Roaring 20's / Twenties Party Ideas!!

Roaring Twenties Party Ideas!

I was researching Roaring 20's Party ideas for a client and found this awesome article!!!!

Planning a Roaring 20s party lends itself to the day when drinking was illegal for everyone. It allows the guests to wear costumes that can usually be found in resale or thrift shops too.

Roaring Twenties Party Invitation Ideas:

Get your guests in the mood by letting them know its a costume party. Add faux pearls or red-sating bow ties as costume starters with the invitations and send in padded envelopes.

Give them "an offer they cannot refuse" - In the invitations, instruct guests to search the personals section of the local newspaper for the voice-mail number to call for further details, including the must-have password. (Be sure to place the number in the personals!). This is the way the old speak-easys were. No password, no admittance.

Personalize invitations to match your theme, your colors and your likes on them.


Roaring Twenties Party Decorations:

Speakeasy peephole at front door, or makeshift door for party that is outdoors
Intimate nightclub atmosphere. Can also be created outside by using white table covers, hanging lights, candles.
Small dance floor and tiny stage with a bandstand (you could even hire a jazz band!)
Gun check at the door
Big metal tubs filled with ice and drinks (gin, beer, ginger ale)
Fish bowls with live goldfish as centerpieces
Strands of pearls and red bows for napkin rings

Roaring Twenties Party Activities:
Have Charleston contests
Dance and listen to jazz (live or recorded)
Award prizes for best costumes
Organize a sing-along of 20's hits (I can get these for you, if you need them)
Stage a midnight raid by Elliot Ness and his prohibition agents.
Show movies about the time period

Roaring Twenties Party Refreshments: Hard or soft drinks served in coffee cups
A late-night buffet of your choice (see below for buffet ideas)

Roaring Twenties Party Prizes/Favors: Instant Photos of your guests in costumes
Art Deco picture frames
Faux pearls and red satin clip-on bow ties
Party cameras for your guests to record the fun and to take home

While it may seem like a thrifty and personal touch to plan on cooking or preparing food for the party, you may find that it is generally best to do as little cooking as possible on the day of the party. Whenever possible choose food that can be prepared a few days prior to the party, or hire caterers, and purchase prepared food from restaurants, delicatessens, and food service markets.

There is no need to create extra stress when the party is upon you, and you will have more time to mingle and enjoy the festivities.

If you will be hosting a Open-House a buffet set-up would be easiest. It is also perfectly acceptable to serve only cake and punch, or a small dessert buffet at a open house. If you are using a specific theme, serve a menu to match your theme or just serve traditional favorites such as:

Built-your-own Tacos or Nachos
Mini pizzas
Burgers and hot dogs
Giant deli sandwiches (Subway? has a great 6' sandwich)

Great staples for a buffet style finger food meal include:

Chicken wings
Chicken strips (offer 3 or 4 interesting dipping sauces)
Meatballs (Swedish or BBQ)
Mini egg rolls
Whole water chestnuts wrapped in bacon
Veggies and dip


Assortment of sandwiches made on mini buns (about 3-4 bite size).

Make everything ahead of time, and store hot items in a warming tray, or in an oven set at 200 degrees until the feeding frenzy begins! Scatter several bowls of munchies around the areas where your guests will be mingling? Chips, pretzels, nuts, M&Ms, popcorn, and Chex? Mix. Add a few hearty dips that can be made ahead of time.

Here are a few that are extra easy to make, and are always a big hit:

CREAM CHEESE DIP: Purchase cream cheese in block form, and top with salsa (flavored salsas are great), cocktail sauce and crabmeat, green pepper jelly, or jam (any flavor works, but apricot is delicious!). Serve with a variety of crackers. Triscuit� thins are perfect with this dip.

EASY CHEESY DIP: Add one large block of Velveeta Cheese, one 16 oz. can of chili without beans, and one 16 oz. jar of salsa to a crock pot. Stir occasionally. The dip is ready when the cheese is completely melted. Serve with bite-sized tortilla chips.

ARTICHOKE DIP: Mix 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup mayonnaise ("light" is okay to use), and 1-24 oz. can of artichoke hearts, chopped into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, and serve with crackers. This dip can be served warm, or at room temperature.

BAKED BRIE: Hollow out an oval loaf of French or sourdough bread, cutting the bread so that you have a "lid". Fill the hole with Brie cheese, and put the lid back on. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with small chunks of bread, or crackers. If the Brie is not to your taste, fill the bread with any other type of dip, such as a creamy spinach dip.

SHRIMP COCKTAIL: Serve on ice, along with cocktail sauce. This is a little more costly than most items you might plan to serve, but it will make your guests feel special, and the color looks terrific on a buffet.

A great way to dress up your buffet table is to make layers out of your food presentations. You can do this by piling up books, overturned buckets, or bricks on the table and covering all with gossamer or table covers to match your party theme or colors.
And don't forget to have some sort of token for your guests to take home to remind them of this special day! We offer many personalized gifts from photo boxes, frames, glasses and goblets, sunglasses, musical instruments, key chains and more! We can get something specific to your theme too!

Above awesome article from Reasons to Party.

Use common sense when serving food at a party. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold! Do not leave food sit out for more than 20 minutes.


Makeup Steps for a Twenties Flapper Look

Cleanse & Moisturize

Foundation: Pale peaches and cream shades were popular at this time. *Also apply to lips!
Rouge: Apply deep rose or berry shade to the apples of your cheeks. Do not blend.
Eyebrows: Darken as thin and long as possible
Eyeliner: Thick line around entire eye and smudge
Eyeshadow: Light shadow on lid and Dark shadow on brow bone. Smudge
Eyelashes: Curl Lashes and apply 3 coats of Mascara
Lips: Apply lipstick to pads of your thumbs and then apply the 2 thumb prints to top and bottom lip to create a cupids bow. Pencil line entire lip dreaded party lulls.


