Themed parties and stylized weddings are still at the peak of fashion. By giving preference to stylization, any event can be turned into a special celebration, unlike any other. After all, there are many ideas for celebrating the holiday! However, some of them are the most popular. One of the most popular themes is gangster.
Parties and weddings in the style of gangsters and mafia from Chicago of the 30s no longer surprise many people, but still arouse genuine interest. Women enjoy the transformation, and men enjoy the opportunity to feel themselves in the role of fearless bandits (the forbidden fruit, as you know, is very sweet).
Any theme parties and weddings, including gangster ones, are successful only if they are carefully prepared. You need to think through everything to the smallest detail: the design of the invitations, the decoration of the venue for the festive banquet or party, the costumes of the guests and heroes of the occasion, and, of course, the entertainment program, which should correspond to the theme.
On Prazdnodar.ru we have already written about wedding decoration in a gangster style and about makeup in the Chicago style. The same recommendations are quite applicable for creating the desired ambience when preparing for a friendly or corporate party in Chicago style. And now we’ll talk about an equally important component of the festive event - the entertainment program.
Photo: Karina Ganzha
Hall decoration
Hang on the walls photographs of famous musicians, gangster artists and people dressed in the style of the 30s. Posters with views of New York. You can also download Chicago style photo templates with the words Wanted and insert the faces of your guests into them. Place cards, chips, revolvers, antiques, bowlers, pipes and cigarette holders everywhere. Try to get a real or toy roulette table. Stick labels on bottles of alcohol with the words “milk”, “juice”, “potion”, or pour the alcohol into coffee pots, teapots, jugs, juice or kefir bottles. Instead of glasses there are coffee and tea cups.
Scenery
To create a vintage atmosphere, it is not necessary to fill the room with antiques. Of course, it will be great if you can find something “antique” from those years - ashtrays, dishes, record players and records, lampshades with fringes and heavy candlesticks, antique postcards and figurines. But you can get by with aged posters (sepia or b/w) - photos of Chicago, movie stars, jazz performers, swing and tango dancers. Shots from films about gangsters and the mafia will fit into the theme, because this was their era!
The interior breathes style, high cost and pomp. There are rich curtains on the windows, good quality furniture, carved or hidden under textiles. In crystal vases there are fresh scarlet roses or snow-white hydrangeas. The color scheme of the evening is predominantly black or dark brown, white, and a lot of deep red. Anything related to gambling (cards, chips, roulette, dice), weapons, banknotes, feathers and beads are suitable for mini-compositions and garlands. Garlands with small round bulbs will fit perfectly, but there should be a lot of them. Don't forget to hide modern interior elements under the decorations.
Invitations:
- a postcard in the shape of a dancing couple, a vinyl record, a cigar, in the shape of hats (men's and women's, respectively);
- an original invitation on the back of a banknote, a wine label, in the shape of a machine gun or pistol, bullet, grenade or brass knuckles will hint to friends about the mafia theme;
- aged paper, calligraphic handwriting, slightly frayed edges, a gold pen and the address “Lady”, “Gentleman” will create the right mood in advance. The holiday is only for the cream of society!
Suits
Be sure to warn guests about the dress code in advance, because it will be difficult to find the necessary props in one day. Many people have different ideas about gangster style, so give people detailed instructions on how to dress and where to get costumes. Women The style of women's clothing of those years is recognized by men as one of the sexiest styles among many generations. Create a unique image of an American beauty of the 30s. Show off silk dresses with diamonds, retro hairstyles with big cold waves, fur capes or feather boas. It would be great if you could get some cigarette holders, even if you don't smoke. On the head are small hats with feathers or a ribbon headband with a feather attached to the side. Fishnet tights, scarves, and stilettos will complete the look. Men For men, striped suits, a white shirt, suspenders, a hat, a tie and, cigars, boots with an oval or rounded square toe are suitable. Lovers of special chic should take care of gaiters - original covers for shoes, which were not only a fashionable detail, but also protected shoes from getting wet. Canes and bowler hats are also welcome, and especially revolvers and Thomson machine guns. Where to get clothes Go through your wardrobe. Search all closets, chests and attics. Ask the grandparents you know. Visit junk dealers. Go to a thrift store.
Holiday ideas for children
A nice children's party in a gangster style still involves clothes with mafia paraphernalia. Cigars and alcohol, of course, are only imitated. Welcome :
- decorative tattoos;
- solving the riddles of cards cut into pieces;
- search on the ground (in the forest, in a vacant lot, in a park);
- a shootout with water pistols in the middle of the forest;
- shooting exercises for accuracy.
Children's invitations are usually made on yellowed paper. Be sure to use bright and juicy headlines . They certainly indicate, of course, where and when the celebration will take place. You can increase the richness of the atmosphere by renting a vintage car. This technique is also useful for adult guests.
Gangster Party - Menu
A special feature of the gangster party is Prohibition. Therefore, it is better to concentrate on how to beautifully play up the serving of alcohol, without focusing special attention on the dishes served. I think there is no need to recreate the American restaurant menu of the 1930s. Olivier, of course, does not need to be served either. Serve your guests juicy steaks, fresh vegetable salad, baked or steamed vegetables, French fries, chips and a few appetizers. The most important thing is that the treat is tasty and looks beautiful.
