Costume Parties are Underrated

Height:  157.48cm  (sounds much more impressive than when listed in feet)
Weight:  58.0598 kg (Hello conversions! No wonder Europeans seem so much happier.)
Bust:  34D (At least I have something going for me heehee)


Random Rambling:  Whoever thought waxing the CORK floor of my gym with an OIL based solvent is an IDIOT.  Oil+Treadmill= Disaster

 I'm not entirely sure what sparked my adoration for playing dressups, I'm sure it had a lot to do with my mother (she's a creative genius), Barbie dolls, a trunk full of old bridesmaids dresses and my favorite (Kindergarten) teacher "Miss Jeffrey" encouraging my imagination to run wild.  Whatever it was, my sister and I spent countless hours planning fashion shows to debut at my mother's dinner parties and fighting over the only pair of white pumps in the Barbie dream closet.  The end result?  I ADORE costume parties and have never owned white pumps.

I thought it would be fun to chronicle a few of my favorite events over the past 3 years:

1. STUDIO 54 PARTY:  For my 27th birthday I celebrated "Times 2" hence the STUDIO 54 (27 x 2) theme.  A disco ball is a MUST, so if you are going to invest in anything, you have to get the biggest one money can buy.  Followed by a great set list of disco-era classics, beautiful people, dark lights, a dessert/cocktail bar and disposable cameras (so everyone can have 15 minutes of fame on Facebook the next week).  The invitations were hand delivered to every guest (god bless my interns) and the door girl knew not to deviate from the guest list (Andy Warhol would have been proud).
   
2. ROARING 20s PARTY:  For my 29th birthday I wanted to celebrate my "Roaring 20s" in style.  Guests were encouraged to wear costumes, but just in case, I had props (fans, pearls, mustaches, fedoras, bowling caps etc) at the door to help set the mood.  Each guest was handed a punch cup, flower pot or tea cup to drink from for the night.  Just before the birthday candy cakes (inspired by candy invented in the 1920s) were presented, I surprised my guests with a special performance by Kellee Maize.  But she REALLY surprised the audience by performing 2 songs from my favorite musical Chicago!
3. RUNNING OF THE SANTAS: A holiday event to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand, was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season; however, I approached this costume event with caution.  I've always been a little nostalgic around Christmas and feel dressing like the Playboy version of Mrs.Claus is in poor taste.  So I donned a full Christmas Tree Costume complete with presents for shoes and in turn became the life of the party rather than the slut that saved Santa.  Oh, and I won the costume contest!

I'm often asked what goes into planning a memorable event, and I have to say I think it starts with the hosts.  If you are stressed, then your guests won't relax, so do as much planning in advance as possible and remember, if you forget something, your guests will never know.  Other than that here are the 5 keys to a great event:

1. Unique Venue or Location
2. Pretty People (This is where costumes can help haha)
   
3. Great Music (Skip a radio playlist)
   
4. Open Bar
5. Plenty of Food (a minimum of 7 hors d'oeuvres per guest)