Ask An OC Expert: Tips On Throwing An Oscars Party
The Academy Awards are upon us and that simply means this is the opportunity to throw an amazing party. Planning any themed party can be overwhelming, but all the necessary tasks can be done with the help of Katie Pederson, the Director of Sales at the House of Blues Anaheim. Here are the top five tips from Pederson to throw the perfect Oscar themed party in Orange County.
Katie Pederson
House of Blues Anaheim
1530 S. Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 520-2384
www.houseofblues.com
Katie Pederson is the Director of Sales at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. She has been active in event sales and production for over a decade, working for Disney, Universal Studios, and other large event firms prior to joining Live Nation in 2011. When she's not planning large events for corporate and entertainment clients, Katie loves to party plan for friends at her home in Long Beach.
A theme can make a party. Whether it be "glitz and glamour," "The Nominees Are," or "Historic Hollywood," choose a theme that you'll enjoy working with and buying for, as well as one which speaks to you and your guests. Using a theme could be as easy as buying color coordinating napkins and plate ware, and can get as involved as asking your guests to show up in full costume. Don't feel that you need to spend big to execute with your theme either, as handmade signage or simple touches for decor that come from your local dollar store or Amazon can sometimes work just as well as the items from the big party chains. Just be careful to choose one theme, and stick with it.
Providing food and drinks for your guests doesn't need to be difficult or break your bank. If you are the baking or cooking type, plan three to four dishes that you want to create and make enough for your guest count (I always anticipate an extra five percent). If you're not handy in the kitchen, try things like the oven bake appetizers, cheese and veggie trays from your local grocery store, or even consider ordering in from the local gourmet pizza joint. Even if you're buying your food, plate your items on fun or nice plates instead of the provided plastic containers and create small folded cards to describe your dishes to make it look more professional. For beverages, you don't need to go overboard here either — provide one or two alcoholic options, beer and wine work great, as your guests don't really need a full bar. If you're feeling creative, create a mixed drink in a large bowl or dispenser and give it a name to match your theme.
Provide your guests with something fun to do in addition to just watching the award show. Depending on what type of party you hope to have, an interactive game will always help lighten the mood and can be a great conversation starter if you have a group of people who don't know each other. Planning a raging good time? Take shots every time the cameras pan to Jennifer Lawrence or when Chris Rock makes fun of the Academy. Looking for more a subdued laugh? Create Oscar bingo cards (you can find templates and options online) and provide a fun and expensive prize for the winners — a bottle of cheap wine or a dollar store Oscar statue with a sharpie-written title work great here. Either way, your guests will be more engaged in the night and with each other, making for a better party all around.
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You've picked a theme, bought the decor, planned the meal, and have spent all day cleaning and cooking to get ready for your guests. Don't fall into the biggest trap of throwing an event by forgetting to stop, breathe and enjoy your own party. Remember to build yourself a day-of event prep timeline that gives you plenty of padding to get yourself dressed and ready prior to guests' arrival. Enlist a friend to help you keep an eye on food and drink levels so that you don't spend your entire night watching the table like a hawk. It's your party too, so make sure that you have some fun!
All too often in the event world we are so preoccupied with executing the theme and decor, providing great food & drinks, and making sure that all guests have a great time, that we completely forget about the second hardest part of party planning- cleaning up. Plan in advance for the end of the night clean up by providing cute to-go plates or containers so that you aren't saddled with tons of leftover food that will go bad in three days. Enlist a friend or two to carry out trash and recycle items, and use, where appropriate, disposable cups and plate ware. This is especially important when planning a party on an Oscar Sunday night, as this will save you the time and agony of being up into the early morning hours cleaning before any early Monday work day.
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