No matter the event, themed parties are always more fun, memorable, and in some ways, they are easier to organize. However, choosing that theme can be extremely difficult. You need to consider many factors from your budget to the venue color scheme (it’s not always that you get to choose one). Also, you need to understand what you realistically can accomplish within your financial and time limits.Here are some tips that can help you pick the right theme for any kind of party and party budget.
Forget about finding a perfect theme
The first thing y9ou need to discard when choosing a theme for a party is the desire to please4 everyone. Listen to Kristi Pikiewicz, Ph. D., who is an
expert on psychology, and understand that this kind of thinking backfires on you more often than not. Even when it comes to simple things like parties, trying to please everyone is completely impossible. It’s especially so if you are doing it to your own detriment, for example, by choosing a theme you can’t afford.So, take off the psychological pressure first and start thinking logically. The following questions will help you narrow down the field to choose your theme from:
- Do you and your guests have some specific common interest?
- Is the celebration tied to some specific event?
- Is it a personal celebration? (in this case, there’s nothing wrong by choosing a theme that will please the person)
- Is there any special theme that you personally love?
The last question is, arguably, the most important because at the end, you are the person throwing a party and choosing a theme you genuinely enjoy means you will put a bit of your heart into it. This will help you make it truly special and even if your guests don’t much care for the theme itself, they will be able to feel the love invested in organizing this celebration.
Get real first
Josh Kingsby, who works with
event rentals in NYC, recommends to define your limits before you choose a theme. This will help you limit your options as well because it will give you an understanding of what kind of venue, decorations, and entertainment you can afford. Depending on how limited your options are, you can make theme-related decisions based on them.For example, if you can’t afford to hire a venue, you need to work with your own home or backyard in regards to design and scale of the celebration. In this case, you definitely won’t be able to throw a ball-themed dancing party (unless you have the room at home). However, if dancing is a priority, you can throw a twenties-style party in your living room with minimal decorations and a focus on music and costumes.Speaking of decorations, if your budget is tight, you should prioritize choosing a theme based on what you have easy access to.
Idea ->brainstorming -> calculations
Follow this formula if you want to choose a theme that will be as close to perfect as possible. Note that the idea always has to come before brainstorming, says Chrystina, who
runs a party planning blog. According to her, brainstorming is, basically, narrowing down one general theme into something far more specific and therefore achievable. For example, if your theme is the twenties, you can try to set up a movie night or recreate a bar of the prohibition era or do your own rendition of the Great Gatsby.Once you draw up a list, do some basic research using Pinterest or simple Google search to get some ideas and make basic calculations. Going over each of your ideas this way will be time-consuming, but it will help you select themes that you can realistically afford.
