You're Invited to... Party Like it's 1959

There is no rule in the Valentine's Day code book that says you have to spend the night at a candlelit dinner with your soulmate. This year, get your friends involved by throwing a themed Valentine's Day party. Read below for an easy step-by-step guide.

1. Come up with a specific theme

Now this one may seem like a no-brainer, seeing it is a Valentine's Day party, but think beyond hearts and red streamers and come up with a great theme. Perhaps you and your friends have a favorite television show, or even a decade, or both! For this particular article, we are going to go for a retro, "Mad Men" theme. Think late 50s dresses, skinny ties, thick rimmed glasses, martinis and some classic all-American snacks.

2. Craft fun invitations

Don't spend money on buying bland invitations when they could be custom made, perfectly fitting your theme. Be sure to mention that there is a dress code. "Retro glam attire required," or "Dress to impress as your favorite Mad Men character." Include RSVP cards so you can keep track of who will be coming to your party. Sending paper invitations rather than online e-vites helps create the retro theme you are going for.

3. Create your menu

For a "Mad Men" themed party, go for an array of retro, all-American hors d'oeuvres and desserts. Shrimp cocktail, deviled eggs, pigs in a blanket, mini pizzas, and a Cheerios cocktail snack (something like Chex Mix) are a few examples. For dessert, set out small fruit cups, mini chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting, little pies, Angel food cake, or vanilla ice cream in retro cups with a cherry on top. Decorate your appetizer trays with celery trunks, stuffed cucumbers, grape clusters & fruit kabobs and put bowls of salted almonds on coffee tables. If you need more help coming up with a menu for the particular decade you choose go to (www.foodtimeline.org).

4. Find a signature mock or cocktail

Set up a table of decorated martini glasses filled with a signature cocktail/mocktail. Perhaps a pink lemontini, or a classic martini with olives.

5. Prepare your decor

This step is pretty straight forward. Go to your local party store and stock up on balloons, streamers, paper plates and cups. The color and style is what you want to pay close attention to. Pick out silver metallic pieces and pink crepe paper. Rather than getting a whole bunch of cheap Solo cups, try finding some martini glasses at a place like TJ Maxx or the dollar store, for your signature drink. Fill glass vases with fluffy white, pink or red flowers (it usually looks nicer if you keep the colors separated, so put white flowers in their own vase and pink in their own). Don't be afraid to use paper doilies.

6. Perfect your playlist

For a "Mad Men" themed party you will be playing a lot of golden oldies. If you want people to dance, select a few songs that have jumpy rhythms, obviously "The Twist" comes to mind in this case. Intersperse the playlist with danceable and less-danceable tunes, to ensure that there is a good mix of mingling and grooving.

7. Dress to impress

Head to a secondhand store if you want to find a dress straight out of the late 50s. Be sure to pay close attention to the details. Wear a unique brooch, string of pearls, intricate clip on earrings or a large colorful cocktail ring. As for you boys, find some thick-rimmed glasses, or pop the lenses out of a pair of 3-D movie glasses. You can find skinny ties at vintage stores, or J.Crew if you want to spend a little more. Be sure to wear tapered pants, comb and gel your hair back and find a pair of argyle socks for a fun touch.

8. Play games

Set up fun games for your friends to play. This may sound juvenile, but everyone loves getting together in a group and playing charades or twister (might be a little hard if your female guests are wearing puffy dresses). You could also set up various game stations, for example, a poker table would distract a lot of your guests for a while. Do a little research and let your imagination go wild with games from the era that you are going for.