Planning a Fancy Dress Party

Everyone loves a fancy dress party because they provide a great opportunity for people to haul out their best evening wear from the back of the closet, shine up their dress shoes and get themselves looking fantastic. As the host, however, you have the special duty to maintain the classy feel of the party with your decorating, food, drinks and conversation. The following ideas will help you plan for a successful fancy party that your friends will be talking about for ages.

Invite the Right People

The first step to making sure your party stays fancy and classy is inviting the right people. Out of all your friends and co-workers, choose people who you think could really get in the spirit of a fancy party. Remember that if one person shows up in torn jeans and a t-shirt, they could throw off the whole vibe. Once you have your guest list finalised, make up some gold embossed invitations and deliver them personally to your guests. The invitation should clearly state the level of formality of the party so that no one comes under or overdressed.

Clean and Decorate

The only way you can pull off a fancy dress party is by making your home look the part; otherwise people will feel like they are pretending. Clean and scrub everything in your home until it sparkles, clear out frumpy and raggedy furniture, and collect clutter and move it into your closet or basement. You can even get fancy furniture for the night from a party furniture hire store to really impress your guests. Party supplies should also have an element of class, and decorations should be clean and elegant, such as a bouquet of freshly cut flowers.

Fancy Food

If you are serving dinner, it’s good to remember that fancy meals are generally served in courses. Make it easier on yourself by hiring a caterer to do this, otherwise you might end up spending all your time bringing out and clearing away dishes. Mussels, clams, oysters, bruschetta and spinach dip are great examples of fancy appetisers that you can start off with. Follow the appetisers with a couple of courses of salad and soup before delving into the main course. Deserts should also be kept small, delicate and simple such as sorbet, an assortment of tiny cakes, macaroons or fruit with cream.

Designer Drinks

When it comes to beverages, you will have to pull out all the stops to keep up with the high-class nature of your party. An open bar is the best way to please the people, and there are plenty of party stores that offer bar table hire. Although you should have a good selection of wine and beer, cocktails are the ultimate drinks for a fancy party. At the very least, your bar should have the ingredients for a martini (gin, vodka, dry vermouth, green olives), a margarita (tequila, Cointreau, Grand marnier, limes), a daquiri (rum and sour mix), as well as tonic water and club soda. Fit out your bar with a shaker, cocktail glasses and a few tumblers along with ice. Spirits, champagne and port are also great to have on hand for a fancy party.

Entertainment

Having some entertainment can take the classiness of your party up many notches, so ask around in your group of friends to find someone who would be willing to sing a number or recite a piano piece.