I really wanted to have a fun date just in time for Mardi Gras for everyone out there to enjoy. This is, of course, the tame version of a Mardi Gras festival, but I still incorporated some key elements into this fun filled group date. Now prepare yourself…some of the games that we played are HiLaRIoUS. If you dare to play these (a group date is the best for them) you will have some serious laughs ahead of you! Now let’s get down to business, shall we? The KEY elements of a fabulous Mardi Gras party include…
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here. The Masks
After all, I did dub this party a Masquerade…so naturally masks are a must. I did let all of our guests know ahead of time about the party so they would have plenty of time to find masks whether online or around town. If you happen to plan this after Halloween (that’s when I picked ours up) you can find some amazing deals on masks that are on clearance and really, it’s always great to have a mask on hand for any occasion. {WINK} A special thanks to all of the couples that joined us! (From the top left clockwise: Janette & Doug, Ben & Vanessa, Ashley & Craig, and Kari & Adam) Here is a great Mask source to shop: Mardi Gras Outlet Southern Comfort Food Mmm…southern comfort. Sounds delicious enough to eat, right? Oh, my. Well, I made a trip to Georgia last year and had my first taste of real Southern cooking and it has stuck with me! So of course, when you think of Masquerade and Mardi Gras…you think of New Orleans Southern Food. I am all about cooking up the diggs myself, but sometimes my schedule doesn’t always make that possible. So for this group date I had each couple bring a southern dish to share. Lucky for all of us, two of the couples have actually lived in the deep south. Thank the food heavens! This also made for interesting conversations and stories shared of their vast experience with southern culture. Beads Galore Game
No Mardi Gras/Masquerade Party would be complete without Mardi Gras beads. Now, we didn’t use these in the traditional sense…;) I actually made a game out of the beads that is of the “get-to-know-you” variety. Each person is given 5-7 strands of Mardi Gras beads. Then you go around the table giving each person a turn to pose a true statement about themselves. Something like, “I have never gone snow skiing.” Then go around the table and whoever has never gone snow skiing has to give that person one of their strands of beads. Another person could say, “I have traveled to Mexico.” Again, those who have traveled to Mexico have to give that person a strand of beads. This definitely turned into the highlight of our evening since it’s hysterical and you actually learn something new about your friends. At the end of your game (play as many rounds as you want!)…count up all of your beads. Whomever is left with the most wins the title of King or Queen of Mardi Gras! I picked up our Mardi Gras beads at The DollarStore. If you are planning this ahead of time and want to save a little money, check out the Mardi Gras Outlet. Fortunes New Orleans is known for it’s plethora of fortune tellers. I wanted to bring this notoriety to our party as well…even though I don’t really believe in fortune tellers. Some people do…but I thought it would be HILARIOUS to have some funny and outrageous fortunes rolled up along the table. I had about 2-3 fortunes for each person rolled up in the center of the table as part of the decor. We would take a break in between the Beads Galore Game, Palm Reading, and dessert to each read out a fortune. I must say that I got the biggest kick out of it…probably because I had already read them all ahead of time and had time to contemplate the meaning behind each one. You can click below to print out the fortunes I used OR you can Google “funny fortunes” to pick out your own. Palm Reading No Masquerade would be complete without some traditional palm reading. You can always hire a real palm reader (which I think is around $25 – $50 a person for a group rate), but I thought it would be even more fun to have each couple read their own spouse’s palms. It makes things a little more interesting. There are plenty of websites out there that have diagrams of what the lines in your palm mean…I just happened to stumble upon a really fun/easy version. I did have a print out of both the fun and the more serious versions for each couple to take home. We mainly focused on the fun version… Mardi Gras King Cake
“One of the most popular foods during Mardi Gras is the king cake, consumed by the carload and traditionally sold in bakeries, grocery stores and delis from January 6 to Ash Wednesday. Locals and visitors alike eat king cake for breakfast, coffee break, and dessert. In fact, almost any excuse to grab a slice will do… King cake is a confection made of braided Danish pastry, laced with cinnamon. It is always iced in the Mardi Gras colors of purple (justice), green (faith) and gold (power). Hidden in each king cake is a tiny plastic baby. The person who finds the baby must buy the next king cake or host the next party. Contemporary king cakes are often filled with cream cheese, fruit fillings, such as apple or strawberry, and other fillings.” I didn’t have time to make the traditional King Cake that requires time to actually make. So I went with the Cheaters King Cake (which is sort of apt, don’t you think? lol) Basically you grab some Rhodes Rolls, arrange them on a cookie sheet in a circle, let them rise, bake them, then frost them with purple, green, and yellow cream cheese icing (and sprinkles if you so desire). If you have the time and want to try your hand at the traditional cake…try the receipe below! A Pot of Good Luck
Our guests definitely didn’t go home empty handed. I made up these fun party favors for each couple to take home. They are filled with hard Carmel candies wrapped in a yellow wrapper…meant to represent the Gold for Power. It also sort of goes along with the St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun theme…a pot of good luck to enhance the good fortunes they were given tonight.
SO there you have it! This date was a blast and I really hope that you have as much fun with your Masquerade Party as we did!
