It is almost time for another Oscar party (my 9th annual to be exact). I have mentioned that I throw a killer Oscar party. I have friends that fly in, even from other countries! I have searched on the internet for people’s Oscar party ideas (yes, even on Pinterest) and no one has had a complete list, in my opinion. I decided, with the Oscars coming soon, Sunday, February 9th on ABC, to share with you the way it should be done… with a twist. I am a Disney fashionista, after all. I throw the party of the year while showing my Disney Side! As I mentioned in Part 1 of this concept a couple of years ago, not everything has a Disney twist but, if done right, you can keep it classy and add Disney effects that some people may not even notice (except for you, of course). Let’s take a look at what I consider to be the top 15 ways to throw an Oscar party (I said I could do a top 10 but it’s not enough)!
1. Send out fun invitations: I have mine professionally done and limit the amount of people I invite to the amount of seating I have. I request people come red carpet ready and I don’t think you can invite people to come that way and then make them stand for hours on end.
2. Have An Oscar-Worthy Entrance– I start my walkway with the hands in cement that are found at Grauman’s Theater (This is what you used to find The Great Movie Ride in at Disney’s Hollywood Studios). I then have the walk of fame with stars for each invited guest. I even have a step and repeat to stand in front of for interviews! The entryway of my home is done in an organza tent draping effect with backlighting (I found the fabric for $40 on Amazon and reuse it each year). There are red velvet ropes as well, of course. There is also a red carpet… a real red carpet. To show my Disney Side, I have gold Mickey silhouettes scattered along the red carpet to add a splash of golden Mickey to the mix. It looks like confetti and doesn’t cheapen the effect at all. I also have Golden Mickey statues I got on the Disney Cruise Ships! People arriving feel important and that’s how I want them to feel.
3. Have your guests interviewed- I “hire” a fashion consultant and celebrity consultant (friends of course) to interview the guests as they arrive. The fashion consultant talks about what they are wearing, etc and the celebrity consultant is my version of Ryan Seacrest. She asks who you are Disney Bounding as and to explain your look, as well as other pertinent questions about the Oscar nominees.
4. Have A Mani Cam– These are super easy to make and are all the rage on red carpet pre-shows. I have my fashion consultant take my guest to the mani cam and do the walk. I tend to do my nails in some type of Disney Design that goes with my dress and cute Disney jewelry to show my Disney Side. It’s super cheap to make and the guests love it!
5. Have Paparazzi- I have someone who runs around dressed as the press taking pictures all night. I also have a vinyl window decoration of paparazzi in the dining room so it looks like they are looking in. I attached motion sensor lights to the blinds they are peaking through to go off like camera lights whenever someone enters that area. There is even a motion censored clicking device that makes the sound of the cameras at the same time. It’s awesome.
Benedict and I fearful that Doctor Strange would not take home the Oscar one year
6. Have Celebrities- I can’t afford to fly in any real celebrities so I have added a new “guest” every year in the form of a celebrity cardboard stand up. I have shown my Disney Side here by bringing Zac Efron from his High School Musical days with me, every year for the past few years (I know one pic is of Robert Pattinson but I thought it was fun). I also have Star Wars characters making an appearance! Above, you can see that Benedict Cumberbatch has also dropped in. People love posing with the celebrities and we move them around and such so it looks like they are mingling in pictures. It’s quite amusing.
7. Have An Open Bar– I know many of you might be questioning this and that’s fine. My guests are with me for around 5-6 hours including the red carpet and the “after party”. They have a few drinks at the beginning and then switch to non-alcoholic served to them by my bartender. Never let your guests leave if they are intoxicated, clearly! Now, that being said, this is another great way to show your Disney Side! I like to have a bar menu that includes constant drinks each year and then a few new additions. I theme the new additions around whatever Disney films are nominated that year! A couple of years ago we had Judy’s Hustle (Zootopia) and Moana Pineapple Soda Punch (Moana), a fun drink to honor the movies nominated for best animated feature. The other way to show my Disney Side at the bar is with Mickey ice cubes for the drinks. It’s subtle but perfect. This year we have a few new drinks and snacks themed around many of the nominated Disney films…. watch the live feed on FB!
8. Have Heavy Appetizers– I also offer food at my event. When I say heavy appetizers, I mean enough so that people can make a meal out of it. I also show my Disney Side with the food. It’s the same concept as the drinks but with the appetizers. Last year we had Incredibles cookies!
9. Give Away Swag Bags– I will admit that I spend some good money on swag bags but you don’t have to go the same route. I have an area that has everything set up elaborately and my hostess guides them through the process of picking their items. I have 10 items per guest which have included sunglasses, perfume, wine, $1000000 chocolate bars, clipboard key chains, makeup and, of course, movies. The movies are how I show my Disney Side, by making them Disney made films. I have had Disney scented candles in the bags, as well. We have also had Disney Jamberry wraps! People love getting free gifts!
10. Choose Your Oscar Winners– We have ballots available for every guest to fill out their choice of winners for every category nominated. We keep track as we go and then, at the end of the night, we hand out an award to the person who got the most correct.
11. Oscar Bingo- The Oscars can be a long show and not everyone loves it as much as I do. To keep people entertained, we have bingo cards (found on Etsy) that are specific to each year’s host and nominees. We play as the show goes along and it really gets quite fun and rowdy. People really get into it. Everyone gets their own unique bingo card with a sheet of Minnie stickers to use to fill the squares as they get them correct. That’s how I show my Disney side here. As people call out Bingo, they receive a special prize. Everyone gets one by the end of the night.
12. Costume Changes– As the hostess, I try to imitate the host of the Oscars. They have costume changes and so do I!! I tend to have a different dress for the red carpet, the show and the after party. I also change my hair and makeup with each look. The way I show my Disney Side here is using Disney Bounding eye makeup looks and dresses. This year for the fourth year in a row, I have asked the guests to red carpet Disney Bound their looks! We will be doing a live feed on the Disney Fashionista FB page of the looks on Oscar night.
13. Have A Concession Stand- This far into the night people are starting to get hungry again. I have a concession stand with popcorn and movie candy to help with the munchies. The popcorn will be made in our Mickey popcorn maker!
14. End of The Show Treat- I like to have my hostess serve tuxedo chocolate covered strawberries 3/4 of the way through the Oscars as a classy snack/treat.
15. Give Out Awards– At the end of the night, I have my hostess and celebrity consultant come in with the briefcase of award winners (this pic was taken back when I did it myself). Throughout the night we play our own little nomination game and give out awards for Best Dressed, Best Hair, Best Jewelry, Most Guessed, Least Guessed, Best Shoes etc. The process is the same as the Oscars with ballots being counted by the hostess and awarded with black envelopes that are sealed. It’s a fun way to wrap up the party with our own Oscar statues that we give out.
Now this year’s Oscar party has a twist. I am hosting it as a charity event for On Our Sleeves. This is movement to transform children’s mental health and, as a pediatric nurse, this is something very important to me. I am asking the guests to donate money for the charity and we are also having a silent auction. Ashley Taylor has generously created and donated a one of a kind piece of art that guests will be able to bid on and all proceeds will be going to the charity.
That about sums it up. It’s elaborate. I did warn you. You can do one or all of these but I promise it’s a party not to be missed. An Oscar party you can be proud to show off your Disney Side at. Make sure you check out the Oscars on February 24th, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC.
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