial that would help.
- Consider putting the invite inside a glitter envelope. Of course, the glitter envelope can’t go via the mail so you will probably have to slip it inside a larger envelope – maybe a clear vellum would work best so you can still see the glitter inside.
- Make the invites musical – you can get sound chips from various places and add them to the bottom of a box that fits the invitation. Or you can have them made – either way, only a celebrity would send an invite that when opened serenaded the guests. To get even more over the top, record your own song to fit the occasion!
- Put each invitation in its own “keepsake” box. You can make the boxes special by gluing pearls (remember make macaroni boxes when a kid, same concept), crystals or flowers to the box. Then nestle the invitation inside the slightly larger box with feathers as your “filler”. This can be very “Gatsby” inspired. Or find boxes at antique stores (old candy or cigar boxes for example) and use them to fit your theme. Again, you will need to ship these in an outer box to your guests.