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" Lori Levine, Founder and CEO of celebrity party planning firm Flying Television, gives you the inside scoop on throwing a party that&amp;#039;ll make a real splash. Just follow these 10 rules: Plan a surprise. Have one thing at your party, like a signature drink or a goody bag, that none of your friends know about - this extra element makes a party more memorable.  Pick a theme. Single colors are really hot this year. Pick a color family and buy all your decorations \u2014 plates, napkins and drinks (and maybe even your clothes) \u2014 in different shades.  Have a photographer. Get a parent or sibling to take pictures for you so you don&amp;#039;t have to worry about it. At the end of the night, you&amp;#039;ll be sure to have pix of everyone, and you can post them online, just like the paparazzi do!  Make a video. Have everyone talk to the camera when they walk in, or when they leave (they&amp;#039;ll feel like stars!), and then post it on YouTube, so everyone can remember the party (and experience the moments they might have missed!).  Serve finger foods. Your guests should never have anything other than their plates and napkins in their hands, so only serve food they can pick up and eat without making a mess. Bonus: bite-sized foods, like cocktail weiners and buffalo wings, usually come pre-packaged, so you won&amp;#039;t have to do any cooking.  Be careful with space. You want to make sure you have enough people over to fill your living room or back yard, but you don&amp;#039;t want people to feel crowded. Measure the size (square footage -- the length times the width) of your room, and divide by 9. That&amp;#039;s the number of people you should have over. And remember, less is more. The best parties feel small and a little exclusive!  Get a photo booth. You can rent these, or vintage arcade games, online, and have a service deliver them to your house (only do this if you can clear out space in your garage - mom and dad won&amp;#039;t want these in the house!) for instant fun and memories.  Make people move around. Don&amp;#039;t put any chairs in the room, and put the food and drinks on opposite sides of the space. This way people can&amp;#039;t stand in one spot all night, and will mix and mingle. If you want people to dance, make sure there&amp;#039;s enough clear space, blast the music, and get your best friends to &amp;quot;break&amp;quot; in the dance floor. Everyone else will follow!  Get great lighting. Dim the lights and put out candles. For a fool-proof (and mess-proof) version, get battery operated candles that still give off the same kind of light, but won&amp;#039;t burn your guests or get wax all over the place.  Make DIY centerpieces. Buy mason jars from any craft or hardware store, and fill them with fruit (something cool and big like lemons, pomegranates, or oranges), colored sand, or even bright candy. They&amp;#039;ll make a great focal point and help fill the room with color! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/a1853/party-planning-tips-0508/>