If you’ve always thought it would be fun to host your own Halloween party but just as quickly came up with a half dozen excuses why not to do it, well, that’s about to change. You CAN do it and you can do it well. And it all comes down to one word: Theme. Once you have a main theme established for your party, everything falls into place-food, decorations, invitations,activities, and your costume.
As long as you focus on your theme, you’ll see how all the other decisions and your To-Do List becomes infinitely easier. And the more specific your theme, the easier the party planning. So save yourself the stress (Halloween parties are supposed to be FUN after all!) and first choose a main theme-a focal point- and then incorporate your party’s theme into EVERY aspect of the event- from paper goods to food to decorations. An added bonus is that having a main theme is also easier for your guests. They won’t have to wonder what to dress up as this year because your party theme will dictate what kind of costume they will need.
The easiest, quickest way to come up with a party theme is to simply browse the aisles of any large party store. Much of their merchandise is already grouped by theme, so when you see something that grabs your interest, you’ll have paper plates, invitations, and lots of fun theme decorations right in front of you. Or shop online for party decorations and save yourself time. The internet is a great source for top costume ideas. With all these tips, throwing a successful Halloween party couldn’t be easier!
If you need another dose of creativity, here are a few tried-and-true main theme party ideas and examples of how the party details evolve around that main theme:
Color Theme: Choose your favorite color and build a party around it. Everything from invitations to the napkins, including much of the food, should incorporate that color. Like green? Put green food coloring in cake or cookie batter, and serve lime jell-o right alongside tossed salad! Green Fairy Absinthe is a very unique drink that is highly alcoholic, so be sure to serve this with care. For costumes, everyone can come dressed from head to toe in green clothing. You know how popular wearing a Green Man Suit has become at sporting events lately, well, now you can wear it to a Halloween costume party, too.
Era Theme: Throwing any era-specific party is a quick and easy and especially fun for adults who grew up during that time period. One of the easiest is a 50s theme. Serve milkshakes and burgers and fries and play Elvis hits. Have guests dress in their favorite “Happy Days” costumes-black leather jackets and poodle skirts. Hang fuzzy dice and old 45 rpms from the ceiling. Play 50s trivia games and award inexpensive prizes to those who know the most about James Dean or Chubby Checker.
Formal Theme: Give your guests a good excuse to really get “dressed up” for Halloween! This type of party works well if you already have fine china, fancy table linens, and real silver. Use it all! Serve any kind of drink in champagne flutes and serve snacks on silver trays. Use lots of white candles to add a touch of elegance. While the rest of the world is dripping in blood, guts, and gore for Halloween, you and your guests will be dressed to the nines.
For even more ideas on themes, food, and party games, download The Secret to a Successful Halloween Party from this website.