The Academy Awards are quickly approaching - are you ready for the occasion? As one of the most lavish evenings of the year, this is the perfect opportunity to have some friends over, gussy yourself up and talk about your favorite flicks of the past year. If you don't have much experience hosting Oscar parties, you may be wondering what you can do to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Luckily, doing so is a fairly simple prospect. Here are some ideas for the upcoming shindig!
To begin, make sure there's plenty of seating around the television. If you're planning on having a lot of people over, it may be a good idea to set up a viewing area. Start by pushing your chairs and couches against the wall - this will open up the middle of the room, where you can place a food table or more seating. Also, leave plenty of room in the back so your guests can stand and mingle if they'd rather not watch the awards show too intensely.
Naturally, you should don your best award ceremony outfit, but don't forget to spruce up your home a bit as well! Hang round paper lanterns throughout the space and dim the lights so that they cast a nice, colorful glow. You can also spread silk cherry blossom petals around to make the party space a bit classier. If you're planning on having food and drinks at the shindig, why not order some personalized paper cups? You can give each guest his or her own cup, which can help cut down on cleanup when the party is over. Silver Jordan almonds are a tasty treat that are sure to please as well.
If you'd like to make the proceedings a little more interesting, consider having a betting pool. Have your guests predict which films are going to win various awards and hand out prizes accordingly. You can give small trinkets like personalized cocktail favors and mini martini glasses for each category and give a big prize like a DVD box set to the guest with the most correct guesses. It'll add a nice bit of excitement to the proceedings and will keep everyone engaged throughout the evening.