Here’s a cool idea. Instead of just numbering tables, why not name them after a favorite rock band? If you are a music lover and like this idea, you can do what a fan couple did at The Hilton in Troy, NY this past weekend.
What they did was number the tables, but also add a cool 45 single from a favorite band as part of the centerpiece. The trick is, to locate 45 records that have cool cover art, and put them on little stands that you can find at a craft store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Then, the place cards will direct your guests to a table with a cool band name, instead of just a number.
One neat idea is CHANGING BACKGROUNDS! On Zoom, WebEx and Google Meets, there is a “Change background” feature. You can change your background settings very easily on Zoom, WebEx and Google Meets to get that party feel!
As you know, all the faces will come on the screen after you send them the invite/join code. You want them to feel like they are walking into a party! So how do you do that? One thing to really make it fun is to provide a few custom backgrounds for students to download and use. You can see background use on the top and bottom of column two of the picture below:
Now imagine if mostly everyone adds personality with custom backgrounds! Look how even more custom backgrounds adds to the feel! It feels more like a party than an office meeting or classroom setting, right?
CUSTOMIZE DANCE BACKGROUNDS
You can let students do whatever they want, but with a little direction, the party will come to life with the right guidance on backgrounds! Selecting Dance club and and DJ type lights in all the backgrounds would really add to the feel. Some students with Photoshop-type skills could even be creative adding their friends’ heads to their custom backgrounds into people dancing!
DARE TO USE THEMES!
Also, if you are going with a theme like many do, maybe a pirate theme for instance, students can have all kinds of fun playing with their backgrounds. Use a theme if you dare and watch the fun unroll! 🙂
DROP US A LINE FOR YOUR ONLINE PROM IN THE ALBANY NY AREA!
Thinking of having your own Princess theme DJ party?
Recently in Saratoga Springs New York, we recently were brought in to be the DJ Service for a princess theme party. One of the neat things about this party was that had hired their friends to dress up as actual princess characters from Disney movies. Frozen, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Bella, and even Aladdin, they all showed up to keep the guests entertained. Lots of balloons and castle-like decorations were the key!
CUSTOM PRINCESS BACKDROPS – All of the princesses had different backdrops for photo shoot’s as well. Aladdin even had a carpet photo shoot.
MUSIC MIX – We played songs the kids would like, but we also mixed in lots of Disney music.
ACTIVITIES – We had a limbo competition, Create-A-Crown arts & crafts, and even a princess parade, as all the guests dressed in character as well. A good time was had by all.
HOW TO THROW A TOTALLY RAD 80s THEME WEDDING – A checklist of ideas
Have you been to a bunch of weddings and can’t really remember one from the other a few years later? There is a way to really make your special day stand out, and have fun at the same time. At what cost? How about, $19.80. Having a theme-based wedding set in the 80s can be awesome. This campy era saw the rise of the King of Pop Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, and even one-hit-wonders like Flock of Seagulls.
Here is a comprehensive list of 80s wedding theme ideas that can really help you make your 1980s wedding theme a success.
INVITATIONS – Setting the mood immediately, when you send out your RSVP’s, do it 80’s style. A good way to get inspiration for this is to take a look at 80s pictures on a Google search and work with your invitation printer. Looking at images will give you a glance at the neons and pastels that were trademarks of this time frame. It will also bring some ideas into the mix. Any 80’s color schemes and images that you choose are fine are fine, but most important of all is to remember to tell everyone to dress 80s, and/or come dressed as their favorite 80’s star.
ENTRANCE – Rides with style were everything in the 1980’s. If you can find one, it may be a perfect blast from the past to use a DeLorean as your limo! (One complete with a flux-capacitor would be even more so ideal.) Also a customized A-team van, a Trans-Am or any iconic 80s ride would be unforgettable. Imagine how “def” a Knight Rider entrance! Word!
Clothing can make or break your 80s wedding theme. Opt to break, break-dance that is.
CLOTHING – Television proved to be the driving force behind 1980’s fashion trends. No matter what you go with, first and foremost, black and white lace like Madonna for the brides maids would be classic. For the groomsmen, think Duran Duran and Miami Vice; pastel colored jackets with sleeves rolled up to the elbow.
Encourage your guests to engage in the fun too. Have them dressing up in bleached and torn up jeans, neon legwarmers with excessive makeup, and sport some crazy 80’s teased up hair. For accessories, dig up some jelly bracelet’s, Swatch-watches, and Risky Business sunglasses.
Typically, some guests will not want to dress up, but will wish they did after they see all the fun the other guests are having, once they get there. For those who do not come prepared, make sure to have extra of jelly bracelets on the tables, and a stashed duffle bag full of ugly neon bright t-shirts, fishnet gloves and punky wigs.
The 80s was not only hair bands and rock. Hip hop became really popular in the 80s. The guys could dress up in the Adidas jumpsuits and big gold chains and sunglasses. Girls in the baggy overalls, big buckle belt and stupid fresh gold jewelry, you know, def dookie ropes.
