Last Monday was definitely not my average start to the week…this one was filled with sequins, sparkle, washi tape, camera flashes, and all kinds of YUM! ;)

What could bring about all this fun stuff on a Monday night, you ask? Well…… I had a blast styling the Wendy’s^® Ultimate Premiere Party for pro dancer Cheryl Burke up in LA that evening! We celebrated the return of 2 favorites: fall television and Wendy’s Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwiches, which are back on the menu for a limited time.

Viewing party guests – which included HWTM readers (yay!) and lots of great media attendees – watched the Season 17 premiere of Cheryl’s show while it aired – and Cheryl came by to watch the episode with us. 🤩 It’s not everyday that you watch a show WITH one if its stars in the room, right?! 😉

“PRIME TIME” FOR SOME FUN!

My role at the Premiere Party was to style the atmosphere and share some easy ways that anyone can take their own TV parties to the next level, without a ton of effort or expense. And YES – it really is possible to weave a healthy dose of playfulness and style into your get-together without totally stressing yourself out.

For example, instead of spending hours cooking & cleaning in the kitchen before guests arrive, just pick up some quick, accessible options to serve – like the Wendy’s Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwiches. You can also give them a quick “costume change” with cute little food picks and festive serving trays. Done!

ELEVATING THE EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE

Although I showcased several different ideas at this event, it’s important for me to note that you do NOT need to do all of them! Just 1 or 2 quick party DIY tricks will turn any everyday get-together into a fun & memorable experience for your guests.

Maybe it’s the sparkly food picks and embellished trays that you like – or maybe the semi-circle party garlands and paper table runners are more up your alley. The point is that life is too short not to weave in a little extra fun here and there – and when it comes to parties – there are lots of fun things that can be done in seconds flat!

HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Washi tape, washi tape EVERYWHERE! Utensils, trays, cups, paper cones, & more…
• Easy gold dipped feather garlands inspired by costumes from Cheryl’s show
• DIY “TV” Centerpieces made from $1 frames sign inserts
• Show inspired phrases woven throughout the decor. i.e. “CHANNEL your inner disco queen”

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Event Space & Overall Concept

As far as party venues go, this was definitely a first for me! We transformed the interior of an actual Wendy’s restaurant in Hollywood for our event space. I will fully admit to being a little nervous about how a Dancing with the Stars inspired look would come together inside of a Wendy’s restaurant, especially with just under 2 weeks to pull it together. Somehow it DID come together in the end though, many thanks to my awesome team that helped me craft up a storm in the days leading up to the event!

And while it’s true that a lot of work went into this particular party because of its size, location, and the sheer amount of different ideas showcased, if you look at the ideas individually, they are ALL very approachable, affordable and quick, just like the Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwich. ;)

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Food Displays & Serving Ideas

DIY Serving Trays
I picked up some inexpensive ($5/set of 2) unfinished wooden serving trays at Michaels, as well as some large unfinished wooden picture frames ($5 each) that were also used as serving trays! Both were quickly embellished with washi tape and one of my new favorite craft discoveries: Rhinestone Sticky Strips. These strips start at 2×12″ and can easily be cut apart with scissors or an exacto knife, so one strip goes a long way. The insides of the frames and trays were lined with either chevron paper or festive fabric, then filled with Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwiches, ready to be served!

French Fry Cones
Decorative paper was cut into 6″ squares, then rolled and taped to create serving cones for the french fries. We used scotch tape on the inside and an accent of washi tape on the outside. They were also lined with another rolled square of clear cellophane to help keep oil off the paper. The cones were displayed in clear acrylic stands ordered from Amazon (the same ones we used at this party!). We decked out the stands with more of the sticky rhinestone strips and a few glittered stars.

Party Flags
The Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwiches got all dressed up for the party with cute little DIY picks made from party flags and sparkly poms!

Sparkly Spoons
On the menu for dessert? Wendy’s Frostys, of course! So, for the grand finale, we decorated wooden spoons with glitter tape, washi tape and star confetti.

More Details:
– Show “snack bags” made from brown paper bags embellished with party silhouettes and rhinestones
– Push up pop containers decorated with washi tape and glitter tape
– DIY “dessert stands” made from decorated plates propped up by upside-down bowls
– Salad Bowl & salad servers embellished with sequin trim, craft rhinestones & glitter tape
– Store bought cookies painted with “disco dust” (edible glitter)

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Guest Tables

Custom Plates
We customized clear plates (in a fun wave shape!) with paper designs, which where adhered to the underside of the plates using spray adhesive. Personally, clever words and phrases are one of my favorite party decor “elements”, so this was the perfect place to get those in! Each dinner plate featured one of 4 phrases related to the featured show:
– WALTZ for dinner? I’m hungry.
– TUNE IN to something tasty.
– CHANNEL your inner disco queen.
– It’s PRIME TIME for something tasty.

