Top Ten Tips for Styling a Party Space … without breaking the bank!
When it comes to birthday parties for little ones, it can be a fine line to tread. You want to create a special occasion that they’re going to love, but not spend a fortune or lose your marbles in the process!
Here at Hooray Day, we love to share all kinds of tips and tricks to make throwing beautiful parties a pleasure, not a pain! These are our top ten tips for styling a gorgeous party space on a budget and without breaking a sweat!
Just stick to one space – Create a focal point for your party (usually the food table) and just decorate that area. A beautiful table will set the mood for your celebration, and you’ll save time and money by not decorating play areas etc.
Use lots of white – A classic styling tip! Using a white backdrop, table or tablecloth, and lots of white serving dishes will help create a clean and coordinated look, plus also make coloured details pop.
Be strategic when planning food – Think about how the food is going to look on the table as well as how it’ll taste! Choose fruit, veggies, icing, jelly, sprinkles and lollies etc. in colours that match your theme.
Pick things that serve a double purpose – Don’t hide your thank you gifts or loot bags away near the door! Use them to decorate your party space … lollipops, jars of coloured lollies or playdough, even pretty paper loot bags can look super stylish set up nicely on the table.
Don’t feel that you need to theme everything – It can be really easy to get a bit excited and go overboard when it comes to theming your party, especially in this age of Instagram and Pinterest. But the old adage is true – less is usually more! As a guide, pick one or two themed food items, a few high impact decorations and one themed game or activity. That’ll be more than enough to create a festive atmosphere, while keeping a lid on spending.
Look to nature – Got a garden? Perfect, check it out for bits and pieces to add to your table. Flowers are brilliant – if you don’t have colours that go with your theme, pop white flowers in glass vases or jars and add drops of food colouring to the water to create a bright effect. No flowers? Greenery is all the rage! Mixed leaves look great in vases and jars and go with so many themes. If you have large leaves, they can be used as placemats or runners, as can pieces of astro turf.
Create a statement background – Does this sound tricky? It really isn’t! A statement background can take your table from pretty to spectacular, and can be as easy as a bright piece of bunting, a row of helium balloons, a DIY balloon garland, or even cut out shapes stuck to the wall (e.g. stars or hearts cut from glitter paper).
Raid the house! Your house is probably full of bits and pieces that you can use to help style your table without spending a cent. First port of call – the kids’ toys! Look for things that go with your theme – trucks, trains, farm animals, unicorn or glittery things, ribbons, even Christmas lights and star decorations can sometimes work.
Create levels on your table – make your table look extra stylish by adding some height. Cake stands or tiered trays for canapes are great, but you don’t necessarily need anything too fancy. Crates, wooden boxes, drawers, baskets, even upturned baking dishes can be used to make stands to display food and drinks.
Put the cake out at the beginning – Don’t tell us you spent all that time icing your cake only to hide it in the fridge until the end of your party?? There is really no better party centrepiece than a delicious cake. Just make sure it’s safely out of reach of little hands!
A Party Planning Checklist comes with every Hooray Day Party Kit – it’s like having a party planner in your pocket!
