People tend to shun occasions such as Valentine’s Day, but not you. You recognize that it’s a chance to make memories with your family and friends. Show them your love and do something besides pass chocolate and cards.
Want to throw a singles party? A kid’s Valentine’s party? Or get your paired friends together for an unforgettable themed dinner and games?
Whatever your reason for planning, a theme and an interesting cutout is a must. Below you’ll find everything you need to throw an unbelievable Valentine party. Included are party ideas and themes. We also give you ideas for unique Valentine’s Day party supplies, decorations, and cutouts.
Valentine’s Day Party Themes
You might be asking why a Valentine’s Day party needs a theme at all- it’s Valentine’s Day after all- hearts and stuff. Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is not a theme. It is the holiday, the occasion.
In any event, picking your party theme should be your first step. Picking a theme sets your party apart from the rest. It sends the message that you didn’t throw this thing together. It’s going to be a party to remember.
There are limitless opportunities for Valentine themes. You can use an established theme as a baseline for your creativity to expand on. You could also come up with a completely new idea! Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Valentine’s Day Party Themes for Adults
- Pucker Up– Interpret this theme in a few different ways. Bring lemons into the mix, with lemon wedge balloons and cutouts and use yellow as your primary color. Or be more traditional with lips as your
main staple.
- All You Need Is Love– Imagine the Beatles’s song “All You Need Is Love” flitting through the air. Surround your party with groovy 60’s and 70’s decorations.
- You BBQ My Heart– Having a cookout is a great way to get everyone outside, or together at a table.
- You’re Just My Cup Of Tea– Have a tea party and twist in a bit of Alice In Wonderland.
- True Love’s Kiss– If you and your friends are Disney princess fans, this could be a fun way to dress up together. Create a royal palace of your own and try on some dresses. For a couple’s party- dress up as your favorite Disney couples (there’s a kid in all us).
- 10 Things I Hate About You– For singles parties, or as a fun way to mix things up, this theme can point you in a lot of directions.
- Truth Or Dare Affair– Make this a night of unique truth or dare competitions. Set up dares that involve things that get everyone involved.
- Cupid Shuffle– A great singles party idea. Form bonds between people who already know each other, or an opportunity to match people up. A fun idea is to create Valentines and deliver them anonymously either before or after the party.
- Written In The Stars– Play with destiny or star signs and palm reading to tell when you’ll meet your one true love.
Valentine’s Day Party Themes for Kids
- One Cute Cupcake– Have a baking party or cupcake decorating party for the kids. End with their masterpieces displayed before devoured.
- Heart Of The Truest Believer– Fairies can’t survive if no one believes in them. True believers keep magic and love alive. Or let them dress up as their favorite Disney couples.
- Acts of Love– Random acts of kindness should always be shown. Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity for kids to learn what love means. They can spread this love with random acts of kindness. Set up a craft for them and then take them to an assisted living home to pass out their creations.
- Love Bugs– Don’t let the love bugs bite. Create antennae for the kids and wings so they can fly around, spreading love.
- Alice In Love Land– Giant teddy bears and tasty tea and mini heart cakes that make them big or small.
Now that you have a few themes in mind, you might be wondering what your next steps are. Here’s how to take that theme and run with it.
How to Host A Valentine’s Day Party
You may be an excellent host and often throw parties, or you may be new to this whole party throwing thing. Throwing a party that encapsulates the spirit of a holiday can leave you guessing at where to start.
Planning a party can be complicated. We’ve broken it down into easy steps below:
Step 1: Pick A Theme
“Theme” is what the entire party centers around, including clothes, food, and decorations. A theme offers a direction for a party, providing guests with certain expectations. It is an identifier, a separator much in the way your “Under the Sea” dance was from calling it “spring formal.”
There are several benefits to having a theme, besides creating a direction for your party. These are:
- Gaining interest– People are more interested in things that stray from what they’ve seen in the past. A “Pucker Up” party might gain more interest than your “Valentine’s Day party.”
- Costumes– People like to dress up. Wear a costume or have a chance to wear that one outfit you’ve never worn. People get excited at the opportunity.
