Twinkle Lights are not just for
Christmas anymore! Just by hanging a few strands around the room,
you create a romantic glow that will "wow" all of your Romeos and
Juliet's!
Table Decor
Set
the mood for your party by decorating the table with
Valentine's Paper Goods
(plates, cups, napkins, & tablecover). We all love Candy Hearts with
messages. Combine with solid
Red Tableware
for a designer look.
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In this picture the tables were
covered in white linens with red organza overlays. Chairs
were covered in white chair covers with red organza sashes. White
napkins were folded so that cutlery could be placed inside. Gold charger
plates held 3 pillar candles of varied heights, decorated with ribbon.
Rose petals were scattered on the tables around the charger plates.
White china and crystal water goblets were used. A heart shaped cookie
favor with the word "LOVE" was placed at each guest setting and gold
hearts were used for placecards. |
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The "Ruby Table":
Set your tables aglow with a red velvet tablecloth, deep red roses at the
center, and a faux-ruby glued to each place card. Carry the theme through
to your menu with chocolate-covered strawberries dusted
with edible 24-karat gold powder. Bathe everything in candlelight!
The "Heart
Pomander
Table":
A ball covered with
carnation blooms is the centerpiece for this table. Set the table with a red tablecloth.
The Heart Pomander is made with a large round
8" OASIS® Sphere, white & red carnations, & 22 gauge green florist
wire, Start by cutting a piece from one side of the
OASIS® Sphere to
create a flat surface. This will be the bottom of the centerpiece. Place
Carnations in water for at least 30 minutes before cutting, this will
allow the flowers to soak up the water. Cut the carnation stems off just
below the green area under the bloom at the top of the stem (cutting under
water will prolong the life of the flowers). Cut floral wire into 3"
pieces. Now take your florist wire and push it through the green area
under the bloom. Bend the wire down to form a hairpin shape. Start with
the red carnations and insert about 6 blooms into the
OASIS® Sphere
forming a
heart shape (pressing a heart-shaped cookie cutter down into the foam is a
great way to place the outline for your heart shape onto the foam). Place
several heart shapes on the surface of the Sphere, then fill in
all the empty areas with the white carnations. This is a lovely
centerpiece and carnation are one of the least expensive flowers. Place the
heart sphere onto a clear glass plate or into a floral design container. Variation: If
you don't want the heart shape, then just fill the entire surface of the Sphere
with a carnations either in white or red.
Add white china and several
frosted
votive candle nestled in a silver heart shaped stand
around the centerpiece for an elegant
table setting. Red Napkins can be placed on each plate with a single white
carnation tucked inside.
The "Rose Topiary"
An elegant rose
topiary is perfect for guest tables. The cost will be higher at this time
of the year, but if your budget will allow this is a lovely option for a table
centerpiece.
The Philodendron Plant
The philodendron plant has heart-shaped
leaves and so makes an appropriate centerpiece. If you wish, hang
heart cutouts on it.
Favor Ideas:
Give your guests
favors that are symbolic of the
day...
Hershey's shows how to make Sweetheart
Roses from their caramel KISSES, great for favors. Place one in the middle of each plate for a
lovely touch.
Make sachets from a decorative piece of fabric. Cut
fabric into two hearts. Sew the two hearts together, leaving a small opening.
Stuff with potpourri and sew shut. Decorate with ribbon or glitter if desired.
Generally speaking, most Valentine's
celebrations include a sweetheart dance. Many times this is all that
is required in the way of entertainment for the guests at your
event, but if you are looking for some other ideas to keep your
lovebirds busy that night, we have the following suggestions:
Drawing A
Valentine
Props: Piece of paper and pencil for
each.
Partytime: Turn lights out. Ask each
one to draw a heart, put and arrow through heart, add a frill, then
draw a picture of his or her valentine on it. Now turn on lights and
display pictures.
Valentine Relay
Props: Two chairs at end of room, with empty bowl on each. Two
chairs at other end of room, with a bowl each containing a red
tissue-paper heart for each player. A soda straw for each player.
Partytime: Supply each player with a straw. Divide players into two
teams; members of each line up behind their captain at one of the
chairs with an empty bowl. At the word "Go," captain races to
opposite end of room, picks up one heart at the end of his/her straw
by sucking in his/her breath, then races back to chair at opposite
end of room and deposits heart in empty bowl. Next player follows
suit. (If heart drops, player must get down and suck it onto end of
straw again.) First team to finish gets a candy kiss.