DECORATION OPTIONS
Again, I cannot stress enough to you that looking at pictures is going to be one of the greatest ways to come up with ideas that you will want for your wedding reception. You may want to put pink and blue streamers all over the room. Or, perhaps, how about decorating with neons and pastels, like blue, yellow, pink, and green balloons?
If you are going to go 80’s, why not go all the way. Posters and pictures of Back To The Future, Silver Spoons, The A-Team, and The Ninja Turtles are a must, pinend up everywhere you can. (Make sure you check with theh all before pinning up anything. If they are against this, you can always use foam boards and make little displays.) How about tossing garbage pail kids collecting cards all over the tables? Old Teen Beat magazines, and pull-out magazine posters. Vintage 80’s clothes like a Michael Jackson glove or jackets, Cabbage Patch Kids , cardboard cutouts, and don’t forget movie posters like Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles.
Another good idea is to incorporate music into your décor. That’s what it is all about, right? Look for 1980’s record singles, that’s right, 45’s from the eighties and hang them everywhere, from the light fixtures to the head table.
FAVORS – Another idea for the nostalgic romantics, why not make Custom Mix tapes? If cassette tapes feel too much of a waste of time to you, you can cheat. Burn a CD with top 80’s movies and tv show themes, as well as some of the number one hits of this era.
CENTERPIECES & TABLES – At a recent 80’s wedding I was the disc jockey for, they had decorated their tables with eighties albums and 45’s, including Like a Virgin, Pac Man Fever and Olivia Newton John’s “Physical.” As a centerpiece, a basket full of 80’s junk like magic eight balls, rubik’s cube, pop rocks, Star Wars and He-Man toys and what ever eBay can help you with. A basket full of 80’s retro junk is totally awesome.
But how can you give your centerpiece away? Well, how about a Rubik’s Cube Contest? (They now have pretty decent Rubik Cube knock-offs at the dollar store. Maybe these would make good party favor answers as well?) While the Rubik Challenge can be done several ways, probably the quickest payoff is to award the winner as being whoever can solve the most sides done within one song. The Rubik champion will then get the centerpiece.
TALK THE TALK – 80s WORD LISTS – Why not put 1980’s dictionary sheets around the dinner tables? In the 80’s, “Valley Girl” speak totally took off in a big way, dude… ‘fer shurr.
ACTIVITY OPTIONS
While you can still have a blast with your traditional flower and garter toss festivities working in songs and styles of this theme, there are other 80s activities you can do as well. For one, 80s lip synch contests could be a great option. Since many people will be dressed up anyhow, you could put the spotlight on a few of your guests and hand them a microphone… if you dare!
Once the dancing begins, an impromptu “Breakdance Contest,” is also a must-have at an 80’s wedding.
Jeopardy Challenge – During the meal, Jeopardy questions could become a big party favorite. All you need are some standard 80s trivia questions, here and there, and the people will love it. (Make sure to ask your DJ if he can grow an Alex Trebek mustache to sport during the audio daily double.)
Wedding Song List
Name that 80’s theme – is also fun. Before the dancing portion of the reception, have the DJ play a sample of an 80’s television show theme song, first correct guess, wins. (Double the prize if they can name the ARTIST!)
Pepsi Challenge Drinking Games – How about Pepsi Challenge. (Coke vs. Pepsi. Can you tell the difference blindfolded? Pour some rum in one of them and really get the party going.)
Video Game Challenges – A lot of people rent photo booths for weddings now. The photo booth has really turned into an up-coming fun past time at weddings. How about renting or even buy an authentic 1981 Pacman arcade game and setting that up in the corner?
ATARI! If you can’t afford a legit Arcade game, Atari Inc. recently released a new game system with the feel of the original Atari system. It is black and wood grain and also has the original joysticks. The new classic system easily plugs directly into the a/c jack of and runs on AA batteries… it gives the feel of the old joystick and the games are not updated at all
…imagine having a Space Invaders, Asteroids or Combat contest using the original joystick, on a big screen TV, or digitally projected on the wall.
MUSIC IDEAS – Thanks to the early music video-playing channel, MTV, a defined style came into existence. If you choose to go this theme, everyone will be able to join in on the fun. Yes, back then, MTV played Music videos.
A year or two back, I put up an awesome music list post to help you pump up the jam, appropriately. Here are a list of songs you may have heard and seen watching MTV back in the day. CLICK HERE TO OPEN LIST
If you are in the Troy NY are and planning a wedding, there are a handful of venues you really should take a look at! While a lot of people instantly think of The Hilton of Troy on Route 7 which is just awesome and the Franklin Plaza & Franklin Terrace in Troy (on Fourth Street & Campbell Ave – which is one of my favorites) who have been around forever and do a super job, too!
Here are some others you really should check out that we like!
Pat’s Barn in Troy/Rensselaer is super easy to get to and perfect for your rustic indoor/outdoor wedding needs! It is located at 110 Defreest Dr, Rensselaer, NY 12144 (518) 283-7102
Revolution Hall at Browns (518-273-2337) on River Street in Troy, NY is great! They have super food, a separate cocktail hour area, and a really neat staged setup that allows for a cool ceremony and reception experience!
