Themed Masked Ball Ideas

On twitter, I spotted a lady who was asking for ideas for themed masked balls. She was having a birthday party and had no idea of what she could do, so I threw a few ideas her way and at the same time, it gave me a great idea for a blog post!

Hope it’s of interest to you and if it is, please feel free to comment and share it with your friends.

Burlesque

Burlesque style masks are generally adorned with a fan of feathers in gorgeous colours such as hot pinks and lime greens, teemed with elegant black. You can accessorize the masks with feather fans or feather boas.

Black & White Masked Ball

This is a very elegant theme for your masquerade party and a classic. Most of us have something in the wardrobe in Black or White and such a simple colour means that those on a budget don’t miss out. White masks decorated in Swarovski crystals, black masks covered in vintage diamante jewels and ostrich feathers would look simply stunning. For the men, you could cover both aspects by having a Venetian Mask painted in both colours.

 

Traditional Venetian Masked Ball:

The most elaborate, expensive and opulent of all the themes is the Venetian masked ball. Authentic Venetian Masks, elaborately decorated or simple designs in a traditional paper mache, compliment 18^th century dresses and wigs associated with this era. Dresses are usually available to hire either from fancy dress shops (although these are generally the cheaper versions) online stores, or for more authentic and realistic costumes, you could try theater costume suppliers (majority tend to be based in London, but there are a few dotted around the country). Styles would include dresses typically worn by Marie Antoinette (see the film with Kirstin Dunst for inspiration) and a big white wig.  Think Ornate, Baroque Mask styles with lots of decorations

See my blog post on the Vampire Diaries Masquerade Ball which has links to You-Tube videos of the the masked ball episode, as well as one featuring the Gossip Girl episode with period costumes and the wigs for ideas. Most of the masks would all be suitable for this theme.

Carnival

Probably the most flexible masquerade theme you could go for which is great for all types of budgets, or if you are wanting a really colourful effect. Anything goes costume wise, but if guests don’t have appropriate clothing, then the theme could just be set in the masks themselves, i.e Multicoloured , feather, sparkly glitter and huge outrageous showpiece masks).

Gothic Vampire Ball

Fun, sexy and not just for Halloween! A gothic themed masquerade party can also accommodate cheaper budgets giving rise to homemade costumes or getting good use out the annual Halloween costume. A fun mask could be a full face one on a stick with painted on fangs! There is no limit to your imagination here and there are lots of Halloween themed Masquerade Masks you can buy, ready made, or alternatively have a bespoke one made to match your outfit. If you’re going for a Victorian style party, then masks should be more elegant, along the lines of some of the burlesque masks or Gothic elegance such as the vampire diaries ‘Katherine‘ mask. Other designs could include masks featuring Spider Webs,

 

 

Murder Mystery

An expensive, but highly entertaining option for a masked event. There are theatre companies about who will put on a ‘Masked Ball Themed Murder Mystery’ for you to entertain your guests, or try hotels such as Picton Castle who hold Masked Murder Mystery Evenings. Guests can also become part of the act which will help them be more involved in the evening. The murder mystery can be set in a particular era to compliment your desired theme (such as Venetian, 20’s, 30’s etc), enhancing the overall effect and giving rise to any number of mask types as listed above. Think elegant dinner parties with glitzy masks in black, silver, golds with vintage pieces.