Costume Ideas

I just LOVE this Roaring 20's Theme Costume for a lady! This is for a man baby! A GANGSTER Costume! View all at BuyCostumes.com >>


Motif Ideas

* Black & White
* Speakeasy Bar
* Gangsters / Al Capone / Bugsy Siegel
* Flapper Dresses Prohibition 'Bathtub Gin'
* The Great Gatsby
* Cotton Club / Ragtime Band
* Art Deco / Aviation
* Fedoras / English Driving Caps / Zoot Suits / Wing Tip Shoes
* Model T Fords / Tabloid Newspapers
* Mah Jongg / Oriental Lanterns / Victrolas
* Long Pearl Necklaces / Headbands / Feathers / Cloche Hats


Fads and Fashion

* Games included mah-jngg, ouija boards, and crossword puzzles
* Endurance races of all sorts gained popularity and included Marathons and flagpole sitting
* Dance marathons - began in 1923 and really became the rage.
* Harry Houdini was the great escape of the 1920s.
* American Baseball! and other sports were very popular
* Miss America contest began in Atlantic City in 1921. Margaret Gorman (16 years old) was the first winner with measurements of 30-25-32
* Dance crazes included the Charleston, the Black Bottom, and the Shimmy.


Music

'There's nothing surer; the rich get rich and the poor get poorer.' was considered the credo of the roaring 20s. Harlem was hot! Chicago was hot! (The Cotton Club was open to both whites and blacks and packed nightly.) Jazz was hot! Bessie Smith sang the Blues. But most of the best-selling pop hits were sentimental ballads (I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time and I'm Just Wild About Harry), old-fashioned walzes (Three O'Clock in the Morning and Deep in My Heart) , and nonsense songs (Yes, We Have No Bananas and I Wish That I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate). Fanny Brice sang Rose of Washington Square and Second Hand Rose in the Ziegfeld Follies and Vaudeville. The Grand Ole Opry was transmitted on the radio from Nashville in 1925.

People were going places and singing about them; Chicago; That Toddling Town, Carolina in the Morning, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, California Here I Come, Alabamy Bound, and Puttin' on the Ritz.


Dancing

Learn the Charleston! Download directions >>



What a GREAT theme! Have fun and be safe!

Wedding Invitation Text

I would love to touch on a few very popular questions that often arise...

1. GIFTS. I have been asked... "What do you say...or better yet how can you tactfully say on the invitation that you don't want gifts but would prefer monetary gifts instead? Do you have any examples of wording you could share?"

Here is my answer: According to Peggy Post, wedding invitation etiquette: registry and gift giving information is spread by word of mouth or can be given by inserting into a shower invitation. This information should NEVER grace the wedding invitation. This puts to much emphasis on the gift and not the guest attending which is the most important part of your inviting and hoping the guest can actually attend. Inserting such information can be a turn off for your friends and family. Gifts are the guests choice. My opinion...have registry details in your shower invite. This will spread the word. Have your parent(s), sister(s), brother(s), bridesmaids spread the word. ALSO tell a talkative relative, she/he will spread the word quickly.

2. TIME. Often we are asked... "How do I write out the time on my invite?"

My answer: one o'clock in the afternoon or half after one o'clock in the afternoon. A lot of brides have us change to "half past" however it is up to you.

3. WHAT TO INCLUDE ON A WEDDING INVITATION. For goodness sakes please put your last name. My mother-in-law received an invite with just the first names of the couple. She had NO idea who they were. Also don't forget the location! Your guests do need to know WHERE to go. :-) Here are a few ideas...
1. An opening sentence
2. Your name
and
3. Fiancé's name
4. An action sentence
5. The wedding date
6. Year
7. Time
8. Place
9. Address to place
10. Reception information if separate card is not used

4. POEMS. "Can I add a poem or quote to my invitation?" Of course. However, please limit the poems on your invite to ONE. We received an order with FOUR love quotes on the invite. Needless to say they did not fit and we had to make a call to the bride. If you love several poems or quotes, print the them and display on different tables at your reception.

Boarding Pass Save the Date Cards

save the date boarding pass

how fun! your wedding is a destination wedding... get your guests prepared to pack their bags! with our unique boarding pass airline ticket invitations design your guests will see in "fine print" they are to buy their tickets. no confusion here! instead of a seat number we insert YOUR WEDDING DATE! by keeping our edging straight we save YOU money! each tea-length save the date boasts YOUR CHOICE of Michelle Mospens original artwork! GREAT FUN!!

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Fall Wedding Invitations

I recently added our modern fall wedding invitations to the site! Fun, modern and festive. You can choose almost any color of ink and pocketfolder.

This design has been proven popular in our beach, vineyard and tropical themes which featured starfish, grapes and palm leaves artwork.

View pricing and details online at My Personal Artist now >>

Hand-painted Dahlia Flower for Wedding Invitations and Stationery

Hand-painted Dahlia Flower for Wedding Invitations and Stationery. The Dahlia is very popular for a wedding in Mexico. The painting / digital image can be changed to coral, orange, hot pink/watermelon or lilac instead of the original pink color shown.

NOW AVAILABLE on save the date cards, thank yous, notecards, wedding invitations, party invitations and almost any other piece of stationery sold at My Personal Artist.