Added: 06/23/2007 |
Having A Dress PartyHaving a dress party does not have to be an event reserved for Halloween. A dress party can be a great party anytime and can be suitable for all ages. Proper planning can make the event a wonderful experience for all, including the host. Themes can vary according to the age group. A consideration for the party is to award prizes for costumes. Another idea to help with costume identification is to post pictures at the party with the name of the costume and the person wearing it. Length of the party should be planned out with age being factored in. Younger children are likely to bore quickly while adults do not need as much entertainment planned out for them.
When planning a dress party, there are the usual needs and planning that would be involved with any other kind of party. The number of guests needs to be determined in order to find proper space accommodations and food. The place selected can be someone's home or can be the renting of a venue or reservation of an outdoor area. Decorations should be considered with the size of the area that will hold the guests. For an elaborate party with a large budget, a dress party for Halloween might be able to afford the makings of a haunted house. In a similar way, a child's party themed around a character or certain animals might have elaborate decorations and planning in just the party's setting. If the size of the area holding the party will be small, then decorations should be kept small and not overdone as they can hinder the movement of the guests. In relation to the size of the location and the number of guests, make sure parking accommodations are satisfactory and if not, make arrangements for them to be.
Once the location, decoration, and parking details have been settled upon, the next issues are to start considering what activities will occur at the dress party and what foods should be served. These details should be age relevant and in a way that includes all guests. For younger children enjoying a costume party, the party should be kept to a short duration and prizes should make all the kids feel proud of their costumes if certain awards or designations are to be given. Little children should be given equal prizes more so than for larger children or teens. Adults may wish to not have any recognitions or awards for special categories of costumes but kept in good fun and without open competition. No matter what, some review of the costumes should be done, even if it something as simple as telling everyone what their costume is or having a post board by the front door with partygoers' names and costumes. There might be some confusion if the costumes are not obvious, and this helps to solve the confusion. Other activities should be age appropriate and length of the party should be relevant to the age group also. Younger childen tend to get tired and lose interest easily if the party is too long and activities are not packed closely together. An event lasting for one to two hours is probably sufficient for a group of children under the age of five or six. Older children through preteen age can stand a party of two to three hours as long as there are plenty of events and food to go around. Events for this age group can be longer in duration and more complex activities are likely to keep a group busy. Teenagers through early adulthood should also include plenty of food to satiate voracious appetites. A haunted house for a Halloween style party or a themed dree-up requirement is easier to pull off with this age group. A party in the duration of two hours or more should not be a problem, and a high level of events is usually not necessary as the group will most likely spend their time socializing and eating.
For food, keep in mind the size of the dress party, what can be easiest for the group to eat in relation to costume hindrances and convenience for the host to obtain and prepare. Food for childen shoud be general to accommodate picky eaters, not very messy, and something that will not pose a choke hazard. Teenagers will eat most anything and pizza is always a good choice, mixed with soda and bagged snacks. Older adults may eat something more sophisticated and alcohol is a possibility. If alcohol is to be served, guests should be notified in the invitations and surrender of keys a must. A good host should plan for guests to have a ride home or to plan on staying if necessary.
A dress party can be a great event if planned properly. The host should allow plenty of time for planning and preparation to avoid being stressed. Overdoing the planning might bore guests and stress the host. A dress party should be an enjoyable event for all.
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