Right down Route 7 is Sterup Square’s Carousel Ballroom, at 2113 NY 7 – Troy, NY at (518) 279-9600. They have great service, a neat bar outside the reception hall, and a nice ballroom for smaller to medium size weddings at an affordable cost.
Crystal Cove over on 38 Old Route 66, Averill Park, NY is a SUPER COOL venue at (518) 674-0703, if you are not familiar with it. They are everything you need for an outside wedding, with an inside reception. They are right on the lake which also makes for great pictures, and they have three different ceremony sites on location!
Parti Events and Banquet Hall (formerly known as Germania Hall at 518-763-3111) is right off of River Street toward Lansingburg. They have a totally remodeled and updated interior, and are perfect for an affordable wedding!
IDEA LIST FOR HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY PARTY A SUCCESS BY ADDING A THEME
In addition to hiring a DJ to celebrate Christmas to rock in your new year, one way to really make a party a success is to add a theme. Here is a “Top Ten List” for Christmas Party Themes to liven up this year’s Christmas / holiday party at your home or business.
The Ugly Sweater Party
1) Ugly Sweater Party
If you do not own any nasty sweaters, then you can always run to the nearest K-Mart or rock a Macklemore find by going to Goodwill to pick up one. We promise they don’t usually cost more than $5 at a Thriftshop and the pictures alone will be priceless.
2) The Wrap Party
I hate wrapping. I have used toilet paper and duct tape in the past to decorate my presents. Why not throw a support-group gathering for friends who wrap— where everyone brings some basic supplies and their bundle of gifts. Then you can wrap together and have different-looking wrap jobs. You’ll be surprised who knows how to help you tie that bow so it won’t look like garbage. For added atmosphere, book us to DJ and request rap music.
3) Christmas Carol Karaoke Party
Dance if you want, sing if you dare! Book us to DJ and let the the fun begin.
With karaoke comes great responsibility, but with karaoke comes guaranteed mass quantites of nonsense all night long!
While this option may not be fore everyone, if you have the courage (and enough money to keep booze on hand for all your guests,) it could be the greatest karaoke jam of all time!
The Christmas Cookie Party
4) Christmas Cookie Swap Party
Want a plethora of different cookies for your family holiday dinner, but you don’t want all that extra work?
You can always host a cookie swap where everyone brings a batch of their homemade specialty, to share. It is simple. Just have everyone make a few trays of their very best cookie and have them trade when they get there.
You can also allow bad cooks to bring store-bought cookies and have guests try to guess which ones are real and which are store-bought contest. Allow everything from fudge, to brownies, to rice krispy treats.
Tree Decoration Party
5) Tree Decoration Party
Need an idea for say an office holiday partybut don’t want to spend a bundle on decorations? Why not have a tree-trimming party? Just set up your tree (real or fake!) with lights, popcorn and garland, and request that your guests each bring an ornament to hang on your tree.
If you want even more crowd-participation, put everyone on the spot and make them tell a story about the ornament they brought.
6) Christmas Movie Marathon
All the Rudolph, Santa & Frosty claymations. A Christmas Story. Elf. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. Run movies as the attraction, or just in the background. If just watching hours of movies isn’t exciting enough for you or your couch guests, add some action with a drinking game and a DJ. Take a shot whenever someone says “Christmas spirit” or whenever anyone in Santa garb is on screen. People will be more blitzed than Blitzen by the end of the night.
The Christmas Costume Party
7) Christmas Costume Party
Halloween doesn’t have to be the only holiday tailor-made for dress-up. Hit up a costume store or Ebay.com where you can find sexy Santa suits, elf ensembles, or any other Christmas character like Frosty or Rudolph. To ensure proper participation, award the best dressed or worst dressed prizes!
8) Secret Santa Swap Party
Invite everybody to a fun DJ party and assign people to bring a gift for someone specific. Put the gifts under the tree and see if the guests can figure out who bought for whom.
8.5) Secret Santa Re-gifting Party
The same as your Secret Santa Party, but invite your friends over with one of last Christmas’ cast-offs presents from the re-gift pile, you know gifts that never really it out of the box. Make sure everyone’s gifts have been re-wrapped and then play a version of “White Elephant,” where people can pick from the pile or steal someone else’s new acquisition. One person’s trash is another’s treasure!
9) 12 Days of Appetizers Party
Like the cookie swap, invite your guests to bring their favorite appetizer to share. This is certainly a weightwatcher’s worst nightmare; buffet lines filled with bite-sized morsels.
“July in Christmas Party” Beach Theme Christmas Party
10) Reverse Christmas in July (Beach Theme Party)
Christmas in July is a time-honored mid-summer party favorite. Simply enough, people pretend it’s Christmas — complete with a tree, gift exchange, and hearty meal.
Well, turn the tables on this tradition with a beach theme party in the dead of winter. Break out the pina coladas and Island music. (Seeing how there is always snow in the North East, Bikinis are preferred but clearly optional.)
