Styling and Event Paper Products by Loralee Lewis, www.LoraleeLewis.com
I was thrilled to share Oscars Party inspiration on ABC Channel 6 here in Idaho on Monday Night. Michelle Edmonds, Don Nelson, Roland Beres and the whole team at Channel 6 have been so kind and supportive of me and my company! I can’t thank them enough. I had a fabulous time sharing some of my best tips, and I hope this post will give you all some fresh inspiration for this Sunday’s red carpet event! I have three main tips for hosting an Oscars Party, as well as a few fun things you may (or may not!) want to include at your own party! This presentation features the event paper from my Old Hollywood Collection, with much of it custom hot foiled inside our studio! You can find all these products on my website for purchase here. This paper collection has been utilized for everything from Bar Mitzvahs to Bridal Showers. A special special thanks to The Apothecakery for making the gorgeous cake for this event.
See my tips below for an unforgettable Oscars Night!
My Tips for Hosting an Unforgettable Oscars Night
Tip #1: Think of it as a Girl’s/Guy’s Night In and get comfy! Think Satin Pajamas with kitten heels – not taffeta prom dresses with fishnets. As I shared with channel 6, leave the Spanx at home and let the stars to do all the work at this event!
Tip #2: Keep the Food Simple and the Presentation Fancy! With this event I took very normal foods, namely: Popcorn, candy bars, beverages – and dressed each of them up. I created a Popcorn Bar by simply setting out different popcorn toppings, such as: nuts, chocolate, flavored sugars, butter shakers, etc. I also place our labels on the chocolate bars and a couture cupcake kit onto store bought cupcakes.
Tip #3: Get Cheeky! To help guest’s imagination with the popcorn bar, I created a Popcorn Cocktail Menu of sorts! I named each “Popcorn Cocktail” after one of the best picture nominees. The names I used was: “The Dallas Cheddar Club,” “Twelve Years of Chocolate,” “AmeriCorn Hustle,” “The Pop of Wall Street,” “Captain Poppin'”. I then place a simple “recipe” under each title for how they could make that Popcorn Cocktail. For example under “Twelve Years of Chocolate” it read “Begin with kettle corn. Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with pecans and M&Ms. I also utilized the stars name on my martini glasses. I adorned each martini glass with a tag of a different nominee’s name. This way guests know what glass is theirs the whole night!
Tip #4: Don’t let you guests leave with out their very own Swag Bag! Because I was asked to place products in the Emmy’s Gift Bags, I know a lot about swag bags now! And I just love them…and so I know guests will too! (Good rule of thumb: If you love it, your guests will too! Birds of a feather, flock together!). The fun thing about swag bags is you can do them as low key or as high end as you would like. You can place free perfume samples, lotions, and small items from the dollar store inside of them. Or you can swing the buck, and throw in slippers, a new set of pjs, and a spa gift certificate. It’s completely up to you! Either way, it’s a lot of fun for a guest to get a bag filled with fun new items to try!
Tip #5: Don’t do it all. I often get asked how I do it all with kids and a company, etc. etc.. The answer is simple, I do not. This is something I try to stress to all my clients – don’t do it all. Choose one or two things that you want to do yourself for the event and then make the rest simple. One of my company goals is to provide hosts and hostesses with beautiful products to make their lives easier. Life is hard enough – entertaining shouldn’t be. If you decide to make dinner for your guests, buy the invitations and event paper (preferably from me)! If you are making your own paper products from scratch, don’t try to do the cheesecake and hors devours from scratch as well. Pick and choose. Otherwise, you will be stressed and never want to entertain again. Again, life can be hard. Entertaining shouldn’t be!
Hope you enjoyed this inspiration – and more importantly, I hope you have a great time this Sunday! I know I will be watching.
Blog to you soon,
Paper Products, flowers, and Styling by Loralee Lewis, www.LoraleeLewis.com
Cake by The Apothecakery
