Theme-Setting 101, Color Use

Faux human remains aside, at least as high on the decorating list should be the liberal use of color. Practically every conventional holiday theme comes with its own specific color palette -- Christmas in the U.S. is red, green, and white, Easter is in pastels (yecccch), St. Patrick’s Day is green, etc. 

Non-holiday parties are similar – selecting appropriate colors is almost always a good idea.

If the party is for someone - like a milestone birthday - the obvious choice is to use the birthday boy or girl’s favorites colors, if they have any ... or black, if its one of those over-the-hill parties. For some reason, black is also popular (at least in the U.S) as a 'pirate' color, especially when combined with red ... just look at any pirate costumes you find in stores or online. So, for an adult pirate-themed party (fun!), black and red  … would be solid, expected choices ... and so on.

For your decorating, color doesn’t just have to be streamers, though those are useful, certainly. More practical are paper napkins, cups, and plates – as long as they need to be at the party (and we strongly recommend they are, to preserve the host’s sanity during cleanup)  they might as well support the party theme too. Its easy to find solid-colored paper plates, cups, and napkins -- and rather than get all the same of one color, we recommend playing mix and match – if you’re having a Halloween party, for instance, get orange plates and plastic silverware, and then black napkins. Colored plates and such do cost a little more, but this can be largely mitigated by ordering from a bulk supplier like Oriental Trading Company or M&N International. And, solid-colored paper plates, cups, and napkins are still cheaper, normally, than springing for printed themed paperware, like plates, etc. with colored pictures of jack-o-lanterns all over them -- and, in my opinion, just as effective. What are your guests going to do with that jack-o-lantern plate, anyway? Put food on it so you can't see the picture, that's what.

When extreme decor attacks!