Lessons From The 2012 Oscars

I love love love the Oscars and last nite did not disappoint.  I was blown away by so many dresses not to mention the glitz & glamour of the evening.  Last year I did a post after the Golden Globes on 5 lessons that brides can learn from award shows.  And what did the Academy Awards teach us?  Let's take a look.

#1. Know & dress your role.   The ranking of looking good at an awards show are: nominees, presenters, past winners and lastly the nominees dates.  Much like a wedding in that the couple getting married should shine the brightest on their big day, followed by the immediate families, wedding party and then the guests.  Trying to steal the happy couple's thunder is always a "don't".

Michelle Williams, Oscar presenter 2011  (Source)

Michelle Williams, stepping it up as an Oscar nominee 2012 

(Photo credit: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty)

#2. Find a dress that is in line with your values. While watching the E! Red Carpet Countdown, I saw Guiliana Rancic interview Missi Pyle from The Artist.  Missi was proudly wearing the winner of the "Red Carpet, Green Dress" contest.  Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of director James Cameron, created this contest in 2009 to marry eco-friendly with high fashion with the only requirement for designers was to create a dress made entirely of sustainable materials.  Eco-beauty is officially here to stay and will hopefully be a stable on future red carpets. 

Missi Pyle (Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

#3. Always have a speech ready. For some people, giving a toast at a wedding is just as nerve racking as  an award show nominee giving an acceptance speech.  In my experience, toasters wanting to 'keep it fresh' and not rehearse always talk too long and all over the place.  Unfortunately there is no music to cut off speeches at weddings so keep that in mind.  Organize your thoughts ahead of time and jot down a few key ideas/points you want to remember.  The best man typically goes first and is always a bit funnier and the maid/ matron of honor goes last and is more heartfelt/ emotional. The best equation for a great toast is: genuine emotion + heartfelt and/or funny memories + what this couple means to you - anything embarrassing.

Julia Roberts, Best Actress Winner 2001 (Source)  

And The Amazing Oscar Party Goes To...

In case you didn't know, this Sunday is the annual Academy Awards show aka the Oscars aka my personal Superbowl/ World Series/ World Cup.  I don't remember a time when I didn't watch the Oscars, it will always be the epitome of celebrity wonder & merriment for me.  Strangely enough, as obsessed as I am with the Oscars, I've never had a huge watching party.  The past couple of years I've been known to hang out with a bottle of pinot grigio and rapid fire text my friends who love this awards show as much as me.  This year I am doing an Oscar pool to select winners but still no party... maybe next year?  But if you are throwing a bash for 2012, I do have some ideas.  I did a post on Oscar party decor last year and this year I'm excited to showcase a few more options for the three main areas of a great party; food, drink and decor.  Enjoy!

#1. Food.  Just because our favorite celebs have been on a strict diet for weeks prepping for the Oscars, doesn't mean we can't enjoy some delicious indulgences!  A cute idea of making food named after the nominated movies and actors is always a party hit and this year served up a bunch of inspiration.  Try out a a fresh fruit spread (inspired by The Descendants), mini hot dogs (inspired by Moneyball), chocolate pie (inspired by The Help), and what movie awards show would be complete without popcorn?  Try this easy recipe for popcorn balls as a twist on breaking out the usual bucket of popcorn.

#2. Drink. Of course champagne is the standard drink for celebration.  But if you are looking for to toast the nominees in a flashier style, try out some fun cocktails.  Pizzazzerie posted some fun cocktail recipes, including the (Billy) Crystal Cosmo, Sweet Revenge (inspired by The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and The Golden Era (inspired by Midnight In Paris).  Or try out the Silent Martini (inspired by The Artist) created by The Vancouver Sun.  Cheers!

#3. Decor.  Hostess With The Mostess blog never disappoints, here is this year's list of nominee printable decor.  You don't need to go all out to create a special atmosphere, as seen by Jackie Fogartie Events displayed with using popcorn buckets as flower vases or posting cute movie signs in cupcakes.  Have a great time and let the best nominee win!

Hostess With The Mostess

Jackie Fogartie Events

Inspiration Station: Oscar Is On His Way

I.am.obsessed.with.award.shows.  That is a basic fact about me.  My top three favorites are the Emmys, The Golden Globes, and best award show ever is of course, the Oscars.  Luckily there are more than a few likeminded people in the event planning world and I found a complete Oscar party set up already!  As if that was not enough excitement for me, this post also includes FREE printables to create your own party!  Hello, free is always awesome.

This being said, I have not held a full-on Oscar party yet.  I usually get together with a few girlfriends to enjoy some wine and give our opinions/yell at the tv during the red carpet- and this year is no different.  Seeing this set up makes me really excited for possibly planning a party next year.  I would love to incorporate a pool to see who guesses the winners and maybe add in some delicious desserts in a nod to the nominees- this year I'm making Black Swan brownies and I believe there was mention of True Grits being served.  Since variety is the spice of life, I was really excited to see this post  with some great ideas on creating your own affordable (key word!) Oscars party.  Creating a movie snack area with popcorn, sno-cones, and milk duds will definitely be a hit.  And this post offers more great ideas plus an Oscars themed cake!  It really is up to you on how elaborate you want to be- from Oscar invitations to prizes to framing past winners as decor, there are so many options.  Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy Hollywood's biggest night as much as I know I will!

 

(Source for all 3)

Delicious cocktails are a must! (Source)