Heart Tunes
Divide your group into two teams and see how many songs with the
word heart in them each team can sing. The team that can sing the
most wins!
Steal My Heart
Give everyone a Heart shaped badge with a Be
Mine ribbon attached, at the start of the party. The object
is to not cross your legs but to catch people who do! If you catch
someone in the act then they must give you their badge. The person
with the most badges at the end of the evening is the winner.
Sweet Fortune
Kids and grownups alike are crazy for sweets. This activity is a fun
version of fortune-telling that involves a big bowl of Valentine
candy! Have your guests grab a small handful of candy from the bowl
and interpret their fortune according to the list below. The more of
each color, the greater the influence will be in your life. The
great part of this game is if you don't like your fortune, eat it up
and try your luck again!
Red: Love
Pink: Friendship
White: Popularity and Power
Purple: Loneliness
Green: Wishes - For each green one, you can make a wish that will
come true!
Blue: Wealth
Mended Hearts
What you need:
- Red construction paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Large bowl
Cut one heart for every two guests from construction paper. Cut
each heart in half in a unique way (one with a zig-zag, one
straight, and so on) and place all the "broken hearts" in a
bowl. As each guest arrives, have them pick half a heart from
the bowl. After everyone is there, have your guests find the
person who has the matching half. The pair that finds their
partner first, wins!
Valentine Scramble
See how many words the guests can make out of the words "Valentine's
Day" in five minutes.
Sweet
Conversations
Sit in a circle and have each player take five conversation hearts.
One person starts a story with a few lines using all of the words on
their hearts. The next person in the circle continues the story
using their words. Each player must use all the heart words in their
lines. Once you have gone around the whole circle, you can eat your
words at the end!
The Newlywed Game
This is a familiar game, but in case you need a refresher course,
here is how you play. Choose 4 couples to compete. Ask the men to
leave the room and then ask the women about 4 or 5 questions. Write
down their responses. Invite the men back into the room and ask the
same questions. The object is for the men to respond with the same
answers as their partner. Then the game is reversed and the women
leave the room. The couple with the most matched answers wins the
game.
If you prefer to be a bit more
meaningful and intimate, ask several couples to tell the group how
they met and fell in love. Make sure that married couples include
the juicy details of the marriage proposal and the wedding day. Just
hearing romantic stories can have a love-ly influence on the
atmosphere of the evening.
Every dance needs a
slogan! To complete your dance, pick a sweet slogan from the list
below - or dream up your own!
-
Mon Amour
-
Love Will Keep Us
Together
-
Be Mine Tonight
-
The Wonder of First
Love
-
Sweetheart Dance
-
This Magic Moment
-
Lost In Love
-
Love Is a Many
Splendored Thing
-
Be Still My Beating
Heart
-
Everyone Says I Love
You
-
P. S. I Love You
-
The Color of Love
-
Fool for Love
-
Struck By Cupid's
Arrow
Valentine's Dance
Games
Music Partner
Match
Props: A whistle, music
Partytime: Boys form a large circle. Girls form a smaller circle
inside large one. Hostess blows whistle, then music begins and boys
circle to the right; girls circle to the left, each time the whistle
blows once the circles must change directions. When the music stops
everyone must stop. The boys take the girl nearest him for his
partner for the next couple event or dance.
Cinderella
Partytime: Each girl removes one shoe and places it in a pile in the
center of room. When music starts, each boy takes a shoe from the
pile, finds its owner, and dances with her.
Novelty Dances
Dancing Chairs
(like musical chairs)
Props: Music for dancing. Chairs--two less than number of
players--placed about dance floor in pairs.
Partytime: Pair off players in couples. Couples dance until music
stops. Then they rush toward chairs and sit. The couple left
standing is eliminated. (There is one rule: Couple must stay
together. Only when both reach the chairs may they sit). Game
continues, with two chairs taken away and one couple eliminated,
every time music stops.
Wallflower
Waltz or Snowball
Partytime: Get one couple to start dancing. When the music stops,
the partners separate, go where guests are congregated, and each
takes a new partner. (Make it a rule that any person who refuses the
invitation to dance must pay a forfeit.) When original couple has
danced awhile with their new partners, stop the music. All separate
again, and find other partners; soon all will be dancing.
Follow-the-Leader
Partytime: Couples line up behind a lead couple. What ever the lead
couple does, rest must duplicate. Here are some suggestions:
Form a conga line, and zigzag back and forth.
Stand side by side and skate across the floor.
Two couples form a circle, locking arms, then dance.
