Hollywood Party -70yr- Our Favorite Guy Movie

Celebrating such a monumental birthday called for an over-the-top celebration!  After looking at old family photographs, we decided to throw a Hollywood-themed party for a dear friend.  We scanned old pictures from throughout his life and used them for great party props and inspiration.  

For the invitation, we took a great headshot from college and made an bright-colored slide in Microsoft Powerpoint that announced a movie premier in studio language [Hometown] Productions in association with [Wife Name] Pictures presents 'Our Favorite Guy Turns 70'.  Please join us for a special premiere at [location] on [date].  To reserve your seat had 50 printed as 4 x 6 photos and then mounted them on plain silver cards.  I used a scrapbooking embosser to add stars to the paper and sent out the invitations making sure the return address was from "SHHH!  IT'S A SURPISE" in a fun font printed on clear address labels to ensure all understood the party was a surprise. 

The local party store had some great Hollywood themed paper products that we used for decorations.  The new sceen setter backdrops that came 4' tall by 50' long enabled us to cover the back wall entirely in an 8' high backdrop.  Because our party was in a school gym we were able to block off half of the gym with three movable bleachers and draped the scene setter across the back to define the huge space and make it more intimate.  We used a 2' by 50' banner of silver and gold stars on a film looking background to border a wall we covered in bright blue paper bought at a teacher supply store. 

We made "curtains" by draping lengths of  black plastic tablecloth runner around bulletin boards mounted in the room we were using.  Those were covered in black corrugated paper also purchased from the teacher supply store.  Inside the bulletin board and on the wall we had covered we mounted movie posters made from an amazing website that lets you make your own posters with your pictures...for free!  You just upload a picture make-up your own movie title sub-title film company credits etc. and save it as a high-resolution photo.  I made 13 and sent them to Costco for printing as 16 x 20 posters for only $15.00 each.  We added some inexpensive frames from A.C. Moore ($5.00 each)and hung them.  They looked amazing!  They also made great momentos for our honoree and his family. 

We also purchased a few strands of garland that looked like old spotlights some hanging gold and silver stars and some hollywood themed signs to help add to the party decor.  We covered the table with alternating black and gold plastic tablecloths sprinkled iridescent glitter down the middle added a few 3" black gold and silver cut-out stars some tea lights and red roses in bud vases.  Place settings were inexpensive silver dinner plates gold napkins and clear plastic cups and utensils.  Someone had some old scrapbooking die cuts of film industry-related items that we also included in the items sprinkled down the center of the tables.  Just two or three on each to not make it too busy looking! 

We also used a silver Sharpie pen to "autograph" the names of key guests at the head table to reserve special seats for family and closest friends.  It was a last-minute add that got lots of positive comments.  We bought a silver mylar tablecloth and made our own balloon weights by filling a small plastic punch cup with rocks covering it in mylar squares gathered at the top with white curling ribbon and attached one each of silver gold and black balloons around the perimeter of the room to define the space.  It cost us less to make 20 weights than it would have cost us to buy one balloon weight from the party store. 

We used a free download of Microsoft Photo Story to make our own "this is your life" video of our honoree for entertainment.  It featured major themes of his life (childhood dating/marriage military service parenthood grandparenthood friends and family retrocpective close) and added appropriate music.  It was a great way to allow people from all aspects of his live to see his accomplishments and by saving it to disks made great momentos for his children grandchildren and relatives.  We also took an old professional studio photo of our honoree created a second slide in powerpoint that allowed us to create a banner across the bottom that listed his name fan club (home) address and a studio logo we  found online and created a fake studio slick. 

After showing our movie we had him sit at a table and sign autographs with a silver Sharpie pen.  He loved the attention and it gave him a chance to spend some one-on-one time with each guest.  We served a full Italian themed dinner and hired a local musician to entertain during dinner and to allow some dancing afterward.  The entire party for over 80 cost less than $10 per person and will long be the talk of town.  We found a positive and first-class way to celebrate the accomplishments of a special friend and created a memory that will last both he and his family a lifetime!"