The Perfect... St. Patrick's Day Party
In this entry of the Sparkler, we are going to celebrate that special day in March where wearing green saves your bottom from being pinched, drinking lots 'o beer is a competitive art form, and pretending you're Irish is socially acceptable! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Photo courtesy of Five Heart Home.
The moment you decide that you want to throw a soirée of any kind, the most important place to begin is with the theme of your Perfect Party. Themes like, "Kiss Me, I'm Irish," "Luck of the Irish," "Homebrews," and "Taste the Rainbow" are great jumping off points around which to build your party! Once you have selected the theme, you can proceed with creating your invitation, decor, set your menu and drink list, and even coordinate your outfit. This way, you are creating a full experience for you and your guests.
Let's talk about invitations for a moment. We live in the age of the digital. Paperless Post, among other electronic invitation sites, is a great option to save money, track RSVPs with ease, and maintain your creative integrity. However, we at IES advocate for paper invitations wherever possible. Especially when your guest list is 20 people or fewer, in today's world of inundated inboxes, sending and receiving a paper/ mixed media invitation is nothing less than divine!! Imagine getting one of these invitations delivered to your doorstep!
You would feel special, right? If anything, it would definitely get you talking! And what is better than that when you want to celebrate? We urge you to consider one of these St. Patty's Day gems to give to your guests.
When musing over your invitation options, think about adding a philanthropic element to your party. We are huge fans of this, because getting people together is an easy way to help others in need. Many hands make light work, after all. It doesn't have to be anything crazy; For instance, playfully ask your guests to bring a canned good to your party in order to pay "the Troll Toll" for admission to your Leprechaun Hunt (see more on this below), and boom! In one fowl swoop you have added a layer of fun to the festivities and simultaneously created a canned food drive that you can donate to a local charity. St. Patrick would be proud!
So, your invitations are out, you have received most RSVPs, and after harassing a few lackadaisical friends, you have a final head count. Rejoice! Now you can hone in on decor, refreshments, and activities for your St. Patrick's Day bash. Moving right along then, try out these gorgeous decoration ideas we found. Such great DIY!!
1. Festive wreathes-- you need not limit yourself to the front door! Decorate your bathroom door, your closet doors, bedroom doors, and even plain walls that need sprucing.
2. Banners and garlands-- something about streamers makes you want to get up and dance around! Add a few brewskis into the mix, and your party will literally be hopping.
3. Flowers-- bring the outdoors in! In March, most people are already itching for Spring. Bloom it up with white florals, green hydrangeas and bunches of clover.
4. Signage-- highly under-rated, yet absolutely necessary. And easy decor to boot!
5. Containers-- you will need something to hold your utensils in, if nothing else! These containers are so pretty that you will have to find things to put in them!
A completed and beautifully adorned party space brings us to our next endeavor. What to wear, what to wear... St. Patrick's Day is a time when the hues of the Emerald Isle is the name of the sartorial game. We are delighted and amused by what we found, and we hope you will be, too!
For the ladies:
For the gents:
Next up, vittles! Or as we know them, food and drink, and two absolute non-negotiables when having a gathering! Why not beat the pants off of your guests' expectations with these sham-rocking snacks and lucky libations?
Quick note: Be sure that you provide a variety of sweets and savories! Anytime beer and cocktails are on the menu, you will need to be wary of how things will balance, gastronomically speaking. If hosting a potluck, be careful to create a diversified sign-up list for your friends and family.
Yummy! But what about activities? Be mindful to have a few tricks up your sleeve to help the social aspect of your little affair along. Believe us when we say the pace of your event is everything. As the host, you control the flow of your party. With the goal in mind to keep your guests entertained (without things getting out of hand), have these amusements in your repertoire for a Perfect St. Patrick's Day Party.
1. A photo booth is almost always a crowd favorite. Face it, the more social media attention your party gets, the better!
2. Have a beer-tasting booth where your guests can pursue their dreams of becoming a cicerone!
3. Some gatherings are well-suited for pub trivia. In particular, trivia in the domestic setting is appropriate for more laid-back groups.
4. For the high-energy cohort, consider Leprechaun Hunting! This game may require your party to leave your premises, unless you have lots of land or a massive manse. Reclaim your purloined pot of gold! The chase can be made into a full-on scavenger hunt, if desired!
Need a few more suggestions? Check out these activity ideas.
When your guests have gone through the refreshments, retired from the activities you so cleverly set up, and are ready to depart... make sure you call an Uber! But before you let them stumble past your threshold, make sure they have a goodie bag or other parting gift firmly in their grasp (or artfully tucked into their bag by you, the Perfect Party host). Peruse these options that we love:
Well, you've made it! Congratulations! You have successfully and rather dramatically, we might add, completed your Perfect St. Patrick's Day Party! Your guests will praise you forevermore, and in all likelihood RSVP "attending" to your next bash. Enjoy the high, you've earned it.
xoxo,
the sparkler