If you ask the Mask team what our favourite things to do is, we’ll tell you it’s throwing an epic party. We love putting on parties that get talked about for years to come.
Last year, Elton John was in town, so we threw an Elton John themed birthday party for a client. We even had an Elton John impersonator who was so impressive that the guests actually believed he was the real deal!
Given we have been spending less time travelling and a lot more time at home these days, we wanted to share a few of our favourite tips on how you too can have an epic party at home.
GUESTS
Firstly, you need to determine how many people you are going to invite. Then, decide exactly who to invite.
Will your guests all know each other? OR will you be mixing groups of people who have never met before? If you are inviting people who do not know each other, it is your responsibility as party host to ensure guests are connected and feel comfortable.
THEME/ ICE BREAKERS
A great idea to break the ice is by having a theme. Recently, the NightQuarter had an 80’s themed event and our Facebook feed blew up with photos of people in outrageous and awesome 80’s costumes. Everyone LOVED it, and had a raging good time. This theme drummed up excitement in the lead up to the event with people creating their costumes and laughing at the hilarious outfits they had come up with for people to start a conversation with each other. The 80’s theme is a good one because it also allows you to drop in a few fabulous 80’s songs into your playlist that people know the words to, and just can’t help but sing along with.
Some other themes that work well, are – superheroes, all-white parties, themes starting with a letter (eg. ‘P’ or the first initial of your name), favourite movie stars, Hollywood, Masquerade, Mexican, Great Gatsby, James Bond 007, Rio Carnival etc… We love creating themed parties, and have a huge range of themed props to work with. Check out our extensive themed hire range here to inspire your next celebration. There’s definitely something for everyone!
We loved delivering a Harry Potter themed 30th Birthday Party in the gorgeous Bli Bli Castle complete with real live Owls! Here’s a photo of our lovely birthday girl.
SUPPORT TEAM
Do not be a super hero and do it all yourself or you’ll end up not being present in the moment and truly enjoying the party yourself.
Some helpful tasks to delegate amongst close friends, are:
A COCKTAIL STATION
Do you have a friend who worked in a bar throughout Uni or sees themselves as a bit of the Tom Cruise type in the movie Cocktail? Ask them to set up a cocktail station – something fresh and fruity, or perhaps your guests are more the hard-core espresso martini type, or perhaps even a “shaken not stirred” James Bond style.
DESSERT
We all have that one friend who is a legend at creating beautiful desserts. Your friend will be honoured to be requested as dessert connoisseur and feel just as proud when they are told how delicious their creation is. Another great conversation starter too. Win/win/win!
MUSIC
Having a great playlist is a non-negotiable. Perhaps you have a DJ or musician friend who always knows the right music to play. Make sure that friend knows the crowd and then ask them to be responsible for the party playlist. An option with your music playlist is upon RSVP ask each guest to tell you their favourite party song, so you can compile a list that includes your guest’s favourite songs. Think of your theme and include a few songs that are related to that theme, for example, the 80’s, 90’s… etc.
A fabulous option is having some live music. We have a great range of talented mucisians who we love to use for our events. Just ask us!
FOOD and DRINK
Do not overcomplicate things here. Outsource your catering, bring in a food truck or perhaps you might do something super simple like a BBQ. There is always someone who loves to take on this job – apron and tongs in tow.
Why not ask guests to bring a plate to share – this also happens to be a great conversation starter.
Other than that, a few good-looking platters with cheese, meats, crackers and fruit are always a winner. Alternatively who can go past a classic pizza or two. Easy to serve, easy to eat, easy to clean up, loved by all. Winning.
You already have a friend making a lovely dessert and another friend responsible for a cocktail. Job done.
We recommend that in most cases you ask your friends to bring their own drinks. This will make things so much easier on you, and ensure your guests bring whatever drinks they really enjoy, and also manage their own limits.
A good idea is to have a supply of eskies on hand with ice to accommodate your guests beverages, or lavish your event up by hiring a cold room. We have eskies, outdoor heating and BBQs for hire if needed, along with contacts for onsite cold rooms.
GAMES and ENTERTAINMENT
The Mask team love adding interactive games to a party. Some hire items that we have in stock are – Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4, Giant Cornhole, Giant Chess Board, Giant Dominos… You get the idea – we LOVE a good party game! These are inexpensive items to hire and a great addition to any party. These games will really connect and bring people together, as well as incorporate an element of fun!
Check out our extensive range of party games to hire here.
Last year we delivered a Friday 13th birthday party. It was a ghoulish birthday party complete with zombies doing a flash mob dance, fire performers, face painters, canapes, caravan bar, delicious pizza, ice cream, cake and a four-piece band to get the dance floor pumping. Check it out here.
You don’t need to go to this extreme, however you might like to add a giant game, a face painter, a roving magician or create a photo wall with props, to bring an element of fun to your party.
PHOTOS
Too often we hear of parties where the next day the biggest regret is, not the hangover, but that they forgot to take any photos! It likely means everyone was having too much fun, however it is always great to look back on the photos to remind you of all that fun you did have.
We particularly love photos. The feeling after an event of sharing photos with guests and having a laugh, reminiscing on the good times shared, is pure bliss. It feels like we can continue to share the love and good vibes from an event through these special momentos.
However, when it is your party, you don’t want to be thinking about taking photos, you want to be present and in the moment with your guests. For this reason, we highly recommend you ask a friend or even a few friends to be responsible for taking some photos.
An even better option is to hire a photographer/videographer. They can then focus entirely on their job and you will be able to relive your party again and again and again. You get the picture…? Haha.
We recently had an amazing New Years Eve festival called Thrive. We had three photographers and a videographer at the event. Here is a glimpse of the video our videographer put together from the event. Imagine having something as powerful as this to remember your event forever. Priceless.
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE – ENGAGE ALL SENSES
Have you ever been to a party and there is no toilet paper? Boo. Yes, this is certainly a little thing that makes a big difference! However, we’re talking more than that. The Mask Events team are passionate about all the little details that elevate events to the next level… and beyond!
When we create an event, we leave no stone unturned and love engaging all senses to ignite creativity, engage memory and enable genuine heartfelt connection. We ensure that what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch ingnite your senses to create an immersive and enriching experience.
Use creative ways to invoke your senses that will inspire your guests, ensuring your memories last long after the party ends.
Make sure styling is on point to ensure a magical visual experience as guests enter the party. Engage the sense of smell through flowers, food, candles and/or aromatherapy oils. A delicious smelling candle in the bathroom or some beautiful smelling hand soap is a lovely touch. Bring music to the ears with a live musician, DJ or well-crafted party playlist. Tasty cocktails and food to tantalise the tastebuds. Cushions and seating with texture for touch.
We are passionate party people and would love to help make your next party truly epic and talked about for years to come!
Check out our huge range of items you can hire or our complete celebration packages to create your perfect party.
We have loads of strong connections throughout the events industry on the Sunshine Coast, from beautiful venues, to delicious catering, as well as Sunshine Coast’s best florists, musicians and entertainers. We negotiate the best value for you when sourcing and supplying every single element required to make your party perfect. This is what we specialise in!
If you would like our team to manage your next event for you, then get in touch and let’s start being creative together.
