Masquerade parties are all the rage right now and you’ll find masquerade party ideas and inspiration here to help you plan a great party. From sweet sixteen masquerade balls to the more traditional Victorian masked party they offer loads of fun and mystery for your guests.
The first step in planning a masquerade party is to pick a theme. For more formal elegant masquerade balls try themes like Bond, Renaissance, Fairy tale, Venetian, Roaring 20’s or Gothic/Vampire.
You may want to pick a color to build your party theme around like red for a holiday party, green for a St Patrick’s Day ball, pink for sweet sixteen parties or a black & white masquerade ball is always elegant.
Keep it general for a more low key party. For example we told our guests to make sure to wear a mask and the dress was up to them. But be prepared if you don’t specify what the theme is some guests will show up in more Halloween type costumes.
Masquerade Party Decorations & Lighting
Decorations and lighting should match the theme of your party and add an air of mystery. Low lighting works well with soft white twinkle lights or candles.
Add special touches throughout your room with sheer fabrics, mirrors & masks. Streamers & ribbons or balloons hanging from the ceiling can add an extra touch.
Our masquerade ball was just before Halloween so for decorations we used candles, ravens, potion bottles, masks, black sheer material, pumpkins and fall leaves to set the stage.
Decorations don’t need to cost a bundle just pick a few key areas in the room that need that special touch and focus your efforts on them.
Masquerade Party Invitations
Invitations should be sent out at least six to 8 weeks before your masquerade party and be sure to give guests a way on your invitations to RSVP so you will know how many will be attending. For formal masquerade balls, also include the theme so guests know what to wear to your event. If you are having a huge formal event you can send out invitations even sooner so guests have time to put their costumes together.
If you have time, you can make homemade masquerade invitations by cutting paper in the shape of an eye mask and decorate them with rhinestones, glitter & feathers.
A Masquerade ball is also a great opportunity to raise money for charity and this information should be included on invitations or flyers.
I’ve included some great links to custom masquerade party invitations that you can change the text on to fit your needs and these designers will also be happy to help should you need something even more custom for your masquerade event.
Guest List & Location for a Masquerade Party
Make a guest list of everyone you would like to invite and keep in mind most guests will bring one person with them. Now look at your total. If you have a large house you can probably hold 50 or so guests comfortably without everyone tripping over each other. If your list is much larger than this you may want to consider renting a larger venue.
A great way to find a suitable location is to look under wedding reception venues for your area. You may also want to check churches, lodges & just take a drive down main street. Think about your masquerade party ideas and theme when picking a location and remember to book your venue early. Some locations can book up to a year in advance for popular times of the year like New Year’s Eve.
Music & Entertainment for a Masquerade Party
Music sets the tone for your party so if you’re having an elegant affair think string quartet or piano player. You can also play pre-recorded music or hire a dj.
Don’t forget other types of entertainment. One of the best things about having a variety of entertainments at your party is that it helps take some of the stress off the host or hostess and gives the guests something they will be talking about for months to come.
Entertainment doesn’t have to be expensive, check with your local artists & musicians or talented family & friends. Our masquerade party had jazz singers, a fire dancer, belly dancers, and sword reenactments all provided by friends. So be sure to ask around. You never know who may volunteer to be part of the fun.
Food & Drinks for a Masquerade Party
Food & drink for your masquerade party should be kept simple with bite size appetizers for guests. Wine & champagne with straws available for those guests who don’t want to remove their masks (or if you’re having a midnight unveiling where everyone removes their masks at once).If it’s a small gathering you can even make it potluck and ask guests to bring their favorite finger foods. Some good food ideas are meat and cheese platters, fruit platters, chips/dip and a selections of desserts.
Masquerade Costumes
Of course part of the whole fun of a masquerade party is the costuming. If you’ve picked a theme for your masquerade ball, guests will dress for your theme. If you’re having a more casual affair think gowns for women and suits for men. I’ve included links for more masquerade party ideas.
Women’s Masquerade Costumes
An easy costume for a woman is a jewelled masquerade mask with a pretty dress. Learn how to make your own jewelled masquerade mask.
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Men’s Masquerade Costumes
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Masquerade Masks
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Party Favors for a Masquerade Party
When your glamorous masquerade ball is over don’t forget to thank your guests for attending with a parting gift. This can be as simple as a mask they designed during the party. Have a table set up where guests can make their own. Boxed candies or beads also make great gifts. We gave our guests mini bottles of wine with our masquerade wine labels attached. Use your imagination and give them something to remember your party by.
Masquerade cookies make great party favors (see image to the left). Here is a fantastic blog post by Sweetopia for making Masquerade Cookies.
Below are some other great party favors.
Wishing you a Magical Masquerade and be sure to share your stories and pictures with us!
Ken & Faith Gauthier
For more great masquerade party ideas & gifts visit us at The Inspired Edge.
Thanks so much for so many great ideas for masquerade parties, Faith!! Sharing, sharing, sharing!
Thank you Sandy so glad you enjoyed the post. We love a great masquerade party.
Wow this has made for some great ideas for my daughter’s 18th ,AWESOME, will be checking this out over again during the next few months!!
This was great and I enjoyed it very much. My question would be could my daughter do this as a senior project? We would have to pick a charity to raise money for as well.