1980s Themed Personalized Party

I’m an 80s baby and I find myself from time to time binging on all my favorite 80s sitcoms. Lately I have been watching The Cosby Show and Family Ties. It has got me thinking: What would a 1980s party look like?

The first thing I envision is the dress code. Ladies in leg warmers, t-shirts bunched up on one side with a plastic buckle, head bands and teased bangs, cascading waterfall style over the forehead. Men with pegged acid washed jeans, Ocean Pacific t-shirts, and Vans. And I would expect at least one die hard 80s baby to come sporting Z-Cavaricci jeans!

The food would cause any modern organic, gluten-free vegan millet loving mama to protest. Doritos, Chips Ahoy cookies, and pretzels for appetizers. White bread sandwiches, fake cheese nachos, pasta salad, and pizza rolls for main course. And of course Jello pudding pops for dessert!
1980s personalized party supplies would of course include bright neon colors, big graffiti style fonts and an eclectic style. It would be fun to style cupcakes in 1980s themed cupcake wrappers and toppers, with neon spray painted frosting. I would pair this with 1980s themed custom milk bottle labels, hot pink striped paper straws, and of course, sugar cookies topped with pop rocks. Neon colored plates, cups and napkins would complete the tableware. For their 1980s themed party favors, the girls would receive scrunchies and leg warmers; it would be knee high striped gym socks and wrist bands for the boys. Each favor would include a 1980s styles personalized gift tag.

Party Collections From Creatively Common to Cutting Edge

Andaz Press is a startup, and like most startups, we exist to push the boundaries of our industry. We adore traditional party themes, like a jungle themed baby shower, or a rustic holiday Christmas party. But why stop there? Why not base party themes around everyday things that inspire us, or make us smile, or might just be plain fun?

Why not create party collections inspired by college majors, traits we love, TV shows, our favorite authors, unique hobbies or particular regions of the world? Andaz, you might recall, means unique style, and so you might say that we exist to bring these unique party themes to life!

Today I was inspired by two very sweet men that work in my building. The first is an Assamese security guard. He always has the warmest smile, even if he has to work Saturdays. The second is man with a congenital eye impairment, Subramanian, who operates our building elevator. He always has a calm and kind temperament, even after working a 12-hour shift. This never fails to inspire me. No matter how trying the day (or my toddler) has been, every time I enter the elevator, my demeanor instantly changes for the better.

That got me thinking: How neat would it be to host a party that was not based on cartoon character, color or design, but instead based on an admirable human trait. What would a Kindness themed party look like?

You might bake some Compassion Cookies, serve up some Gratitude Gratin, and whet your party goers’ appetites with Kindness Cocktails.

The colors I envision are mint green, coral, ivory and an elegant gold.

Here are some of the kindness quotes I would work into the party decor:

• No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. – Aesop
• Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. – The Dalai Lama
• Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. – Mark Twain
• Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind. ― Henry James
• Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. ― Lao Tzu
• Kindness is magic. – Ricky Gervais as Derek

For example, I would place the “Kindness is magic” quote onto round printed personalized party labels and affix them to favor bags containing cookies my guests can take home. “Be kind whenever possible” custom milk bottle labels would decorate the ice cold almond milk, to go with the cookie favor bags. And I would place a large Kindness themed custom party sign bearing this quote on the entrance to the party: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

I would be especially excited about Kindness themed party games. Maybe the entire group would visit a local park and hand out the homemade cookie favor bags, like I once did with a group called Service Space. Or maybe we would simply sit in a circle and each share a story of the most memorable act of kindness we had encountered in our lives.

A Kindness themed party would be an especially neat way to celebrate a child’s birthday.

The Best List of Party Themes

In college, my girlfriends and I would throw parties almost every other week. During the week, we would excitedly invite anyone and everyone. When the fateful Saturday night would arrive, we would dread it. Can we just close the blinds, turn off the lights, and pretend we’re not home?! We would have much preferred sitting around in our PJs, eating PB&Js, and planning our next Spring Break.

I think if we had had this super comprehensive list of party themes, we would have looked forward to our party nights instead of dreading them! (In fact, this might just be the biggest list of party theme categories ever!) These themes will help you decide on your personalized party decor, and will even inspire your venue, food and invite list.

Parties can be inspired by:

Sport Party Themes: Think basketball, hockey, golf and even bowling! This one is especially fun on college campuses. And sports parties don’t have to just be about bowls of chips and hoagies. Personalized sports party decor and custom sports gift stationary, such as tags and labels, will help your guests get into the spirited rivalry.

Event Party Themes: Envision Mardi gras or World Cup inspired events, especially for adults. Keeping the event on in the background might even inspire the guys to stick around, while the ladies ooh and aah at your World Cup party decor, soccer themed personalized table runners, and soccer ball decorated cupcakes adorned in World Cup cupcake wrappers. Bring it.

