5 Golden Rules For Hosting A “Luxe” Oscar® Night For Less!

Editor’s Note: This post comes from partner site The PartyBluPrints Blog.

It’s awards week – everyone’s buzzing about the big event in Hollywood this Sunday. While Hollywood is preparing for their 82nd annual awards event, plan your own viewing party. Who doesn’t like to tune in to see what the stars are wearing, who they’re with and who wins? It’s even more fun when you have company!

We’ve got great tips for celebrating in caviar style on a burger budget. The entertainment is free, so simply supply a comfortable viewing area and some “goodies” (cocktail, food and swag bag) and then sit back, relax and watch the show.

1. $ Saving Tip – A cocktail accented with champagne requires significantly less champagne per drink than a stand alone glass of champagne, but looks equally as elegant and more intriguing.

Hollywood always celebrates this event with champagne, so we’ve selected one of our favorite cocktails that features champagne, The French 75 – it’s Retro Glam. Check out the French 75 recipe.

2. $ Saving Tip – Deck out basic comfort food. Make your guests feel like stars by serving fancy, but easy to eat comfort food. While Hollywood is dining on chicken pot pies topped with black truffle shavings, garden spring vegetable salad and potato pancakes topped with smoked salmon our solution to dining like the stars for a fraction of the cost is to serve the same main elements in a Gilded Baked Potato Bar and personal Chicken Pot Pies.

• Decadent Gilded Baked Potato Bar – Using baked potatoes swathed in gold foil, each guest can fashion their own potato with fancy hand selected special toppings. This main course pays homage to the “Little Gold Man” and the decked out stars. Check out the recipe and instructions.
• Chicken Pot Pie Recipe – While the stars are dining on Wolfgang Puck’s Chicken Pot Pies topped with shaved truffles, treat your guests to personal chicken pot pies. For a special touch, monogram each pie with guests’ initials. Prepare pies ahead of time and then heat through just before serving. Check out the Chicken Pot Pie recipe and instructions.
• Deconstructed Baked Alaska – As the Baked Alaska is marched through the Governor’s Ball, treat your guests to individual sized Deconstructed Baked Alaska – more comfort food dressed up. Your guests will feel special and satisfied as they devour your star dazzling dessert. Check out the recipe and instructions.

3. $ Saving Tip – Instead of spending money on disposable plates, utensils, napkins and glasses, mix and match your own plates, glasses and flatware (if you want to go all out, pull out the good stuff). Use cloth napkins instead of paper – this alone will make your guests feel special.

4. $ Saving Tip – Viewing party entertainment and activities are free. Print the Official Ballot Form from Oscar.com and try the Partybluprints’ Red Carpet Voting Sheet for lots of fun categories to vote on. Ask guests to complete voting before awards show begins. Collect sheets, tally votes and post crowd favorites.

5. $ Saving Tip – Any true Hollywood styled event is not complete without the swag bag – a bag filled with lots of “swag”, an assortment of goodies. Make your guests feel like stars by presenting them with a Swag Bag at the beginning of the party. Set a budget before you start shopping and stick to it. One way to be economical is by making “snacks” part of your favor. Instead of buying a multitude of munchies, purchase a few boxes of snack sized bags to divvy up among Swag Bags.

Ours is filled with goodies you can enjoy all night long, through the next few days and once you’ve exhausted the contents, use the bag as a shopping tote.

Suggestions:

• Shopping Tote (Pier 1) – $3
• Flip Flops (Target) – $.70 or Cozy Socks (local drugstore) – $.99
• Alba Lip Balm (local drugstore) – $3.49
• Junior Mints 12 oz. movie style box (Target) – $2.69
• Assorted Nuts (Target) – box of 5 for $4.49
• Smartfood popcorn clusters – Gourmet Popcorn Mix (Target) – box of 5 for $3.00

… and the Oscar(R) goes to YOU, for hosting a sensational party!