Invite: I designed the invite on Photoshop with various camera images I found online. I wanted to keep it simple, but still have graphics that represented the theme. Even added in some photography lingo to the bottom with "capture" and "flash."
Photography Challenge Activity: When I sent the invitation, I also included a photography activity for guests to do in the week leading up to the party. I asked guests to take and email me photos representing 4 different categories of photography. The 4 categories were: Rule of Thirds, Symmetry (bird's eye view/worm's eye view), leading lines, and framing (frame within a frame). I sent an email explaining the definitions of these and providing examples, so guests knew the technique of the photo they were going to take.
Once I had all the photos from the Photography Challenge, I printed them out and organized them on foam boards from the Dollar Tree to display on easels like a gallery. It was fun to chat about the different photos and see what guest's came up with in the 4 categories.
Decorations: I purchased a plastic teal blue tablecloth for the table as that was the closest color I could find to the invitation. The table was set with white plates with black small plates in the middle. For the centerpiece, I asked around to friends and a photography teacher to see if I could borrow old cameras. As you can see in the photo, they came through! I used photo boxes I already owned to elevate some of them on the table.
I cut cardstock to represent old camera film to place on the table under some of the cameras.
I designed my place cards to look like polaroid snapshots. I found the dimensions of a polaroid online to set it up. I added a photo of each guest that they had posted on their Instagram or Facebook account. Then included their name and a couple words about the photo.
For my napkins, I used my Cricut cutting machine to put out photograph film in black and folded a black napkin to weave in the middle.
I designed my wine labels trying to combine photography terms with wine terms. For the red wine, I went with Shutter & Sip: Uncorking Memories. For the white wine, it was "Lens & Libations: Framing Good Times."
I used the same images of cameras from the invite, plus some others, for the wine charms. I printed the images out and taped them to the wine glass stem.
Menu: Since the Photography Challenge involved techniques of photography composition, I decided to stick with this idea for my menu. We started with a "Rule of Thirds Salad." For this salad, I used 3 different types of lettuce - iceberg, spinach, and romaine. I placed the lettuce on a large rectangular plate so each variety took up one third of the plate. Then I added all the toppings (tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, & sunflower seeds) to the far right corner to visually represent the rule of thirds in photography.
For the main dish I served rotisserie chicken. The chicken represented the "bird's" eye view of photography.
I served grilled vegetables as well. I grilled them on skewers and then lined them up to represent "leading lines" in photography.
I served twice baked potatoes or PHOTATOES as I called them. I served them inside of a frame to represent "framing" in photography.
For dessert I made chocolate mousse that I layered with raspberries. This represented "depth of field" in photography with its layers.
Party Favor: Just for fun, I gave each guest a box of Macaroni and Cheese. I printed a large photo of a camera to glue to the front of the box with a speech bubble that read "Say (mac &) Cheese!" Easy and the guests got a kick out of them.
As usual, this was a fun night with friends, and the theme related decorations and touches only added to that fun. Totally recommend this theme for a simple gathering or even a get-to-know-you (with photos) get together.
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