Event planners use costumes for that finshing touch
What is the easiest way to give your next event or fund raiser that finishing touch? The best events companies use costumes to put their events into the big league. Here are some helpful ideas.
The easiest way to tie in costumes to your next event is to select a theme where costumes are predominant. Popular themes such as Carnival, Mardi Gras or Venetian Ball are the most obvious. But there are other themes that can lend themselves to costumes, food and decor. Your party attendees will love cultural themes like Brazilian, Hawaiian, and Mexican, or era themes such as the Roaring 20's, Dirty 30's Prohibition, Swing, 50's Rock'n'Roll, Disco and so on. Other popular themes can come from movies, T.V. and Pop Culture: Moulin Rouge, The Godfather, Superheroes, Grease, Gilligan's Island, Austin Power, and more recently Pirates of the Caribbean.
The next step is to use costumes in the theme. For example, if your theme is Mardi Gras, use beads, masks, feather boas and coins to decorate. Place these items on the dinner tables and receiving tables. Have staff and catering staff dress in costumes and ask guests to come in costumes. Just make sure that the "dress" is clearly written on the invite so there is no confusion about what they are to wear. Have incentives for guests by offering door prizes for best costumes.
Another way to include costumes is to have grab bags full of costume accessories tied into the theme that can be left in the guests hotel suite prior to the event or when they arrive at the front door. A disco theme could have funky glasses and an afro, Mardi Gras theme elaborate mask and beads, and a Woodstock theme peace necklace, tinted sunglasses and a flower child wreath. That way, if guests haven't arrived with any costumes, a few accessories can easily create the look for the event.
If the event has karaoke, you can even have small groups have a dress-up table where they can select costumes that tie in with their song, such as "Summer Lovin'" from Grease or "Love Shak" by the B52's. Another popular idea is to have a dress-up photo booth. Guests can select costumes and accessories from racks and have pictures taken by a photographer as a souvenir of th evening. The costumes can be tied into the theme such as saloon costumes for a cowboy theme or groovy 60's costumes for an Austin Powers theme. A bonus is to have a painted backdrop and photo printer on hand for immediate prints!
Whatever you do, don't pressure your guests to wear full costumes. It's supposed to be fun, so let them express themselves how they want to. Remember, the idea is to create a memorable evening that your guests will talk about for days and months to come.