DIY “Mini TV” Centerpieces
When it comes to larger events, I always like to have one element will definitely get the guests talking, and for this party I think the sparkly “mini TVs” were it! They do take a little extra time, but in this case the ROI is worth it. :)

The structure of the TV is made from two $1 wooden frames from Michaels + the base of a $1 Tolsby frame from IKEA. I designed some printable signs to display inside that showcased the new show celebrities their and dance pro partners. And while it’s true that TV antennas are a little outdated at this point in time, they looked so cute that I couldn’t resist including them. We’ll post a more in-depth DIY tutorial soon, because this is a really versatile idea that could be used for so many different themes!

More Details:
– Glittered stars (purchased in packs from the scrapbooking section at Micheals) were attached to chair backs with 3D glue dots.
– Black satin tablecloths + Gold Chevron Paper were used to cover the standard restaurant tables

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Room Decor

Semi-Circle Paper Garlands
To make these, we used large circle punches on glittered & patterned paper, then scored the circles in half. To form the garlands, simply place the folded circles over your string (we used baker’s twine), then adhere the ends of the folded circle together using a glue dot, glue stick, or similar. In addition to being fast, one  of the best things about these garlands is that they’re adjustable – simply slide the circles to the desired spacing once your garland is hung – no need to worry about making it “perfect” from the get-go! We hung our paper garlands from the TV, drink station, and in Chery’s interview area.

“Mirror Ball” Trophy
I spray painted an accordion style paper lantern metallic silver and placed it on top of a simple white vase from my house, which we dressed up a little with sequins and glitter tape.

Glitter Dipped Feather Garland
Inspired by the fabulous costumes in the show, these garlands are fun & so fast to make! Using a little gold spray paint, glitter and twine, we literally pulled these together in minutes.

More Details:
– Spray painted & glittered wooden “DANCING QUEEN” Letters
– Sparkly circle “confetti” made from circle craft punches + glittered paper
– Amazing sequin tablecloths from La Tavola (“New York” in Brass and Silver)

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Drink Station

Embellished Cups
We used various craft supplies like washi tape, glitter tape, and sticky rhinestones to decorate basic clear plastic cups with 5 different designs. The tapes and rhinestones are removeable, so you could easily decorate your everyday glassware like this too! The only exception would be the mod podge glittered bottoms… save that for disposable plastic. :)

More Details:
– Chevron & Stripey straws dressed up with with glitter tape “flags” and glittered stars
– Acrylic drink dispensers  glammed up with sequin trim, glittered stars & paper circle “confetti”

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3 Party Tips I Shared:

During the commercial breaks of the show, I shared some quick party tips, explaining how guests can recreate several of the elements from the event for their own viewing parties at home. Here are my 3 favorites…

1) Theme It Out
Use the show that you’re viewing (whatever it may be) as inspiration for your party decor. Examples here would be the sparkly TVs, glittered feather garlands (inspired by the fabulous dancer costumes!), the “Mirror Ball Trophy”, and the general usage of rhinestones, sequins & glitter.

2) Make It Fun!
Have an easy activity ready that coordinates with your theme. For this event, I designed “dance score cards” so that everyone could guess how the show judges would score each dance. The winner that was closest to the actual score tally won a prize! Another fun idea would be to set up a sparkly headband making station where guests can make a fun headband or hair clip to wear at the party and take home.

3) Party With Paper
Use decorative paper (stylish gift wrap, scrapbook papers, etc) to quickly dress up the party space! String paper party garlands, line trays with paper, make paper table runners, etc. You might notice that we used one big roll of Gold Chevron Paper throughout this entire event – from covering the tables and large wooden craft letters to wrapping empty boxes to use as DIY “stands”… even the french fries were served in it! This really helped give the entire party a cohesive look.

P.S. It was so fun to meet all the ticket winners! Thanks so much for coming out – I hope you had a great time. :)

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VENDOR CREDITS:

– Host, Food, Venue: Wendy’s
– Party Styling & Design: Jennifer Sbranti for Hostess with the Mostess
– Photography: Alyssa Bernstein for HWTM and Lester Cohen/Getty Images for Wendy’s
– Sequin Linens: La Tavola (“New York” in Brass and Silver)