Hi! I'm Jo Ann Wentzel and I want to be your one-stop shopping source for planning theme parties. For years, I've planned theme parties for every occasion imaginable for both children and adults. I like planning parties so much; I even invent reasons to celebrate. You can give memorable parties with a minimum of fuss by building your party around a theme.

Theme parties have gained popularity as we find ourselves becoming jaded by the numerous parties we attend, each a carbon copy of the last. Guests enjoy themes since it is a chance to engage in an activity that is novel and fun. They love being someone else as they slip into a role that is far from their true identity. These parties give folks a chance to indulge in fantasies and pretend to be part of exotic places. They can climb into the time machine as they travel to an historic, distant past or an unknown place in the future.

When planning a party, we must decide upon many details. There are paper products to select, food to choose, figuring how many guests to invite, and where to give your party. If you want to have entertainment, you will need to select music, movies, entertainers, games, and even arrange for equipment to make your party entertainment a success. When you decide upon a theme party, many of these selections are already decided for you. For example: If you are having a 50's Party and you are planning a sock hop, you know you want music from the 50's rather than disco. When you decide on a Little Mermaid party, it stands to reason you will use available paper products with that theme. Of course, you can design your own party's accessories by choosing appropriate colors and designs. But a theme provides the starting point.

Finding an idea for a theme party is the first place to start. Ask yourself these questions? Are your guests going to be children or adults or both? Will it be inside or outside? What are your friend's favorite activities? Is there a common interest? What is the occasion of the party?

Got your answers? Okay, let's go. We will say this is a party for children. You need to consider both age and possibly sex of your guests for some themes. We will say the age is 8 to 10 year old girls. This might be a birthday party.

Another consideration could be the number of guests that will attend. If you are having two dozen kids rather than 6, that could influence what kind of party you select. For our purposes we will pretend there will be 6 or 8 girls. They are frilly, feminine, and like girl things. Okay, how about a Dress-Up Tea Party. Just one of many, we will talk about in future weeks. Maybe these are more rough and tumble girls. How about making them Olympic Stars for a party that features lots of outdoor games and contests allowing them to compete for a Gold Medal. This theme might play up the color gold in decorations and paper products, or a more international color theme.

You could plan a Wild West party for boys or maybe A Pirates Party where guests really dug for hidden treasure. There are ready-made supplies for themes of many cartoon characters, TV personalities, and popular culture subjects. I'll show you how to add some special touches so even these will not be exactly like other's parties when using those same products.

Adults are no different than kids when it comes to enjoying parties and wanting to have a good time. We have had wonderful parties using a Renaissance theme, Hollywood Movie Stars, Roaring 20's, and lots of holiday motifs. We always added many ideas to make the party memorable and set it apart from the ordinary. Wouldn't it be fun to ask adult guests to dress in a costume representing their favorite childhood character from a book or fairytale? Then, you as host or hostess could build the entire theme around this idea. Your job would be to make pages come alive from their favorite childhood stories.

Today, weddings can have themes. You can actually save money, if you are not afraid to have an untraditional wedding. Break away from the everyday. Turn your wedding into a visit to Camelot and impress the ladies and knights of the realm with your outstanding choice.

Many corporations have annual events where an evening dance or special banquet is planned. These can be something to write home about, if you use some ingenuity to make this evening unique. Maybe the sales department and advertising personnel will finally agree on something when they all have fun aboard Cleopatra's barge or at your very own Las Vegas Casino.

Want more ideas, head for your library for lots of books on different eras, personalities, and events to spark your imagination. Don't forget to surf the web and visit sites listed to help you in this fun project.

So when you get ready to celebrate a special occasion and entertaining is top on your mind, try a theme party. Don't be afraid. Let your imagination run wild. Let those creative juices flow and make a memory with a party your guests will talk about for years to come.

Credits: Jo Ann Wentzel