A few months ago I had the pleasure of attending one of most lush events I have ever been to. The ‘Princes Trust Valentines Ball’, hosted by Prince Charming Events, laid on a spectacular evening for both celebs and commoners (like myself) alike.
The evening was amazing from the start. Red carpet entrance into London’s May Fair Hotel’s ‘Crystal Rooms’, greeted by champagne and a steady flow of celebrities (including JLS, Duncan Bannatyne, Charlie Brooks, Faye Tozer, Liz McClarnon & Linda Lusardi – to name but a few). The tables were laden with goodies, the food divine and the entertainment (courtesy of Opera Duo Aurora, Ghost The Musical, Bluey Robinson and the extraordinary acts from Cirque Du Soir) just made the whole evening an event to remember.
You may wonder why this involves me and what this has to do with masks? Well I designed and handmade the Venetian masks that the ‘Prince Charmings’ wore during the evening, which were decorated with Swarovski crystals and with the ‘PC’ logo.
If you have an event and would like something similar, please contact us at info@masqueboutique.co.uk.
To purchase a mask similar to the ones worn by the Princes, click here
Following the popularity of mask themed films, it brings us to the very romantic teen film starring Hilary Duff in “A Cinderella Story”
I won’t go into the details of the film as that’s not what I’m about. No, what I want to focus on is the mask. Gorgeous shaped mask,
simple yet elegant, and covered in lace with crystals on the sides.
Where can you buy something similar? Well here of course. So far, I’ve made this style for brides and girls attending their first Prom. I can make it in different coloured laces, sparkly glitter under the lace, with different coloured crystals and also with feathers.
With the popularity of shows such as MTV’s ‘My Super Sweet 16‘ in both the US and in the UK, the ‘Sweet 16 Masked Ball’ or ‘Sweet 16 Masquerade Party’ have now become very popular as this big birthday’s theme.
We can customize masks to make your Sweet 16 Masquerade special, matching colours and detail to your dress and we ship Worldwide! Visit our Sweet 16 Mask page for ideas on the perfect mask for your party
Gossip Girl Masked Ball
A Sweet 16 Masquerade can be anything from a modern black tie event, right up to a full blown Costume Ball, where period costumes and the room decorations are both opulent and magical.
There are plenty of ideas out there for room decorations, with a number of companies supplying amazing props such as Giant Mask entrance stands, Masked Table decorations and Venetian backdrops to your room.
If the budget doesn’t stretch that far, then there are many simple things you can do to enhance the theme without spending a fortune:
* Buy some cheaper budget masks and use to decorate the walls by hanging them over the entrance, under or above lights and draped over the backs of chairs. (we can supply these on request – prices from £1.99)
* Make a centre table display using a glass bowl with a mask inside, sitting atop some rusched fabric or over some flowers. Ostich feathers are lovely but can be very expensive so you could just pick a colour from your theme and have just one or two if you are using a tall vase.
* Buy or make mask themed place name holders by using cardboard cutouts of masks, painting on a mask in say glitter then putting them on popsicle sticks in a clay base (use the clay which hardens in the air. It’s cheap and easy!) and writing the name of your guest on.
* Find an area of the room that you can transform into a Venetian theme that people can take photos in. Use coloured drapes – black or rich burgundy and cover a chair making it into a kind of throne with smaller masks tied onto both sides. It will mean you can spend more budget on a smaller area making it look great. Buy a tricorn hat and cape for the men so they can wear them for photos, taking it in turns and perhaps a white ‘Marie Antionette’ wig for the girls.
* If you’re having a cake, you can sit a mask on top of your cake or ask your cake maker to make you one out of icing.
* Make edible icing mask favours for the table by buying a mask shaped cookie cutter and cutting rolled icing or even cookie dough shapes. These make great table decorations as well as gifts for your guests!
* Rich colours work well with the Venetian theme or get inspired by films such as ‘Labyrinth‘ who have exquisite crystal decorations like candleabras, all glass and silver and sparkles.
* Fairy lights are amazing and turn a normal room into something spectacular. Buy them in the sales after Christmas to save money.
Most of all, if you can find the right venue to start with – something with a bit of character, this can cut down your need for decorations. A modern hotel room will need alot more work than a period property.
Theme styles for a Sweet 16 Masquerade don’t have to be just a Venetian or Black tie theme. See my previous post on Masked Ball Themes for suggestions. Burlesque seems to be popular, or you could theme it on a film like Labyrinth or Cinderella.
This is a photo of a customer who had a custom masquerade mask made for her Sweet 16th:-
Like this article? Please share with your friends or visit our shop to look at our large range of masquerade masks that would be perfect for your Sweet 16.
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. Read More…
I am always asked by customers, ‘which masquerade mask would you choose?‘ Not a simple answer, purely because there are so many designs and styles to go for. However, there are a couple of things that I personally would look at, which are comfort and being unique.
The latter is the most important to me as I believe that the mask represents who we are – a kind of expression of the hidden self, so for me, wearing a unique mask is a must as I don’t want to turn up with someone else wearing the same thing. But if this isn’t as important to you, then perhaps you have other things to consider such as budget, comfort and colour scheme.
The first thing I would say is to assess the type of ball you are going for. Is it more of a contemporary masked ball or a traditional venetian masked ball complete with costumes? If it’s the latter, then you would probably want to go for more of a traditional style venetian mask which is made from paper mache and can be as decorative or as plain as you prefer. Read More…
A few months ago I had the pleasure of attending one of most lush events I have ever been to. The ‘Princes Trust Valentines Ball’, hosted by Prince Charming Events, laid on a spectacular evening for both celebs and commoners (like myself) alike.
simple yet elegant, and covered in lace with crystals on the sides.
