Masquerade Dinner -16yr- Tablecloths & Confetti

Magical Masquerade Dinner! I looked all over for ideas for a special 16th birthday party and I finally settled on a masquerade dinner party with my friends (all girls). This is a really good idea because you can make it as simple or elaborate as you would like (I went for somewhere in between the two.)

INVITES!!!: For invitations I just made them myself on the computer, it gives it a personal touch and you can do so much with it! They were about the size of a postcard with a white background and a black border, a picture of a mask was on the side. I just put all the usual info plus I told them to WEAR A MASK (there would be prizes for the best ones etc.) I like having really nice

DECORATIONS so I decided to go with gold and midnight blue as my decoration colours. I also have a really old mask from italy I can display! I live near a costume hire shop (really cheap) so I hired 5 or 6 colourful, elaborate masks to decorate the party area.

LOCATION: I could have gone to a restaurant or something bu I don't live close to anything really special so we had the party at home in the dining room (which is really pretty because it has a fireplace and lots of space.) I have quite a long table that could fit all of my guests on so I placed that in the centre of the room. I placed a white tablecloth on it to give it a really classic look. I found some really cool confetti sparkles at the party store shaped like eye masks so I sprinkled them (both midnight blue and gold) all over the table.

Since I was having too many people to use our china I came up with a great idea! I went to the party store and bought midnight blue plates (plastic or paper) and gold cutlery and napkins. I had enough glasses to use at home. I had helium balloons in the party colours tied in bunches in the corners of the room. I made a centre piece with some small gold and blue balloons in a terracota pot tied with blue and gold organza ribbon with a cute eye mask on a stick sticking out of it.

I displayed the masks I mentioned earlier on the walls and one on the front door (so guests knew where to go). I also had little place cards that were those cheap paper eye masks in metallic colours you can get from party shops with the guests name on it.

FOOD: I just had my favourite restaurant cater so we had an asian inspired meal (the usual: chicken, spring rolls, rice, mixed vegies, sweet and sour pork, beef in black bean sauce etc.). You can really have whatever food you would like. For DRINKS we just had soft drinks, water, juices and punch in nice glasses.

DESSERT: We had fruit salad, with all my favourite fruits (my mum makes a really great fruit salad).

CAKE: I love this sponge cake my mum makes so she made a rectangular cake (about 4 cm thick) and cut it into the shape of a fancy eye mask (get pictures off google). She then iced it with navy blue icing for the mask, and yellow for the holes for the eyes(easier than actually cutting a hole and you get more cake.). We decorated it with a silvery/grey icing that said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY around the eyes. Then we just went crazy with those glitter balls that are silver. It really looked like a mask. We even put a stick with a gold ribbon right at the side so it looked like those classy hand held masks.

PARTY BAGS: I just got either a blue or gold organza bag (look around can get really cheaply at $2 shops and filled them with lollies and trinkets.) Also sent them home with cake and balloon.

OTHER: Take LOADS OF PHOTOS then send guests some of them with the thankyous.

Have a challenge where you can see who can keep the mask on for longest. If you want to make it extra hard force the person to take off the mask if they say a certain word (make it something they say all the time :P ) This does take a little thought on decoration and stuff because it's not as well known but you can buy almost everything I did at good party stores and other shops like that.

Also made for prizes and favours some cookies with maks on them (see websites below) can also make it simpler by just making circle shaped cookies and icing on a masked face shove a popsicle stick in the base and you've got a mask!

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! I hope you liked my idea have a MAGICAL MASQUERADE DINNER PARTY!  "