Everything I learned about theme party planning I learned by trial and error. Believe me, I made a LOT of mistakes along the way. Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you avoid going through the same hassle.

IF YOU'RE NOT HAVING FUN PLANNING THE PARTY, IT WILL LIKELY BOMB

I planned parties because I had FUN doing it. Party guests have a kind of 'radar'. They know if you had fun planning the party or not, and that determines their party mood at your event. 

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YOUR INVITATION SETS THE SCENE

I learned to go for the WOW! factor right out of the gate with the invitation. Sure, it's fast and easy to send a digital invitation to their cell phone or email addy. But...swipe left. Your digital party has done nothing to set it and consequently, your party apart from any others. Your invitation tells your guests what they can expect if attending your party. If they see you put thought and work into your invitation, they're going to assume you put just as much thought and effort into your party.

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GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME TO PLAN

I'd take 3 months or more to plan a party. It gave me time for needed DIY projects, purchasing, and made the process stress free. If you wait until the last minute you'll be running around like Chicken Little and it will show in your party preparation. Not to mention stress you out.

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CHOOSE YOUR VENUE CAREFULLY
You want a venue large enough to accommodate all of your guests comfortably and that is easy to find. You want it to have sufficient parking space and handicap access.
You want a venue that will allow you to decorate/stage it and give you plenty of time pre-party to do that.
You also want to look at how easy a venue would be to stage according to your party theme. Does it lend itself to your theme so it will cost you less to stage it?

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IMMERSE THE GUESTS IN YOUR THEME. TRANSPORT THEM TO A DIFFERENT TIME AND PLACE
If you're going to do it, do it right!

The success of a great themed event comes down to how well you manage to transport the guests to a new environment. This involves their 5 senses. What can they see, feel, experience when in the venue?

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ENCOURAGE YOUR GUESTS TO DRESS THE PART

This ties into transporting your guests to a new environment above. If they dress the part, they'll feel the part and this contributes to the success of your party. It helps heighten guests anticipation of your event and will help them engage more readily rather than be onlookers.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Themed food and drink is important but never make everything you plan to serve yourself unless it's simple snacks and finger foods. Have a pot luck affair where every guest brings a dish, have family and friends help you prepare the food or have your event catered. 
You'll find you have your hands full the day of your party without being tied to the kitchen.
 

A note for kids' parties: Kids don't usually eat a whole lot at parties. They're more into the activities.

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KNOW YOUR GUESTS

Obviously if Uncle Billy Bob and Aunt Daisy Mae have been feuding over the secret family moonshine recipe for years you don't want to throw them together at a party - unless you want to risk the cops showing up at your door. You know which of your guests are extroverts and which are introverts inclined to sit against the wall with a drink in their hands, just watching the party action. Choose your guest list carefully.

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HAVE PLENTY OF ACTIVITIES TO ENGAGE YOUR GUESTS

It's your job as host to get those introvert guests engaged in the action. Activities they participate in help them engage with your more extroverted guests and break the ice. When it comes to kids' parties, they're all about the activities. Just remember they tend to have short attention spans when planning your activities for them.

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DON'T BREAK THE BANK

I had a set yearly budget for the parties I threw myself. By DIY'ing it, you'll save a bunch of money. 

Similarly there's nothing wrong with buying used and refurbishing the item. I put the money I saved doing this into my yearly party budget and it added up very quickly. This allowed me to throw bigger and better parties toward the end of the year. Don't forget to shop dollar stores and store sales.

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HONE YOUR SKILLS

Before I ever got into party planning I had a BA in graphic art and interior design, I'd worked on theater stage set production, I could sew and do woodworking. I could scrapbook, do calligraphy, arts and crafts.

The more skills you have, the more money you'll save on throwing parties and the more elaborate the parties you'll be able to stage.

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Remember the basics of a great party and have fun with your theme. The overall atmosphere will be amplified if you ensure the guests are happy with the key ingredients first.