Fortune
Balloon Drop Dance
Props: Write on a small slip of paper different fortunes. ("You will
be lucky in love", "You will be wealthy and wise", etc. And on some
say "Lucky You wins a prize".) In each balloon (enough for all),
insert one of slips, then blow it up and tie it.
Partytime:
Release balloons during a dance. Let guests do what comes
naturally--break the balloons. Prizes are awarded to guests that
find the "Lucky You win a prize" slips.
Balloon
Balance
Props: For each, a blown up balloon and a tablespoon.
Partytime: Each person places a balloon on a spoon held between
his/her teeth. Each dances toward a goal line, keeping his/her
balloon on spoon. As soon as balloon drops, he or she is
disqualified.
Lucky Spot
Dance
Props: Pencil and piece of paper.
Partytime: At beginning of dance, the hostess decides on a spot on
the floor which will be "Lucky" and notes same on a slip of paper.
When dance ends, everyone freezes in their position. The hostess
reveals the lucky spot by reading it from the slip of paper. The
couple or individual standing on or nearest to the lucky spot wins
prize. (For large group choose several lucky spots.)
Extra Boy or
Girl Dance
Props: A blindfold.
Partytime: Have couples start dancing. Blindfold extra guest and let
him/her grope for a partner. Whichever couple he/she touches, he/she
may cut in on. The one who had been dancing is next to be
blindfolded.
The Food:
If menu planning isn't second
nature to you, don't worry. Any good caterer should be able to hear your ideas
for a certain theme and offer a wide variety of menu ideas to help
carry the theme through from hors d'oeuvres and appetizers to the main course
and dessert. Ask your caterer to create some heart-shaped delicacies for dinner, and of course, order plenty of chocolate for desserts.
If you will have children at
your event, the key to a successful menu
for a party like this is to be sure that everything you serve is
very kid-friendly! Usually this means that food should stay on the
simple side, nothing too gourmet! It is always fun, however, to add
a bit of festive spirit into the food that you serve and it is the
small touches that make the biggest impact.
Here are just a couple of suggestions
to make your food look even love-lier!
- Use pink and red food coloring in as much
food as you can! This works especially great in a variety of
desserts like cake or mousse!
- Cut sandwiches into hearts and X's and
O's
- Go to a gourmet cooking supply store and
look for edible hearts and cupids to adorn your favorite foods!
- Make easy heart-shaped cupcakes to thrill
your little love bugs. Place liners in your muffin pan and fill
them half way full with cake mix. Place a marble in between the
liner and the pan to create the niche in the heart. Decorate
them with pink frosting and heart sprinkles.
- Buffet touches: Bing Cherries, Jellied
cranberry sauce (cut in heart shapes), maraschino cherries (with
stems), Radishes (sliced, grated or halved).
Marshmallow Popcorn Hearts
Kids love popcorn and marshmallows -
combined they make a great Valentine's treat!
What you need:
10 C. popped popcorn
3 T. margarine
1 10 - ounce pkg. marshmallows
Red food coloring
Place popped popcorn in a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan and keep
warm in a 300 degree F. oven while making marshmallow mixture. In a
large saucepan melt margarine over low heat. Add marshmallows and
stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and stir until
smooth. Stir in red food coloring. Stir in popped popcorn, half at a
time. Cool until easy to handle (10 to 15 minutes). Press mixture
into greased individual heart-shaped pans. Cool. Remove from pans.
Sprinkle with red colored sugar. Wrap each heart in plastic wrap.
Makes 9 hearts.
Valentine's Cake
A thoughtful way to express your
love, on Valentine's Day or any day you'd like to show your thanks.
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If you don't
have a heart-shaped pan or want to purchase a new pan don't
fret - it is simple to make a heart cake using a round &
square pan. Simply bake a 8" round cake and square 8 x 8
cake. After they have cooled, cut the round cake in half and
place each half next to two sides of the square cake (as
shown) to create the heart shape. Decorate it with either
pink or white frosting, outline the edge with red hot
candies or sliced strawberries. Or use a cookie cutter as a
guide to frost smaller hearts around the edge.
Visit our
Valentine's Recipe page for some great
Valentines Treats and a Heart Stencil Cake Recipe.
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Cranberry Punch
1 - 46-oz. can
grapefruit juice, chilled
1 - 46-oz. can pineapple juice, chilled
6 - 16-oz bottles cranberry juice, chilled
2 - 28-oz bottles ginger ale
Combine juices with ginger ale. Pour over ice in
punch bowl. Makes 40 punch-cup servings.
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