Should You Throw An Oscar's Party?
/If you pull up Pinterest, the first thing you’ll see when you type in “Oscar’s” is “Oscar Party Ideas” and instantly your screen is full of square after perfect Pinterest square of clever, adorable, insta-worthy ideas.
If you feel overwhelmed, read this NOW before spending another minute or dime on preparations!
As a new Mom, I have found myself getting smarter as an event planner mainly because I simply don’t have the time and budget to do everything I used to for events. This has forced me to change my event planning MO to be goal-oriented.
The results? When you set a goal before you start planning an event, be it social or corporate, you not only are able to better prioritize your resources, but you end up more pleased with the results.
At the end of the day, events should serve a purpose, bring people together, and hopefully create memorable experiences that are worth the investment.
Most people I chat with who plan social events fail to start with a goal in mind. This is where my 10 years experience producing ROI-driven results for Google kicks in and helps me apply this lens towards every event or social function I plan, even if it’s just a casual dinner party.
For those who aren’t use to starting with goal setting, I’ll share some examples below:
1. You want to promote or sell a product:
Believe it or not, Oscar’s parties (like any event) can be a great medium for providing hands on exposure to a new product, so long as it makes sense and ties into the theme of the Oscars.
Have a new product to promote? A friend of mine is promoting a new jewelry line by having a pre-Oscar’s party on Saturday where people can purchase fun new costume jewelry in advance of Oscars parties where people often dress up as glam as possible.
Trying to sell your house? Host an open-house viewing party! People will get to know the home more intimately and envision what their life would be like if they were to purchase it.
2. You want to meet new people:
One of the best ways to meet new friends is through friends you already have. Consider attaching a rule to your invite: each guest must bring a +1 that the host doesn’t know. With new people at your event you’ll likely need some icebreakers or activities to break down barriers.
One fun adult event activity I love is blind wine tasting. Take it up a notch (and your budget down one) …
Ask people to bring: a bottle of champagne, prosecco, cava, or their favorite sparkling wine, covered in a paper bag.
Conduct blind tastings as a fun way to learn something new about your guests and their wine preferences that isn’t too personal.
3. You want to test out new recipes or open some special wine
If you’re a professional chef, or just a home cook, having a party is a great way to practice and perfect some fun crowd pleasing treats. One of my favorites is gourmet grilled cheese (think bluecheese melted with dried figs or buffalo chicken with spicy jack cheese and jalapenos). Or maybe you just need an excuse to try out champagne jello! My husband and I used to go to Napa every weekend and ended up collecting more bottles of wine than we could store in our wine fridge and back up fridge. Having a social event is a great opportunity to open special bottles and share them with friends. This way, you get to taste multiple bottles and get an idea of how they’re aging in your cellar.
4. You want an excuse to dress up
If you’re a new Mom like me, you don’t have as many opportunities to put on the red lipstick, sequins and long gloves that depict Old Hollywood Glam.
Social events like the Oscars (or burning man!) are a great way to play make-believe if only for a few hours. I sometimes ask people to dress up as their favorite celebrity, or their favorite Oscar winner of past Academy Awards and it’s always fun to guess who’s who. And you don’t need to shell out thousands to look red-carpet worthy.
Do what the Celebs do and borrow your couture! Rent the Runway is one great option when it comes to renting jewels and a gown but there are many other options. Bonus points for providing awards for the best dressed or the most close resemblance to a celebrity doppleganger.
5. You just want to have a friendly competition with friends or family
Americans thrive on competition. What’s better than having a few friends over so you have people to compete against when it comes to picking best picture and best actress? If all you’re craving is a little social interaction without too much effort, simply print out Oscar’s Bingo to use as the game.
No time to cook? Pull up the Postmates app and order up award-worthy food delivered straight to your house for free tomorrow!
Forgot the champagne? Postmates will deliver that too!
Need paper plates? You can also have a Postmates courier pick those up for you so you can spend those 30 extra minutes finishing your red carpet look.
For decor, don’t waste money on florals. Simply collect everything you have in your home that’s gold and use it to decorate your “screening room” (pro tip is clustering things of the same color together is an effective decorating tool!), and you don’t even have to cook.
Don’t Forget To Have Fun!
Take some pressure off yourself and hone into what’s most important to you and then focus on the important details to meet your goals. When you are focused, your guests will take note and actually have a more engaging and memorable experience because of it!
Do you have any really great Oscars Party stories or event tips? I’d love to hear from you!
Xx,
