Drumroll, please. You, of course! The Oscars are a night of elegance, glamour, and celebration. So, you didn’t get invited to the real thing… Who cares! We have everything you need to throw your very own Academy Awards party, and this time, you get to be the host!
Invite Your Guests
Send out invitations to all of the “Very Important People” in your life– you’re about to throw an Academy Awards party rivaled only by the event, itself! Get creative and make the invitations yourself or enlist the help of a Party Invitation Printer to create the perfect prints. Just for fun, include a voting ballot and compare the actual award results to your friends’ predictions! Make sure to ask your guests to RSVP; having an accurate head count will let you know just how many swag bags you should put together and how many bottles of bubbly to buy. But, we’ll get to that later…
Set the Scene
Rolling out the red carpet is the obvious go-to, but if you want to really set the scene, you’ll need to decorate more than just the grand entrance. Explore our Party Decor to find the right elements for your party. Velvet ropes, elegant buffet tables, a backdrop for photo shoots, draped theatre curtains, and perfect lighting will all play into creating the Oscars feel. You can’t go wrong with film-themed decor at an Oscars viewing party, and it wouldn’t be the Oscars without a trophy or two. You can make your very own Oscar statuettes using gold spray paint and Ken dolls (sorry, Ken). Don’t forget the big screen TV to watch the live show!
Photo Credit: EverydayCelebrating.com
Dress to the Nines
It’s always fun to dress up every now and then. What better time to go all out with your apparel than the Oscars? We’ve seen it all on the covers of popular magazines; the glamorous, the dapper, and the what-were-they-thinking?! Encourage your guests to let their imagination run wild. Glam it up in your would-be Oscars outfit, re-create your favorite past red-carpet ensemble, or come dressed as a nominated celeb. Get the full celebrity treatment and hire a Makeup Artist to get you camera-ready!
Arrive in Style
Maybe it isn’t practical to expect limousines to pick up and drop off each of your guests. But, why not book a Limousine or Party Bus for a few hours before the awards begin and have a luxurious pre-party with your closest friends? When party time is near, head to your venue and walk the red carpet, stopping to get your photo taken by the Photographer Paparazzi, of course!
Wine & Dine
Your Academy Awards party wouldn’t be complete without bubbly. Hire a Bartender to keep the drinks flowing all night long. They can even help you come up with Oscar-themed cocktails based on the nominated films and actors. Additionally, you might consider hiring a Caterer to create Oscar-themed goodies, like statuette-shaped cookies and delicious finger foods for you and your guests to indulge in. For a high-end feel, hire Wait Staff to pass cocktails and hors d’oeurves!
Give Out Swag Bags
Alright, so you probably can’t provide swag bags worth tens of thousands of dollars, like the ones at the Oscars. But, you can put together small party favor bags for your guests! If making gift bags for everyone is out of the budget, just make a few and hold contests and games throughout the night for chances to win. For example, whoever predicts the most winners correctly wins, or whoever is first to make a line on their Oscar Night Bingo Card wins. (Mark an X when the camera shows a not-so-gracious loser!) Whatever you decide to do, your guests will love their Oscar night swag bag. Here are a few ideas just to get you started: a gift certificate to the local movie theater, fancy chocolates, a certificate for a day of celeb-style pampering, cosmetics, specialty soaps, magazine subscriptions, etc. You know your friends best– what would they like to see in a swag bag?
Now that you have some basic ideas to get you started, it’s time to start planning! If you’d rather leave the details to the pros, hire an Event Planner to put together the perfect party. You’re well on your way to the award for Best Party Host– just be sure to thank us in your acceptance speech!