Evening in Paris Party

[abbydog]

I'm in charge of decor for a charity ball in which the theme is "An Evening in Paris." (nothing to do w/ Miss Hilton's home movie :p !) Anyway, can you help me think of some cool ideas? So far, I'd thought to use the colors black, sliver, and maybe ice blue for a wintery feel. I thought of using glass vases w/ bare branches inside, wrapped loosely w/ silver star wire. Black tablecloths w/ silver star confetti sprinkled on it. What could I do w/ the blue accent color? How would I give a subtle nod to France w/o being over-the-top Eiffel Tower & poodles? TIA!

[msnicolea]

I think incorporating "fleur de lis" symbols would be a nice way of being French but not toto "touristy" french.

Other ideas:

~Not sure what your budget is, but parisian streetlights would look great!:
http://www.shindigz.com/catalog.cfm?caid=524560

More Parisian decor here: http://www.shindigz.com/catalog.cfm?cat=15255

~Serve croquembouche instead of a traditional cake--VERY French!

~Parisian street SIgns to name the tables http://www.happymall.com/france/paris_street_signs.htm

~Eiffel Tower candies http://www.chocolatefantasies.com/miscchocolates.htm

~And when in doubt, I always "Ask GInka"
http://www.askginka.com/nationality/french.htm

[abbydog]

Thanks so much Msnicolea! Those have given me some great ideas- I will have to share them with my commitee. I forgot to mention that the event is on New Year's Eve, in case that sparks any more creativity. Bored at work? Come plan the party :D !

[msnicolea]

You're welcome--sounds like a fun party-to-be!

[dionysia]

Paris is the city of lights, so use plenty of those! :)

Di

[gayle]

You could string those little white holiday lights on painted tree branches, so they looked like winter trees all lit up.

I helped a friend with her winter wedding a couple years back and we did that for her reception, it looked beautiful!

[Whitters20]

This could take some work and someone who can draw. I went to a party a long time ago that had a city skyline cut out of cardboard and covered in black shinky paper. A box cutter was used to cut little "windows" in all the buildings and white christmas lights were taped to the back so there was a "light on" in each window. The skyline was attached to two of the four walls and it was very pretty. It had a really nice effect since it was a large room and there were no other lights except twinkle lights over the dance area and candles on tables. It's something that might have to be practiced to get the right scale and of course you'd have to get pictures of the Paris skyline. But although time consuming it could be pretty cheap I think.

[Rosebud]

Our wedding had sort of a subtle, vaguely French theme. We also wanted to avoid over-the-top Eiffel Tower decor while still giving a nod to our French heritage and French honeymoon plans. We had fleur de lis on many items (invitations, programs, cake, etc...) and our tables were named after the Loire Valley Chateaux that we planned to visit on our honeymoon. At each table we had a card with a photo of that chateau and a short description of it. You could do something similar at your cocktail tables with Paris landmarks.

I think that the food and wine you serve can also play a big role in your theme (not sure if you're doing a whole dinner or not). I'd definitely serve French wines as your main drink. Some food you might consider: cheese platters, salad nicoise, crepes, coq a vin...

Going to post some photos that might inspire you...

http://fleureveryours.bigstep.com/DSCN1149.JPG
This might be a bit too much for you, but you can rent a big Eiffel Tower like this.

http://www.babiole.com/images/weddin20.jpg

http://www.dolceluna.com/i/paris_in_pastels.jpg
Favor ideas

http://www.floralartsbahamas.com/public/icesculpture.jpg
Ice sculpture. Might go with your winter idea.

http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/betterorworse/episodes/episode127/gallery/127_vzoom01.jpg
Centerpiece