Planning a Hallowe'en Party in the Hollow

Pick the type of party

A witches afternoon tea with the gals or an adult costume party at night are just two of many possibilities.  Personally, I like to host a night-time costume party for adults only.   It's wise to mention "adults only" on the invitation to prevent awkward situations.

Pick the date

Weekends are best.  I don't buy into that whole “it can't be after Oct 31^st“ but it should be as close to that date as possible.  This year I chose Nov 1^st since it's a Saturday and conveniently my weekend off from work.

Pick the time

I like to start my parties once it's dark, so 8 p.m.  A witches tea could be in the afternoon.  One thing I learned the hard way...have an END time!  For a night-time affair, 4 hours is more than sufficient.  Ending at the "stroke of midnight" has just the right amount of eery to it, don't you think?

Choose your guest list

Keep in mind the size of your house and what type of mood you want to set.  I usually stick with close family, friends and co-workers. Be flexible if you decide to post an open invitation at work.  I have found that R.S.V.P.'s just don't elicit a good response like they used to but I still include one on my invitations anyway.

Choose your invitations

This can be as simple as buying a pack of invites at Wally World, creating a facebook event page and staying paperless or going overboard and choosing everything from the wording, the font and the design and creating them yourself.   (Guess which category I fall into?) 

Choose your décor

For me that means planning ahead...WAY ahead.  After all, I have a mantel theme to decide on, a dining room scene to design, props to create and the living room, kitchen, entryway, hallway and bathroom to decorate.  And don't forget the outside witch vignettes, the pathway lighting, the carved jacks on the steps, the porch decorations and the graveyard.  Whew!  I actually start planning in July.  Also, I can not stress the use of Pinterest enough as a source of inspiration!

Choose your menu

You can serve desserts and drinks only, feature scary and gross dishes for guests to try or offer a variety.  Sometimes guests will even offer to bring a creation of their own.  Take any special dietary needs into consideration for your guests:  I have a relative who is gluten

free so I try to rise to the challenge and always offer fare she can eat and drink as well.  There are loads of recipes for food and libations online to entice you.  

Choose your music

I take my party play lists very seriously.  There are a lot of songs out there to fit the bill, depending on your preferences.  There are CD's with scary sound effects along with different genre's of songs.  See the post on my Vintage Hallowe'en Playlist.

Choose your costume

The sky is the limit, but do bear in mind your role as hostess and don't pick anything that is difficult to move in.  I'm a witch every year but I vary my costume, including a different hat.  One trap I seem to fall in every year is allowing myself enough time to get ready.  Plan ahead! 

Tips

If you are having a full-blown party don't forget to include some games to prevent things from dragging along.  Also, if you are having a costume party, consider having a contest as well.  Mention this on your invitation...it encourages guests to become more creative with their costumes.  The prizes can be little gifts, goodie bags, store-bought trophies or you can make your own.  You can pick judges or have the guests vote on each other.  I opt for the latter of those two choices.  I have a voting station set up where guests can "cast" their vote.  *cackle*

Never underestimate the value of a good minion...or two.  A girl needs a few reliable minions to help her pull off this extravaganza.  If you have a few close friends who can assist you with the food and final preparations the day of, make use of them!  My sister and cousin are well-qualified and invaluable in this department.  My husband is often cast in the role as well, mostly for outside set up.

Consider hosting a pumpkin carving party for your close friends a few days prior to your party.  Provide a meal, the pumpkins, patterns and carving tools. Display everyone's creativity the night of the party. Any cocktails should probably be served AFTER the sharp, pointy objects are put away.

Make notes from this year to use for the next party...things to do again, things NOT to do again...last minute inspirations you couldn't pull together this year but still want to do.

 

Consider safety

Have pathways to the door lit well enough for people to see.  I line my sidewalk with Witch Lanterns hung from short Shepard hooks.  The porch steps have lanterns, lit pumpkins and this year I plan to add some strings of lights hung from the ceiling.  You can balance the spookiness with safety with some sensible planning on your part.  Do a pre-party trial run the night before just to make sure.

Take special care on where to place live candle flame. Inside virtually all of my candles are artificially lit. That way there's no chance of something getting tipped over and/or someONE getting burned.

I always offer safe rides to anyone who may have imbibed too much.  My husband is the DD.  We have never had to utilize that option, but it's still a good one to have in place.  Although alcoholic drinks are a part of the offered menu, my parties are not meant to be drunken affairs.  I always offer non-alcoholic beverage alternatives. 

The bottom line is, no matter how simple or elaborate your party will be, don't over plan to the point of not enjoying the process.