Music
Soft jazz sounds at the start of the party. Music sets the mood. And it doesn’t have to strictly correspond to the era of the 30s. Perhaps it would be wiser to partially use music that we associate with “old America.” It could be rock and roll, Argentine tango, jive, foxtrot, Charleston, swing, even the Bravo group will do. Such compositions will definitely warm up the guests. But jazz, of course, will dominate the party. If you are planning a serious event on a large scale, then invite a real jazz band. Make sure your DJ has plenty of CDs with the right music: Ennio Morricone, Lowell Fulson, Nathaniel Mechaly, John Lee Hooker, Hank Shockiee, David Axelrod, Anthony Hamilton, Erik Satie, etc. It's clear that the DJ is at a gangster party cannot be dressed in a T-shirt and faded jeans. It must also “match.” So take care of his appearance and gangster image.
Meeting with guests
Make sure that guests are greeted at the entrance by people in appropriate attire. This could be a boy selling newspapers in short pants, a baggy shirt and a cap on one side, who will invite guests and confidentially tell in whose honor such a stormy celebration is organized (birthday - name day of the head of the clan, wedding - the godfather’s favorite daughter is getting married, corporate party - meeting on the occasion of a future business). Guests can also be greeted by a photographer with an old camera, a cigar seller, or a girl dressed as a restaurant waitress from the 1930s. The waitress can offer guests a cigar, a cup of coffee (in a cup, of course, cognac or vodka), or a glass of juice (wine). For men, she can insert a flower into their buttonhole and offer to lead their lady (or a free lady, if the guests are single) to the table. The birthday boy or the hero of the occasion (or the newlyweds) can drive up to the meeting place last with pomp and in a rare black car.
For guests who did not pass the dress control at the entrance, offer to go to the table with prepared props: hats, weapons, boas and feathers. Arrange a well-decorated place for a photo shoot, where guests will have to go after they have passed dress control at the entrance. A gangster dressed in all the canons of style, or his stunning girlfriend, a cabaret dancer, of course, can pose with the guests. Hand out at the entrance or place on the tables the latest issue of the Gangsters' Today newspaper, humorously compiled and printed on thin yellowish paper.
Gangster party - entertainment
The key to a Chicago themed party is the dancing, so have dance competitions (Best Ladies, Best Males, and Best Couples). Give your guests a master class on preparing evening cocktails. Hand out mafia code leaflets to guests.
Mafia Code
You join the mafia for life. Only death breaks these bonds.
Members of the mafia mutually help each other, whatever the nature of this help. Any attack on one of the members of the mafia in any form is an attack on everyone; he must be avenged at any cost. They undertake to obey their superiors completely. When justice needs to be done, mafia members turn not to civil authorities, but to the mafia itself. She is the one who judges. She is the one who makes the judgment. It is she who carries out the sentence. If anyone, for any reason, betrays the names of members of the organization, he can be killed by anyone at any time; revenge extends not only to him, but also to his entire family
At the party, you can give out various secret messages to guests, written on small pieces of paper, which will contain puzzles, riddles or questions related to the theme of the party. If the message is solved, then the one who solves his message receives a prize. Organize a shooting competition, for this you will need toy pistols that shoot plastic bullets.
Set up shop at a gangster party. Only your currency will not be real money, but chips (stars or fake dollars) received by guests for participating and winning the competition. They will be able to exchange these chips for goods they like in the “store”: a bottle of whiskey, a cigar, a deck of cards, a cigarette case, women’s jewelry, a cigarette holder, etc. Open the store at the end of the party, when the participants already have a lot of “exchange currency” in their hands.
A mini-casino would be very appropriate at a gangster party. You can use a toy version of roulette or easily make one yourself. The roulette must have numbers on which bets will be accepted. Choose a dealer from particularly active guests. You can bet the same chips you won in competitions, and the prizes will be the same gangster-related items. "Criminal Couple" Couples participate in the game. Participants need to be handcuffed to each other (at worst, their hands tied with rope). We give each couple a bottle of alcoholic drink and a bright ribbon. The task of the criminal friends is to tie a ribbon on the bottle with a bow. A Chicago-style party requires a good, witty and resourceful host. He must keep his hand on the pulse at all times. Otherwise, the guests will admire the costumes, drink, and everything will turn into a regular drinking party. Start the next competition or game on time and gently encourage participants not to lose their accessories: “Lady, haven’t you put on your hat? This is a shame!”, “Sir! A true gangster doesn’t leave his weapon anywhere!” At the end of the evening, invite guests to choose and approve a “godfather” by secret ballot. Be sure to have your ballot papers ready. It will be funny if only one voter is indicated on the ballot, who will need to be chosen.
Theme parties
Competitions
casino with a variety of gambling games
is perfect Everyone present will appreciate playing poker with a glass of whiskey and a cigar, and the winning chips can be exchanged in a mini shop for a cigar or a bottle of whiskey. To avoid boredom, it’s worth thinking through competitions and games for those present in advance.
You can initially play out pre-thought-out roles in the form of forfeits for guests at the entrance, in whose image they will perform for the main part of the evening or participate in competitions; such images can be red-haired Mary, Jim and Louis Armstrong, little Sophie, Rose's corpse. The prototypes for the characters of the evening can be the main characters of any mafia showdown; you just need to watch the films and the image is ready.
For entertainment, you can organize shooting competitions, with darts, for example. You can send secret messages with riddles all evening, and give prizes to those who guess it. Prizes in competitions can include souvenir dollars, small gangster-themed souvenirs, and drinks.