- Instagram worthy– A party like this is a bonding experience. Memories will be captured and posted on social media. Having a theme gives everyone a unique background that will gain attention.
- Setting your party apart– A theme creates a different impression of your party. It tells intended guests that this isn’t a regular gathering, making it easier to remember.
We’ve listed themes above, and they’ve likely given you a few ideas. Once you’ve selected a theme or created your own, you’ll want to move on to the next step.
Step 2: Space & Budget
Your budget will determine what type of space you can rent out, how many people you can afford invite, the type of food you can serve, and the type and amount of Valentine decorations you can buy.
First, determine how much money you want to spend on this party. Use that as your guiding hand for the rest of your planning.
Step 3: Activities
Sharing a meal, drinking tea, or baking together is all fine and good. It’ll still make for an enjoyable party. But what’ll turn your party into something to remember are the activities and games.
Here is a list of activities for both kids and adults that’ll make any party fun and unique:
- I Spy– Hide things around your home or party space for guests to find, and by the end of the party, win a prize.
- Truth or Dare– Pre-arrange dares that your guests must do – make them fun and engaging for all your guests.
- Newlyweds– A game for all couples. See how much you know about each other. Compete for prizes.
- Family Feud– Get into groups and work together in a Valentine’s battle.
- Love stories– A guessing game where you tell love stories. Teams must guess what movie, show, cartoon, or book it’s from.
- Blind date– Separate your guests between rooms. Blindfold them and return them to the same room. They’ll have to move around the room trying to find their significant other or partner without talking or making any other sounds. First couple to find each other win.
The activities you decide to do during your party may change the decorations or supplies you’ll need. It’s a great idea to pick these before the next step.
Step 4: Valentine’s Day Party Decorations
You can find Valentine’s Day decorations at various party stores or online. Know that they aren’t necessary. You can use decorations meant for other things when decorating for your party.
Take, for example, the “All You Need Is Love” Valentine’s Day party theme. Fill your home or party space with a ton of flowers, real, not, or a combination of the two. Add a lot of suede and macrame pillows and your guests are bound to get the vibe.
Decoration considerations:
- Table cloths
- Chair covers or sashes
- Pillows
- Knick-knacks
- Hanging decorations
- Curtains- to dramatically change the space
- Signs
- Table displays – dress up your food station
- Play old black and white movies or share photos on a screen or on a projector
Tip: There are a lot of websites that allow you to create your own printouts, stickers, invitations, signs, and cutouts.
Cardboard cutouts are among one of the most unique decorations for any party. Design your own Valentine’s day cutouts. You can have a life-size cutout of your favorite heartthrobs, or have a cutout of the Eiffel Tower.
Step 5: Food
When you decide on the type of food you want to serve at your party, be aware of the time you are holding this party. For parties more than two hours, have something large enough to hold them over until their next meal.
If your party is during meal time, provide a full meal.
You may also want to consider food that matches your theme. For holding a tea party, have biscuits, little cakes,and cookies, cupcakes. etc. If your theme includes a specific time or place, find foods that are reminiscent of that era or location.
No matter what food you serve, have it all planned well in advance. You can budget for it and decide if you’re making it all or having your party catered. Any business will need to have advanced notice to ensure that they are not overbooked.
Step 6: Invitations
Design your invitations or find Valentine’s Day invitations that match your theme. Either way, make sure that they go out in time for your guests to receive them and respond.
Throwing a Valentine’s Day party is a great way to spread your love! Get your friends together and create memories that last a lifetime.
Conclusion
Make your party even more memorable and unique with Standees or BigHeads! We wish to help make your Valentine’s party the best. Order top quality cutouts at the lowest competitive prices. We help you stay within your party budget. Browse our products, design your own, or contact us.
Jason Frank Jason Frank is the Co-Founder and Vice President at Cardboard Cutout Standees. After 25 years of selling factory automation he started the company with one of his college roommates.The company has grown to one of the largest providers of large format custom printed products in the United States. Along with the namesake cardboard cutout standees, they also provide BigHeads, Point of Purchase Displays, Wall Murals, and Wall Decals to a diverse client base across the US and Canada.When not focused on the business, you usually find Jason either on the road biking or our in the woods and fields of western Wisconsin.
