Don your hats ladies. It is time to party!
Some party themes require elaborate decorations or months of planning.
A Hats On! party isn't one of them.
Ask everyone to wear a favorite hat, set a pretty table, add a few thoughtful details, and you've already created the perfect setting for an afternoon filled with laughter, conversation, and great photographs.
Recreate This Blue and White Whimsy Hats On! Party
The best party inspiration is the kind you can actually recreate. Here's everything that went into our featured Hats On! table—from the hats to the flowers, tableware, cookies, and a few whimsical finishing touches.
Choose the Hats
Whether you're hosting an elegant luncheon, Kentucky Derby party, tea party, birthday celebration, ladies' brunch, or another hat party for adults, the hats are what make this celebration so much fun. It's the perfect excuse to party pretty, so encourage guests to wear their favorite hat, whether it's a dramatic wide-brimmed sun hat, a colorful fascinator, a vintage-inspired cloche, a chic straw hat, or even a whimsical creation decorated just for the occasion.
And don't overthink it. At one of our Hats On! parties, someone showed up wearing a Burger King crown, and it was a huge hit. The goal isn't to own an expensive hat. It's simply to join in the fun.
If some guests don't have a hat, keep a basket of inexpensive fascinators, ribbons, flowers, feathers, and simple straw hats on hand. They make wonderful conversation starters and ensure everyone can participate.
Add the Finishing Touches
Once the hats are chosen, it's the little details that bring a Hats On! party to life. Hat-shaped cookies and cupcakes, whimsical salt and pepper shakers, decorative hat boxes, and a few thoughtfully chosen accessories reinforce the theme without requiring a huge budget or weeks of planning. Choose the ideas that make you smile, and your guests will be discovering charming surprises throughout the celebration
Complete the Look with Matching Invitations
As always, our parties begin with the invitation because it sets the tone for the entire celebration. A beautiful invitation lets your guests know exactly what kind of celebration you've planned before they ever arrive.
All of these invitations can be personalized with your own wording, colors, and party details.
Make It Your Own
One of the reasons we love this party so much is that it never has to look exactly the same twice. Simply changing the colors, flowers, tableware and decorative details creates an entirely different look. Here are two more beautiful Hats On! celebrations to inspire your own.
Soft Sage & Lavender
Soft sage greens, lavender blooms, and checked tableware create a fresh, elegant look that feels both relaxed and sophisticated. It's proof that the same Hats On! party can take on a completely different look with just a few simple changes.
Blush & Blooms
Blush pink flowers, floral hat boxes, and woven textures give this Hats On! party a softer, more romantic feel. While Blue and White Whimsy is bright and playful, this look is all about relaxed elegance and layers of beautiful details.
Serve Simple Food in Fun, Beautiful Ways
One of the easiest ways to elevate any party is with fun serving pieces. You don't need an elaborate menu when everyday favorites are presented in creative, individual servings that are easy to pick up while guests mingle.
Think shrimp cocktail in Asian soup spoons, caprese salads in small glasses, charcuterie cups, mini martini salads, deviled eggs on a decorative serving platter, or bite-sized desserts displayed on small cake stands. Individual portions not only look beautiful, they keep buffet tables neater, make serving easier, and encourage guests to sample a little of everything.
The best part? Most of these ideas can be recreated with inexpensive serving pieces you'll use again and again, making them a smart investment for birthdays, bridal showers, holiday gatherings, cocktail parties, and celebrations of every kind.
How to Plan a Hats On! Hat Theme Party
Whether you're hosting a birthday brunch, bridal shower, baby shower, Kentucky Derby celebration, ladies' luncheon, garden gathering, or charity event, a Hats On! party is one of those rare celebrations that can be as elegant or as casual as you like. The hats become the entertainment, the conversation starters, and often the favorite photographs of the day.
Choose a Style That Fits Your Celebration
One of the best things about a Hats On! party is that there isn't just one way to decorate. Blue and White Whimsy, Soft Sage & Lavender, and Blush & Blooms all begin with the same idea but create completely different moods. Choose the colors, flowers, and tableware that best fit your celebration and your guests.
Keep the Decorations Simple
You don't need elaborate decorations to create a beautiful Hats On! party. A few fresh flowers, decorative hat boxes, colorful hats, pretty tableware, candles, and themed desserts are often all it takes. Let the hats themselves become part of the décor.
Encourage Everyone to Participate
The fun begins when everyone joins in. Let guests know on the invitation that hats are encouraged, not required. Keep a basket of inexpensive fascinators, ribbons, flowers, and simple straw hats on hand for anyone who arrives without one. Some of the most memorable hats are the ones put together at the last minute.
Serve Easy-to-Eat Party Foods
Since everyone will be mingling, choose foods & drinks that are easy to enjoy while standing and chatting. Finger sandwiches, fruit, salads, tea sandwiches, cookies, cupcakes, petit fours, and sparkling drinks all fit naturally with a Hats On! celebration. A signature cocktail or refreshing lemonade adds a festive finishing touch.
Don't Forget the Photos
A Hats On! party naturally creates wonderful photographs. Set aside a pretty corner with flowers or a simple backdrop where guests can show off their hats. By the end of the party, you'll have some of the most colorful and joyful pictures of the day.
The best Hats On! parties aren't remembered because every flower was perfect or every place setting matched. They're remembered because everyone joined in, wore a hat, laughed a little louder than usual, and enjoyed spending time together. That's our favorite kind of party.
Party Hearty!
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