Design Concepts For Party Planning

One of the most creative aspects of party planning is choosing a theme and creating an atmosphere for the party that reflects the theme. The great thing about theme decorating is that it doesn't have to be costly; often relatively inexpensive items can be used to create a wonderful atmosphere. If you are really creative handmade projects and centerpieces can be used to decorate tables, walls and even individual place settings. Sometimes there are just natural matches for design concepts and planning that seem to go together. Themes are a great way to pull a bunch of different items into party design concepts and use them in non-traditional ways. Be creative, you may be amazed at what you can use for decorations.
 
Creating Atmosphere
 
Creating atmosphere can involve several factors including:
  
- Colors
- Items for decoration
- Lighting
- Music
- Decor
 
Color is important as people react differently to various colors. For example, a white or cream colored room and table settings often indicates a more formal meal and event whereas a brightly colored flowered tablecloth and multicolored plates and glasses may indicate a birthday party or a spring party. Colors can also invoke the feeling of the theme. A green sheet placed on the floor with a red and white picnic blanket over the top can quickly achieve an indoor winter picnic atmosphere.
 
Decoration items are those little extras that show attention to detail. For a formal dinner party individual name place holders or a single flower placed on each plate can add that special touch. A fall festival party that uses the arrangements of dried leaves and flowers is a wonderful touch to add both color and the atmosphere of the season. A 4th of July party with a streamer of American Flags can really make a room look festive, and small American flags can also be used on the name place holders as well as having red, white and blue table settings.
 
Lighting provides a touch of romance, mystery or excitement. For a romantic dinner party soft lighting with candles on the table is just the touch needed. For Halloween parties a darkened room with jack o' lanterns or orange lights can really help to create the atmosphere, at least when the guests first arrive. Christmas parties use lights as both decorations and as part of the holiday atmosphere. Lighting can be both the main source of lighting or the addition accent lights that simply be used in one location. For a seventies party a strobe light or disco ball light on the dance floor area plus a couple of lava lamps on tables goes a long way to creating the atmosphere. 

   

People respond to music that is playing softly in the background. For a cultural dinner or party consider finding some music from that country and play it as background music during dinner. Some of the holidays or themes that can be matched to music include:

- St. Patrick's Day 
- Cinco de Mayo 
- Beach Party 
- 50's Theme/ Old Time Rock and Roll
- Christmas Parties
- Western Theme 
- Halloween
- Hawaiian Theme
- Birthday parties
- Blues or Jazz party
 
Music can help to set the atmosphere and tone for the party. In addition if the party is musical in nature such as a 50's or 60's rock and roll party or a blues or jazz theme the music can be the central focus of the theme.
 
Table settings
 
Table settings and decorations can be a place to really let your creativity show. Using a variety of types and styles of serving dishes, plates and glasses is a wonderful way to add atmosphere and design to your party. A few examples of creative table setting can include:

- Using kid's bright colored plastic beach pails full of flowers with a sprinkle of sand around the base for centerpieces for beach parties or indoor picnics.
- For festive Christmas themes consider using tree ornaments as place holders or even using large glass bowls full of metallic balls for the tree as the decorations on table or buffet lines. 
- Spring or garden parties can be decorated using large glass bowls of brightly colored lemons and limes, oranges or other types of fruit.
- For creative eating try using take out Chinese containers and chopsticks for Asian food parties.
- Fish and chips can be served in traditional newspaper or brown butcher paper. 
- Mixing and matching bright, sunny colors of plastic plates and glasses is perfect for a pool party and makes cleaning up a breeze. 
- For Hawaiian parties plastic or real coconut shells can be used for drinks, floral arrangements or for holding collections of seashells.
- For elegant dinner parties consider a single rose, carnation or lily on each plate or at the front of each place setting. Tying a bow with a lace or satin ribbon on the stem of the flower adds a personal touch.
- Various colored confetti in a shape that matches the party theme can be sprinkled on a solid colored tablecloth to add detail to the buffet or dinner table.
 
Remember that details are often what people remember the most. Try looking at all the concepts that are related to the theme of the party and incorporate as many as possible into creating the atmosphere that you are looking for. Expensive items don't need to be purchased, consider borrowing or renting them for the party rather than buying them.
 
A great way to get ideas for design concepts and themes for creating atmosphere for a party is to spend some time browsing through magazines or looking at sites on the internet. While you may not want to duplicate exactly what you find, perhaps some of the ideas will spark your creativity and help you to plan just the party you want.