Halloween is one of the only holidays in our society when just about anything goes, so what better way to celebrate this fun and freaky day than with a Halloween party? It seems like there's always someone you know throwing a Halloween party; people are planning what they're going to do on this howling holiday earlier and earlier every year - even as early as summer or Labor Day! But what makes a Halloween party truly unforgettable? Read on to learn how to throw a hit Halloween party.
Proof is in the Planning
Scariest Halloween Decorations
To have a really successful Halloween party, you must do two things; the first is to plan well in advance. Because so many people are always throwing these parties each year, it's important that you plan your party far enough in advance that everyone will pick yours to go to.
When choosing the date for your party, choose carefully; your event doesn't have to take place on Halloween night - the weekend before is fine (especially if the holiday falls on a random Monday or other weekday - but if you decide that "All Hallows' Eve" is the only acceptable day to have your grand fiesta, make sure it ends early enough for guests who have to go to work or school the next day, and starts late enough that your guests can still celebrate with their kids earlier in the evening (unless it's a children's party).
Choosing a Theme
The second thing you absolutely must do when planning a Halloween party is to pick a theme. Sure, you could just tell everyone it's a party and hope everyone shows up in a costume, but themed parties ensure everyone's ready to have fun! Picking an original theme for your party makes for more unique and off-the-wall costumes, and gives guests something in common besides knowing the host.
The theme of your party should say something about you as the host, so pick something that you yourself would really love to attend. Themes can be based on a favorite scary movie, a popular song ("Everyone come to our Monster Mash!"), or historical event ("Everyone dress in an 80s themed costume!"). Does someone in your family have a birthday in the month of October? Why not have a combination Halloween and birthday celebration? There really is no limit to the crazy, original and creative themes you can come up with!
Halloween Invitations
Once you have picked the date and theme, it's time to send out your Halloween invitations. If you want your guests to wear special costumes according the theme of your party, it's best to send out your party invitations at least six to eight weeks in advance to give everybody enough time to get their costumes together. This holiday has gotten so extremely popular, that there is a huge assortment of Halloween invitations now available.
Halloween invitations that are fiendishly frightening will draw unsuspecting guests to your haunted house for an evening of fun. You can also find Halloween invitations featuring creatures up to no good and naughty witches who frolic the night away, suave vampires in tuxedos, vampire martini invitations, grave robber Halloween invitations, elegant skeleton party invitations, marvelous eyeball martini invites, Frankenstein Halloween invitations, mummy invitations, scary Halloween invitations, jack-o-lanterns, green witches, sexy witches, dancing skeletons and more. Vampires are especially popular this year, and there are plenty of vampire invitations to fit any sort of "Twilight" or "True Blood" themed party you can think of.
Make sure you include that guests need to RSVP by a date on your invitations so you can keep a handle on your expenses by knowing how many guests are coming. This is also essential if you will be giving out goodie bags or will be having a costume contest and don't want to start until everyone has shown up. Don't write "regrets only" on your invitations if you need a really accurate head count.
Freaky Food and Daunting Decorations
The next and final step is to choose appropriately themed refreshments and decorations. To help keep your budget under control, start your party later in the evening, so your guests have time to eat dinner before they come to your party. You can then serve drinks and "finger" foods or have guests bring their scariest food concoction to share. Fill a plastic brain mold with a pink or green dip for the ultimate gross-out snack or put a frozen hand mold in your punch bowl to give guests a scare.
Ask friends if they have any decorations that you can borrow for your party; you'd be surprised at what some people have stored away in their basements and garages. You can also find many decorations and great deals on food and drinks at the dollar store and other discount stores.
Turn your home into a haunted house by putting old yellowed sheets on the furniture and replace the light bulbs in the party room with black lights or red or orange light bulbs. Completely black out windows with trash bags or blankets, and create a foggy atmosphere with dry ice and water. Place spider webbing, plastic spiders, rats and other creepy crawlies in corners, hanging from the ceiling and across the tops of doorways to finish the look.
Just follow these simple steps, and ghosts, goblins, witches and warlocks alike will all flock to your haunted house to party the night away.