How to Decorate for a Dance With a 1950s Theme
When people think of the 1950s -- particularly those who lived through the era -- soda shops, diners, sock hops, rock 'n' roll and cocktail parties come immediately to mind. Any of these scenes can serve as a decorative theme for a 1950s dance party. Indeed, the 1950s are rich with cultural references just begging to be used in a retro party. The key to decorating your 1950s-themed dance is deciding whether to focus on one overall theme or to divide your dance into multiple zones that incorporate a variety of mini themes.
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Instructions
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Define your objective. For instance, is the party for someone who likes to impersonate Elvis? Are you celebrating an older generation's anniversary or family reunion? In most cases, the objective will dictate your overall 1950s theme.
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Know your audience. This will help determine whether you need to decorate using one mid-century theme or multiple mini themes. To keep it simple, you can choose from themes that revolve around "Happy Days," Elvis and cocktail parties, for example. Needless to say, these overall themes can be combined. If your audience is mixed, create distinct party zones. For example, a soda shop zone could entertain young people while a cocktail party zone would ensure that adults enjoyed the party as well.
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Use a 1950s color palette when decorating. These colors include the patriotic reds and blues that might have been found in the typical color schemes of the era's diners and malt shops. You can use a pastel color scheme comprised of greens, browns and oranges for the older set -- think martini colors.
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Accessorize the setting with straw holders, cake dishes -- with cakes or pies inside -- and colorfully decorative tooth picks for munchies to approximate a diner or malt shop feel. If possible, include the all important jukebox as part of the decor.
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Create a timeline for the walls. You can populate it with 1950s song playlists, lyrics and trivia. Use 1950s colors and pictures whenever possible. Displaying photos of your invited guests taken during this period will keep everyone entertained.
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Tips & Warnings
Use the invitation to create the mood immediately. Depending on your specific 1950s theme, for example, you could include a trivia question about the era on the invite and ask people to answer it and bring it with them. This type of invitation can serve as a fun raffle ticket and encourage responses, as well as get attendees in the mood.
References
- Photo Credit Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images
