Guest Author - Amelia Johnson
Do you love to take pictures? Throw a birthday party with a lot of personality. Arm your guests with a disposable camera and tell them to have fun. You'll be surprised with what you come up with.
The invitation:
Purchase pre-printed invites or make your own by printing a photo of a vintage camera on white cardstock and then fill in the details. Send invites two to four weeks in advance to make sure your guests have enough notice.
The decoration:
Be sure to purchase enough disposable cameras for every guest in attendance. If there will be a large group, you could assign one per family or per couple. Simply write the name of the group on the camera. Place cameras in a large basket by the entrance to your venue. Encourage guests to start snapping right away.
-Put out baskets of 'props' if you have any on hand.
Suggestions:
Hats
Feather Boas
Kids/Costume jewelry
Coats or old clothing that is no longer worn
Old Halloween costumes or wigs
Footballs, beach balls, etc
Puffy pillows
-Pick a spot in the party area with the most light, and put up a few sheets (used for backdrops) in various colors. Your guests can have fun posing during the festivities!
-Add streamers, balloons, colorful tablecloths, or any themed birthday supplies you like. Have fun with it!
The Music
Play anything with a catchy beat to encourage guests to move around and have a good time. Top 40 music appeals to a wide variety of people, as does 'upbeat' country songs, but if you have a group with varying opinions on music stick with oldies or kid-themed music (if it is a child's birthday party)
The Party Favors
After the guests are gone, comes the funnest part: looking at the photos! Develop photos and go through and pick the best from every set. Have enough reprints made of each of the best photographs to give a set to each family/group that attended the party. Buy inexpensive photo albums that will hold your photos (photo albums that hold 20 photos generally cost $1 at discount stores), and send them out. Your guests will love seeing their photos!
