Your Oscar Party: The Decorations

Lights, camera—taffeta! Okay, you don’t have to make your Oscar party look like a high school dance, but you can definitely add some artistic flair to jazz it up and impress your guests.

First, you’ll need a red carpet. What would Oscar night be without one? If you’re lucky enough to already have one on hand, perfect. You’re set. If not, you can create your own by cutting a red flat sheet to size or making a large pot of red gummy goo. If nothing else, use red tablecloths around the room for a similar effect.

Next, cut up some large “Walk of Fame” stars out of yellow or gold construction paper and write the names of the nominated actors and actresses on them in bold, permanent marker. Outline with gold glitter if you like, and then hang them on the walls. Print, blow up, and cut out large images of movie reels, director boards, and other filmmaking gear to hang up if you like as well—or design your own. You can also use real replicas if you like.

Think glitz, glamour, gold. Use champagne flutes to float tiny candles in and surround them with gold confetti as centerpieces, or make your own cheap centerpiece by wrapping up aluminum cans with golden craft foil and then using strips of the foil to stick in the top opening of the can like fountains. Alternatively, try curling bits of golden ribbon and leaving them around as accent pieces.

If you’re planning on hosting the event, you might want to invest in a microphone if you don’t have one already. You can always use a kid’s microphone to save on costs, or make a fake one if you have a small gathering.

If you have access to movie posters, life-size movie star stand ups, or autographed photos, hang them up. You might want to cut some photos from magazines or print them off the computer, sign them as if the stars had signed them, and put them over your pictures in your photo frames for some added star power.

Some suggest hiring a limousine service to stay outside for the night for photo opportunities, and then a run around town at the beginning or end of the party. If this isn’t in the budget, you definitely can skip this decoration! Instead, have each guest pose with a plastic Oscar award, or Photoshop a limousine in each guest’s picture before printing them.