St. Patrick's Day Party Planning Ideas

Labeled as one of the biggest party events of the year, St. Patrick's Day is a holiday everyone seems to enjoy being a part of, Irish or not. Here's some helpful tips and ideas to make this year's celebration not only fun and festive, but stylish as well.

Decoration

There are many ways to celebrate this patron saint of Ireland, but one of the most popular ways is by throwing an Irish-themed party complete with all the green decorations you can find. Finding decorations that are St. Patrick's Day themed is not only easy, but you can purchase them cheaply or as expensive as you like. Online stores such as Oriental Trading offer a great selection from "Kiss Me I'm Irish" pins to a Leprechaun outfit.

Begin with green streamers and balloons to set the mood if you're on a budget. Decorate tables with green table cloths or green plastic covers that can be purchased at places such as Party City.

If you have more green to spend, go all out with green light bulbs in your lamps, shamrock-shaped party lights and green carnations for a more stylish feeling. Hanging shamrock spirals or garland also adds a festive feel to the party.

Find a black pot to represent "the pot of gold" and purchase some gold-foil-wrapped chocolate coins that can be used not only as a party decoration but as a sweet treat for the guests.

Don't forget the Blarney Stone! Find a big rock (or make one out of Styrofoam or papier-mâché) to be your Blarney Stone. Place it near the door so people can kiss it when they enter. It's legend is infamous and having it as a party prop it can also be a great conversation piece.

Plates and cups do not have to be St. Patrick's Day insignia, instead purchase ordinary green plates and cups.

Dress

Obviously, green is the color theme! Lads and lassies can go all out on dressing up for a St. Patrick's Day party. Others can get into the spirit of St. Patrick's by breaking out all the green clothing they can, pinning on a "Kiss Me, I’m Irish" button and topping it all off with a green leprechaun's hat.

Activities

Whether you are throwing a party for your the over-21 crowd or younger crowd, there are plenty of activities to cater to everyone. For the over-21 crowd, the popular way to pass this celebration is by drinking. Pub crawls to local Irish businesses give you a drinking break and some fresh air between drinks. Also, these pub crawls allow you to meet other festive celebrants and engage in the hoopla of the day.

For those of you having an at home party, put on a CD of traditional Irish songs. If you have a karaoke machine, hook up the big screen TV and let your friends have at it singing classics like "Danny Boy."

Since St. Patrick's Day is synonymous with the pot of gold, send your guests on a treasure hunt. Purchase some gold foiled wrapped chocolate coins and have your guests search for them around the house. The one with the most coins, wins a prize!

Food

Get the green dye out! Mashed potatoes, beer, cupcakes, cookies, anything edible make it green! Keep your menu simple and traditional.

What is a St. Patrick's Day party without corned beef and cabbage and green beer? Try serving the following recipe of individual mini Reuben sandwiches from Allrecipe. They are sure to be a hit!

• 1 (1 pound) loaf cocktail rye bread
• 1 cup thousand island dressing
• 1 1/2 pounds deli sliced corned beef
• 1 (16 ounce) jar sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
• 1 pound sliced Swiss cheese
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• Preheat the oven's broiler.
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• Arrange cocktail rye slices on a baking sheet. Top each one with about 2 teaspoons of thousand island salad dressing, then fold about 1/2 slice of corned beef to fit the bread, and lay over the dressing. Place a small amount of sauerkraut over the meat, then top with 1/4 slice of the Swiss cheese, or a slice about as big as the bread.
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• Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Desserts

Your sweet table can be a plethora of green and shamrock shaped cookies. You can make it as simple as a bowl of green M & Ms or jelly beans or it can be as extravagant as shamrock shaped cookies or green cupcakes decorated to the nines.

Beverages

Green beer, Guinness and Irish Coffee are your St. Patrick's Day staples, but why not serve something different. Try the following recipe at your party, not only is it unique but it will give you that stylish flare.

• 2 Ounces Ketel One Citroen
• Dash of lemon juice
• 6 Ounces Prosecco
• 1.5 teaspoon Edible Gold Dust
• Martini glass rimmed with edible gold

1. To make gold glass rim, mix one glass edible gold dust with few drops of vodka to form a thick liquid. you can find edible gold dust at Joann Fabrics.
2. Dredge the rim of the martini glass in the liquid to coat edge making sure the gold liquid is thick enough so that it doesn't drip.
3. To thicken add more gold dust and to dilute add more vodka.
4. Pour the Ketle one Citroen and lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of edible gold dust in to a cocktail shaker with ice glass and shake until well chilled.

Enjoy the party and Erin go Braugh!