James Bond Theme the entire party around James Bond movies. Lilly suggests using black tux invites and telling all the guests to come dressed as their favorite 007 characters (think Goldfinger and Miss Moneypenny). When guests walk in, have martinis on the ready -- shaken not stirred of course. For food, Lilly suggests setting up fun global food stations. Have a station called Hong Kong featuring egg rolls and noodles; a London station with fish and chips; and an Italian station with pasta and focaccia. A cigar bar is also a must. As for the music, look into downloading James Bond soundtracks.
Wine, cheese, and chocolate Add a twist to the common wine and cheese party by adding chocolate to the mix. Use mini fondue sets or set a couple large Crock-Pots at each table for guests to indulge on melted cheeses (fontina is a great option) with breads and meats to dip. Then move onto the chocolate course. You could rent or buy a fountain for the chocolate, and to really go all out, have two chocolate fountains -- one dark chocolate and one white chocolate. Also, have a variety of dipping options for the chocolate -- get fruits like pineapple and strawberries and baked goods like mini cookies and Rice Krispie treats.
Casino night For the card-playing fanatic, throw a casino night. You can rent all the game tables (baccarat, roulette, poker, and craps) from a local entertainment company, and even hire dealers and cocktail waitresses.
Or, do it all yourself at home. Set up several card tables and cover them with tablecloths for poker and black jack. We know someone who made a craps board out of wood and covered it with green felt. You could also ask some friends to help out for a night, to deal cards and serve up drinks. As for food, keep it light and simple by providing small bite-size hors d'oeuvres.
French food Take a lead from the guest of honor�s favorite food and theme the party that way. For an over-the-top French food party, serve a sit-down dinner of steak au poivre (sirloin steak with pepper) and all the sides. As entertainment, Lilly suggests bringing in a sommelier to teach your guests about French wines and French food. Hand out wine tasting cards for your guests as they try different wines and decide on their favorites (also a great take-home favor). Then, keep the party going late into the evening by serving up pommes frittes (french fry) stations with different sauces for dipping as a late-night snack.
Era by era Honor the birthday guest by throwing a through-the-years party, suggests Lilly. Serve dinner at four separate stations. For the childhood station, serve up mini turkey sandwiches or macaroni and cheese; for the teen station, Lilly suggests providing pizza and Hotpockets; the twenties station might include easy-to-make food like pasta and salad; and for the thirties station, serve up something a little more sophisticated like sushi. And theme the drinks at each station too. You could have Kool-Aid (spiked or unspiked) for the childhood station; soda for the teen station; a low-end beer at the twenties station; and cocktails for the thirties station. As for decor, place a picture or group of pictures featuring the guest of honor from every era at all the stations.
