Viva Las Vegas Party

[bnaseelen2]

I'm planning a surprise 30th b-day party for my husband, for February 4th. I was just posting to get some unique and/or any ideas from anyone who might have them. The theme is going to be Elvis/Las Vegas.

Any ideas that you have would be WONDERFUL; regarding food to serve, decor, favors, etc.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

[Chimichanga]

We held a Vegas themed bridal shower for some friends in November (it was co-ed).

We served steak and shrimp as the main course. For snacks I put out Hye (high) roller sandwiches, some bruschetta and salsa. The only tie I had was the hye roller sandwiches - other than that I was just looking for stuff to fill in.

We got some decorations at Target - they had playing card themed mixers, coasters, napkins, etc. We didn't go too all out.

[hockeybrat]

Maybe set up your serving table to resemble a buffet?

[snowzilla]

I planned a Vegas-style 50th birthday party last year for my BFF's dad. I scouted out a party rental place that rented out casino equipment for FAR less than the other companies in the area, so we had a blackjack table, a poker table, and one of those wheels (which has now escaped my brain). We also had a roulette wheel (which was actually a gift to the birthday boy - his wife bought him a gaming table from Costco, which served as the basis for the entire theme).

The invitation was a postcard with a picture of the Strip, and the party information printed on it.

I made the "CASINO" sign out of foam board (purchased at Michael's) and lit it with little white lights poked through drilled holes all around the perimeter. I still have it - not sure what I'll do with it, but I was pretty proud of the way it turned out!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/snowzilla/casino1.jpg

For an inexpensive decoration, I went to the dollar store and bought a few decks of cards, used a hole punch on them and strung them together on a fishing line, and hung them wherever there was room. I found card-themed confetti at a party store, and stuck to plain black and red for things like napkins and plates and cups, to keep costs down (instead of spending more for "poker" themed stuff). We were also lucky that BFF's mom had this flamingo neon light:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/snowzilla/casino3.jpg

We purchased a bunch of cheap plastic poker chips from Walmart, and divided them into cups - when guests arrived, they were given a cup full of chips to gamble with at the various tables. Each room had a different activity in it - so there was no shortage of things to do. The blackjack table was definitely a hit (that's BFF's husband dressed up like a blackjack dealer):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/snowzilla/casino2.jpg

At midnight, we gave away silly little prizes for those who still had chips left. The games were a HUGE hit. We couldn't believe how excited and enthusiastic the guests were, and how competitive they got when they started winning or losing. ;) Definitely one of the most successful parties I've ever thrown.

[Katy]

Wow Snowzilla, that looks AWESOME! Girl you are im.press.ive! :D

[snowzilla]

D'awww, shucks - thanks! It was so much fun to do! (Not so much fun to clean up, but oh well!) :)

[bnaseelen2]

Wow, that was awesome.. ..I can only HOPE to come up with something THAT AWESOME! Great job! :)

[jenjunum]

I saw a Vegas-themed party on Party Starters on the food network once, you could probably look up the recipes they used online. I think Clams casino was one of them. You could also serve fried PB&J and banana sandwiches in honor of Elvis- there's a recipe in this month's Cooking Light.

[bnaseelen2]

I just got done making the invites. . .let me know what you think.
Also. . .I'm HOPING that I got all the information on there. . . let me know if you see anything missing PLEASE!
(Obviously the "where" has the right address on it. . )

http://images.snapfish.com/345%3B37393%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3258%3E379%3E759%3EWSNR CG%3D3233489579735nu0mrj