By Tara Riceberg, Guest Contributor - Party Planning & Entertaining
Throwing a Halloween party doesn't have to be spooky. With these tricks, your guests will be treated to a frightfully fun time!
- Pre-shop the stores for inspiration and for budgeting your money. It only gets expensive when you don't have a plan and buy things spontaneously or last minute.
- Create a subtheme to really focus your party and planning. Imagine "Halloween Party" becoming "Antebellum Gothic" (what would have become of Scarlett had Rhett not returned?) - Replete with moss covered columns, dead roses, faux silver platters and tons of candlelight. Decorate with three main colors (black, white and silver) and add a fourth (red) for a punch.
halloween create sub theme
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Decorating starts at the driveway. Switch your regular light bulbs to red ones to create an eerie effect. Guests need to be in the party mood by the time they hit the front door so be sure to greet them with a spirited libation, like Blood Manor Punch.
halloween decorate outside
- For the costume challenged, ask guests to dress in all black and wear a mask. Keep a tray of masks by the front door for those who arrive in less-than-spirited attire. Halloween is all about the element of surprise.
- Help guests create memories with a photo-op corner. Over decorate the space to ensure they'll take awesome pictures to share online!
- Keep kids entertained indoors by giving them jack-o-lanterns to take on a trick-or-treat treasure hunt. Hide cauldrons, filled with gooey eyes, sticky worms, toys and candy, around the house.
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Cordon off no-party zones with decorative barriers- rows of LED candles to block access to a stairwell, or paper lanterns suspended at different heights in a doorway.
Halloween cordon off zone
- Remember, what makes a party a success is creating at least one WOW element that guests will never forget.
For more great ideas on entertaining and hosting parties, visit Tara's site and blog at TweakAmerica.com