Color Party Themes: Many elegant or wedding related events are almost completely driven by color. P. Diddy’s White Party in the Hamptons comes to mind. Diamond blue or Tiffany blue bridal showers are also a popular event. Be sure to go all out with the Breakfast at Tiffany’s themed decor here, including diamond blue personalized milk bottle labels, diamond blue striped paper straws, and custom diamond blue favor labels.

Food Party Themes: Some of my best friends are foodies, and their food related party theme included local food trucks. You can also carry one ingredient throughout the entire event, such as chili, chocolate, or my favorite, coffee.

Character Party Themes (Real or Fictional): Children’s birthday parties are largely driven by cartoon characters. But why stop there? How about a Presidential party, where everyone comes dressed as their favorite commander in chief.

Hobby Party Themes: Magic parties, crocheting parties, even photography parties. Sky’s the limit here. You can match your personalized party supplies to the specific hobby, such as swimming inspired gift labels, ballet inspired favor gift tags, or Hawaiian luau surf decor.

Profession Party Themes: Doctor parties, fireman parties, racecar parties – they’re not just for kids! Adults might get a kick out of a profession inspired party, where guests are encouraged to dress up. You can even offer up cookies in the shape of a red cross, and combine this with red and white pinwheels, white personalized party banners, and red striped water bottle labels. As for professions, think outside the box. I think princess qualifies. Just ask Kate.

Concept Party Themes: This is one of my favorite, and least used party theme categories. Concepts such as kindness, compassion, friendship and love could easily carry an entire party. As Derek would say, “Kindness is magic” and a Kindness Party would be magical.

Holiday Party Themes: Holiday parties need no introduction. Later in our blog series, you’ll find some exciting tips to spice up your holiday fete. Your Christmas party will come to life with personalized party banners, custom candy buffet signage, and personalized table runners. And your guests will enjoy taking home Christmas treats in personalized Christmas favor boxes.

Entertainment Party Themes (Movie, Book, Play, TV Show): We have all seen kids parties driven by movies (Harry Potter), comic books (Spiderman) and TV Shows (Dora the Explorer). But adults can have fun with this one too! My girlfriends would adore a Jane Austen themed tea party.

Era Party Themes: Include 1980s, vintage, retro, Victorian tea party. You can combine costumes with fun decor and food.

Animal Party Themes: Parties inspired by horses, cats, and dogs are common. Hedgehogs, owls and snakes can provide fun party ideas too, especially for kids and nature lovers.

Destination, Cultural Party Themes: We’ve all heard of the Parisian inspired tea party and seen the Moroccan inspired mehndi party. But how about an Egyptian themed baby shower, a Mexican bridal shower, or a South Indian graduation party, with dosa and coconut chutney appetizers.

Purpose Driven Party Themes: Your event could be driven by a purpose. Events such as speed dating, singles mixers, open houses, fundraisers and faculty mixers come to mind. This can easily inspire your party decor, food choices and venue.

Funny, Quirky Party Themes: This fun group of events includes ugly sweater, white elephant, and couples dressed as twins or opposites. The fun theme you choose can be used to influence the decor, such as vintage party banners for an ugly sweater party, or jungle decor for a white elephant gift exchange.

Location Based Party Themes: Let your location, location, location be your inspiration. For example, if your party is in a barnyard or on a cruise ship, you may incorporate straw bales and anchors, respectively. One of my all time favorite location driven party themes is outerspace.

Design Based Party Themes: Your entire party can be based on your chosen patter or design, such as dots, stripes, chevron, damask, bandni, or plaid. For example, you can have chocolate drop cookies, polka dot pennant banners, dotted water bottle labels, and polka dot favor gift tags.

Activity Party Themes: Think scavenger hunt, club hopping, limo adventure, or murder mystery. You can tailor your food and decor choices accordingly. For example, you can offer finger foods and cocktails on your limo adventure, and dim the lights of a gothic room for a memorable murder mystery.

Now that you’ve chosen your perfect party theme category, you might be wondering, what’s next. Stay posted for our next blog, How to Carry Out Your Party Theme.

Have fun party planning! And please remember to turn on your lights and open your front door when the guests arrive.

À la prochaine,

Sam
hello@andazpress.com

Hello World!

Hello world!

Andaz means unique style in Hindi. In the coming days, months and years, the Andaz Press family will share with you our vision for uniquely styled personalized party and lifestyle products.

From personalized gift tags and labels, to custom cupcake and party decor, we are excited to present to you fresh, modern designs.

And we look forward to transforming your unique style into substance!

Thank you for joining us on this stylish journey.

À la prochaine,

The Andaz Press family
hello@andazpress.com