Engagement Party Theme : Hollywood

Here's a run-through of an engagement party theme and what it might look like for you in terms of planning. We're using a Hollywood theme for our example but there are thousands of other themes that may be better suited for your event.

Be sure to check out some of our other engagement party theme ideas and make sure you read our page on engagement party planning to help keep you organized.

Let's say you decide that you're going to have a dinner at your house on a Saturday night.

The guest list is 30 and one of the engaged couple's favorite things to do is go to the movies.

With that in mind, you decide that the engagement party theme will be all about Hollywood Glam!

It sounds like fun and it's a good fit for the couple ( Mike & Elizabeth) so let's get started...

The Engagement Party Invitations

Your invitations are important for introducing the theme. So, why not load a strip of film on the side of the page, and then write out the invitation like the credits on a movie?

Starring: "Mike & Elizabeth"
Directed by: "Me" with "Filmed on Location: "Your address here" Produced by: "Empress Delight" (the restaurant that will be providing most of the food)

Press Contact: RSVP info here and make sure to give a cut-off date to respond.

Trust us, people actually get more excited and respond faster when they see a theme and carefully thought out invitation.

Now build the guest list, and try to tie-in your menu to your theme. In this case, since one of the most iconic Hollywood movie spots is Mann’s Chinese Theater (where the stars put their footprints in the cement) Chinese food is a good option, quite economical, and fits well with your engagement party theme.

The added bonus here is that it can easily be served buffet-style so you can set things up beforehand and still enjoy the party.

Since the party is on a Saturday night, you have Friday after work and all day Saturday to set the stage, as it were. You don’t want to overload yourself, so allot just a few tasks per day to finalize.

Engagement Party Week Timeline

Weekend before, make the final phone calls to those who haven’t responded. By Sunday, you need what we call your final guest count.

Monday: Rent glasses and plates—it's surprisingly affordable and includes delivery and pickup (best of all, you don’t even have to wash any of it after the party!) This is a huge time saver and makes throwing a party so much easier.

Tuesday: Confirm any ice, liquor, food and cake pickups.

Wednesday: Order the food. All restaurants are experts at helping you determine quantity, and you have your final guest list now.

Thursday: After work, buy any food that you may need that will keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Pick up the liquor and ice for the party. Clean and begin to decorate your house for the "Premiere". Think about anything you have that would fit with the theme and be appropriate for an engagement party.

Friday: Get some flowers from the grocery store and make centerpieces and two extra arrangements for the buffet. Buy a few extra flowers to decorate the trays and the bar area. By Friday evening, double check that all is still clean and tidy.

Note: Don’t leave too many errands for Party Day—you need to be home getting things ready, not running around town!

Saturday: Receive the rentals, set up the buffet table. Line the sidewalk with tea lights, and red balloons, to suggest a red carpet because when your guests arrive, you're going to have two friends outside taking snap shots, call out their names, and take pictures, like paparazzi. What kind of Hollywood style engagement party theme would it be without the paparazzi?

Set up the bar (have a friend come over to help bartend). Serve all drinks in martini glasses, so it looks like glam Hollywood. Keep it simple. Have beer and wine, and vodka with mixers like cranberry, OJ, and tonic.

Get dressed. Don’t leave this step out! A good host looks cool, calm, collected and READY. Never let 'em see you sweat, you know?

At six o’clock the food arrives, and your bartending and paparazzi friends can help you organize the food. By 6:45, you should be set.

7:00 PM, guests arrive. They will have a blast posing for the "cameras" and this will immediately put your guests in the mood for your engagement party theme. You can actually use the pictures later as a gift to the couple, a photo mosaic to help them remember. (We love this idea through Design mosaics and just had one done for a graduation—it came out perfectly!)

During the party, it's your job to make sure your guests needs are met. Watch for empty glasses, either to refill or put away. Check the buffet to see if any dishes need refilling. Your fretting around needs to look casual, not like work, and the host must make an effort to pause and chat with the guests a little, after all, you need to have fun too.

For some party distractions, set up teams to play Trivial Pursuit—the Warner Bros or Silver Screen Editions. They're loaded with questions about the studios and movies, and fits in well with the theme. For those who don’t want to partake, have old movies playing on the TV in another room.

10:30PM, casually start breaking down the buffet. While you need to clean up, your guests aren’t leaving, so make two trays of appetizers and leave them out for noshing. Do the same with the bar, only leaving out a few glasses and whatever seems to be the most popular drink.

Midnight and the guests are leaving. Last chance to check that everyone driving is sober. Have the number to a cab company handy in case anyone needs a ride home.

Remember when planning an engagement party that you have responsibilities before, during and after the party because you need to clean up, put your house back in order and make sure that all rentals have been picked up. So plan accordingly...

A Hollywood engagement party theme is fairly easy to pull off and something that most people can relate to. Use this idea as a springboard for your own themed party, turn it into a Bollywood theme and serve Indian food, or narrow down the theme to just one movie.

Check out some of our best ideas for engagement party themes and get inspired!