Masquerades were a firmly established part of city life in England by the 1720's. Later in the century, public masquerades in celebration of special events drew in thousands of people.



Masquerade balls were sometimes set as a game among the guests. The masked guests were supposedly dressed so as to be unidentifiable. This would create a type of game to see if a guest could determine each other's identities.

A new resurgence of masquerade balls started in the late 1990s in North America and are still held today.

What does it take to host a masquerade party you ask? Well here are a few ideas.

First you should come up with a theme or party slogan. The slogan will help guests pick out their costumes and help you with the decorations. Here are a few examples: Angels and Devils, Favorite Historical Figures, Favorite Action Figure, Going Greek, or A Formal Night Out.

Next, you will prepare your invitations. You can either go all out and have your invitations printed by professional printers or create your own on the computer.

Before sending out your invitations, you may want to think out what type of attire you will require for your party, if any. If you are hosting a formal party, you may ask guests to dress in black-tie formal wear. If you expect that some people will be reluctant, make the party "Black-tie Optional." That way, most people will come dressed up, and those who don't want to won't avoid the party.

Picking out music is next. Depending on your party's theme you can either choose to hire a string quartet or hire a DJ. If you can't afford either of these, just get a friend to help you choose CD's to put in the player throughout the night.

Decorations are next on the list. Before you select your decorations, choose a color theme to work with. Generally, working with at least two colors, but no more than three works best. For a masquerade theme, choose one solid color, and complement it with either silver or gold. With decorations you can go all out at the party store or just get creative at the craft store. Never underestimate the power of the imagination.

One inexpensive way to decorate is with balloons. Balloon strands and swags are the perfect accessory to hang across the ceiling of a large ballroom, tent or gymnasium. For a very dramatic look, outline a dance floor or the perimeter of a room with balloon strands. Balloon columns work much the same way that balloon arches do, in that they are ideal when placed at entryways, for use as a photo backdrop, or as a terrific splash of color placed at intervals around a party room.

Columns provide an elegant decorating touch. Columns can be purchased ready-made and then accented with gossamer, streamers, or garland.

Serving food? Think ahead about your tableware. For the tables themselves, use super-shine table covers and skirting in silver or gold. This will add to the formal elegant tone of the evening. Most guests don't expect to eat off of good china. Paper plates and napkins come in many different colors and themes. Metallic silver or gold paper goods can make your table appear quite formal without paying a fortune. Cleanup is also much less costly.

As far as the cutlery, here is a tip to make plastic look more festive. For an original touch on your party table, use a paint pen in a color to complement your theme colors to draw random dots or squiggles on the handles of plastic cutlery. Tie the plastic flatware together with floral or satin ribbon ... big impact at a little price!

If you want to give back to your guests a little memento of the night, check out the huge selection of custom imprinted glassware available on the market today. There are flutes, goblets, mugs, and snifters in a multitude of sizes, shapes, style and color options. Guests can take the glass home after the party and fondly recall it every time they see the glass. Within your glassware you can place a gathered cloth or paper napkin to create a tall dramatic look at each place setting. Glassware filled with candy, mints, or chocolate treats or with metallic shred to match your theme colors also creates a terrific table accent.

Food is important at a party, whether it is a formal sit down meal or just providing appetizers. Thinking through how you will serve your food will keep your party's theme in focus.

And last is your costume. If your masquerade party includes people dressing up in full costume, you should prepare finding yours well in advance before the party as you will have plenty of other details to take care of in just getting the party started.

Following these few tips will help you succeed in having the best, most talked about masquerade party in your community.