The masquerade ball theme has its origins in the Venetian Carnival of the renaissance era, where nobles from around Europe would hold elaborate costume parties. The most iconic element of these costumes was the elaborate masks that were used to cover the eyes or entire face. Even if your guests won’t be in fancy dress or sporting their own mask, you can draw inspiration from classic Italian designs and Renaissance parties for your event. A masquerade theme can work for a wide variety of events including product launches, birthday parties, large dinners, award ceremonies, and weddings. The ideal venue for a masquerade ball is a historic house or baroque or art deco style hotel reception. It’s a good idea to have clear space for dancing or entertainment, as well space for guests to show off their costumes and mingle away from the dining area.
The idea behind a masquerade ball theme is to have everything exude sophistication alongside a strong theatrical presentation. It’s common for masquerade parties to use an art deco style with chandeliers, string curtains, candelabras, feathers, lanterns, drapes, and to make use of masks in your props and decorations. You can bring these together with light panels and posters of masked figures and scenes from classical art. To give your venue a true Renaissance feel, you can make use of Venetian style lamps and furniture, busts of Roman and Greek figures, and props straight from a Medici palace. Masquerade parties are the beginning of many modern day Mardis Gras celebrations and you can incorporate these as well by using coloured beads, diamond patterns, and chequerboard designs. You can contrast and highlight your other decorations with modern furnishing such as lit archways that let guests know their stepping into a different world or a selfie booth to help them document their time there.
There are several traditional approaches to a masquerade ball style colour scheme. You might choose a more burlesque-inspired style with deep reds and dark colours, a Renaissance style with monochrome and gold, or a Mardis Gras style with purple, green, and gold. With the lighting, you want to find a balance between mysterious, intimate lighting that gives you the Masquerade atmosphere with loud and energetic lighting that fills up a dance floor and let’s people know they’re at a party. For the lower-key lighting, you can use chandeliers, candle bulbs, and strings of festoon lights. For the exuberant lighting, you can turn to a variety of sources for controllable dynamic light. At Table Art, our custom centrepieces can come lit in a colour of your choice and the lighting can be remote-controlled to match the mood of the evening as it progresses. Your centrepiece can then act as a focal point of your design on every table that adds new levels of texture to the venue. At Table Art, we’ve used Venetian style lamps, meticulously designed masks, and a range of twisting flame designs for masquerade ball themes in the past. Check out our previous centrepiece creations for more inspiration.
To make your masquerade ball theme work, you will need to completely transform your venue so that guests can let go and lose themselves in this strange world you’ve created for them. Everything from the lighting, to the furniture, to the decorations, should come together as part of this transformation. Guests always enjoy a chance to wear a costume that doesn’t take them too far out of their comfort zone and it creates an excellent opportunity for branding and social media. If you want help creating a Masquerade Ball theme event, then get in touch with Table Art for a consultation. We can build, transport, and install centrepieces and furniture that will make for a magical night.
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