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MusicCocktail
By: The Costume King
Most everybody enjoys the thought of getting dressed up every once in a while to attend some fancy affair, but few actually get the opportunity - especially busy college students. To satisfy that desire for those that have it, why not ditch the rowdy nature of most college affairs and throw an elegant Cocktail Party, where everybody will be in their best attire and on their best behavior.
Setting Up
Setting up for a cocktail party is one of the easiest set ups you'll come across. Think of everything that makes up a fancy or romantic dinner and just spread it across the room. Rather than have a bar topped with nothing more than a stack of plastic cups, cover it in a nice velvet or satin cloth. Stick to "formal" colors like black, white, and red.
Don't just toss down a few cloth table covers, though. Go the extra mile and pick up some choice flowers to give the room the pop that it needs. Pick up roses for the most dramatic effect, ensuring to mix white and red roses to accent the elegance of the evening. To compliment the roses, put out a set of votive candles to have lit throughout the evening. You can turn down the unnatural lighting and let the candles set the mood for you for the most effective cocktail party.
In regards to what to have to drink, you'll want to stock up on high end liquors that make the perfect mixed cocktail. Beers and other low grade alcohol should probably be left off of the menu for this evening. You can even sneak in a fancy wine or champagne for those not looking to divulge in harder liquors.
Finally, the music needs to be right. You won't walk in to many cocktail parties and find the stereo blasting metal or hard rock. Softer tunes ensure that you can get the true essence of the cocktail party, which is to mix and mingle with your fellow partiers. Stick to artists like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole to fuel the party's tone. While not as straight forward as a modern song blatantly singing about sex, these artists know the way of the English language to set the mood. It may be uncharacteristic for a college party, but you may have a lower count of passed out individuals with an effectively thrown party with this theme.
What to Wear?
If you have formal attire, now is the time to break it out. Cocktail party attendees are usually dressed in suits or more business / casual attire. Stay away from jeans, shorts, sneakers, and baseball caps. For the women, you should stick to, obviously, cocktail dresses. You can still have a bit of that college titillation by showing off a little skin with a shorter dress. A cocktail party is a classy, flashy affair, so leave your booty shorts and flip flops in the closet.
Send Us Your Party Photos
If you've thrown a party with this theme, please email us the photos along with your consent to use your photos on our website. We will publish it here.
