Attending or Throwing a Masquerade Party!
Masquerade parties are fun because you can be anyone you want to be. Or, alternately, you can just be yourself. The best part is that no one can make preconceived notions about you. You’re not wearing your normal clothing and you’re hiding behind a mask. The only thing to judge you by is your personality (and perhaps your eyes). It’s great to start talking to people without the ridiculous assumptions.
Because of these qualities, they can be a great place to meet new people. You end up meeting someone for who they are, rather than who they look like they are. It’s likely you’ll have a great time chatting with someone that you wouldn’t otherwise have talked to. And, it’s just fun to dress up and do something crazy sometimes.
Obviously the atmosphere will be different between the more formal masquerade ball versus a masquerade party. A ball is commonly filled with couples, as it is for a specific event like a high school prom or college formal. It can be harder to meet new people at these because attendees generally cling to the one person they know.
At a party however, it’s common for the guests to show up separately. You’ll be able to identify your closest friends, but most people will remain mysterious. Because the environment is less formal, it’s much easier to walk up to a stranger and strike up a conversion.
An additional fun aspect of a masquerade party is that your conversation starter is built in. All you have to do is comment on the other guest’s choice of mask or costume. Perhaps they chose it for a specific reason or made it from scratch? You don’t have to start with the typical party starters like the weather forecast.
Buying or making a great mask is essential for fun at the party though. If your mask is plain or shabby, people will assume that you are plain and shabby. If you pick out a unique one with exciting features, then people will have more to talk to you about. If everyone is wearing a mask that’s white with some glued on sequins but you have a full set of feathers on your mask, you will be a natural target for conversion.
Plus, choosing from the astounding variety of masquerade masks to get ready for the party can be quite fun in itself. It can be tough to find them in stores during the non-October months, but browsing online is always an option.
Tips for Throwing a Masquerade Party
Throwing one of these parties can be as simple or as complicated as you’re willing to attempt. You’ll have to weigh the time invested in planning versus the potential outcomes to see how extravagant you want to go. However, there are some basic fundamentals of masquerade parties that are absolutely necessary. Get these things in order first, and then worry about the bells and whistles of the party.
Invitations
Proper invitations are crucial to a successful masquerade party, but are pretty easy to handle. They don’t have to be formal invitations that you send out in the mail. With technology in every part of our lives now, it is perfectly acceptable to send you invitations by email or even Facebook.
Make sure your masquerade party invitations include the following information:
- Date and Start Time (and perhaps ending time)
- Location
- Dress Code (if mask and/or costume is required, and if there is a specific theme)
- If the invitees are required to bring anything
- RSVP request (if you would like, although people don’t seem to answer them anyway)
Food and Drink
You usually don’t have to make a big deal out of food and drinks for this type of party. You’ll want to at least have a couple drinks available to keep people comfortable, and especially if you plan to have music and dancing. Adult beverages are acceptable if your guests will be of proper drinking age, but if you have a mixed crowd you may want to think about how you will curb underage drinking.
If you want to serve a meal, you can, but you should be sure to mention it on your invitation. Keep in mind that some people have food allergies, or strong preferences, that may keep them from being able to eat mixed dishes. I can’t stop you if you want to go the meal route, but it is usually a huge hassle, especially if you are entertaining a large crowd.
All that is normally expected is a small selection of finger foods. Since you guests will likely all be wearing masks anyway, it would be difficult to eat much else than that without taking the mask off. And it really ruins the party if people take their masks off to eat. It removes all of the mystery.
Decorations and Music
It is difficult to give advice about decorations and music for a masquerade without knowing the details of the room and the formality of the party. You probably want some kind of music regardless of the type of party you’re going with. The decision should be between something lively and danceable, and something more elegant for a formal setting.
Decorations can be as simple or complex as you have the time, money, and effort to put into place. The bigger the party room, generally the more pieces of decoration you will need to create the mood and color scheme that you are attempting to implement. With appropriate food, music, and costume direction for guests, you can often do without a lot of extras. The masquerade ball masks and masquerade costumes that your guests are wearing can help increase the perceived decoration the room.
