If your guests are mostly children, you’d want to use lots of bright colors, balloons, and streamers. If your guests are older, you might want to limit the colors and use simpler decorations for something more elegant and/or sophisticated. Is this a dinner party? If so, you’d want to focus more on the table itself, as this is where your guests will spend most of their time. Get some nice plates, napkins, tablecloths, centerpieces, and so forth. Focus less on extras, such as balloons and paper cutouts.
If it’s a baby shower, consider whether it is going to be a boy or girl. Use lots of blues for boys, and lots of pinks for girls. don’t use too much shades. If it is a birthday or Quinceanera, use the birthday girl’s favorite colors. Try to stick with one main color, and white as a secondary color. If it is graduation party, consider using the school’s colors. If it is for a holiday (New Year’s, Halloween, Christmas, etc), use colors associated with that holiday. For example, if it is a Halloween party, you might want to use orange and black. If it is a more formal Halloween party, use white and black. If it is a wedding party, consider the wedding’s theme colors. These will usually match the cake, wedding bouquet, and the bridesmaids’ dresses.
Consider the person’s interests. Do they like fish? Monsters? Ponies? Choose decorations that match these interests. Do you and your friends have a favorite book or movie? Base your party off of that. If the book or movie is new, you might find the right decorations in your local party shop. Try other general themes, such as rustic (lots of burlap and galvanized steel) or antique (lots of lace). Take your guests away to another time and/or place. Try a Tiki, Luau, or Paris themed party. You can also try another time era, such as the 1920s, 1950s, or the 1970s.
If your employee-appreciation party is set during October, you might want to give it a fall or Halloween theme. Use lots of orange, pumpkins, and bats for your decorations. If your birthday is set during December, you might want to stay away from a Christmas theme, but you could consider a winter theme. Use lots of blues, whites, silvers, and snowflakes for your decorations.
Store-bought party decorations can get expensive. You can save lots of money by making your own banners, pennants, and centerpieces.
If your space is small, focus on simpler decorations, such as balloons, paper cutouts, napkins, and paper plats.
The centerpiece doesn’t have to be flowers. For example, if it’s a Halloween party, you could use a jack-o-lantern or a creepy candelabra as the centerpiece. Avoid scattering the confetti too close to the sides, where people will sit. Add some light with pillar candles. Arrange your candles in groups of three, and use varying heights. This will make the table look more interesting. [6] X Research source
Cut several long strips of streamers. Tape them in a row above your door. Gather half of them by the middle, and tape them to the left side of the door. Gather the rest, and tape them to the right side of the door. Cover the tape with big ribbon bows.
Fill clear balloons with colorful confetti for a pop of color. [7] X Research source If you have a helium tank, tie streamers to the ends of balloons instead of ribbons. [8] X Research source If you don’t have a helium tank, tie ribbon to the balloons, and tape the ends of the ribbon to your ceiling. The balloons will hang down above your guests. [9] X Research source
For a rustic theme, consider serving drinks in mason jars. For an elegant theme, choose gold or silver colored plates (they can be plastic). If you have a tight budget, get plain white napkins, and present them in colorful mason jars. Instead of using plain straws, try paper straws, or straws with funky decorations on them.
Drape garlands across fireplace mantles. Tape streamers and balloons to ceilings. Wrap garlands around banisters.
