Behind the Scenes: My Halloween Party

partysugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:18:33 -0700

Last week I told you step-by-step how I was planning my Halloween party. I showed you the invitations, the menu, the drinks and the decor. The party took place this past Saturday and although it was a fabulous success and the majority of my guests had a glorious time, there are a few things to make note of for the next time.

Here are my after party reflections:

Leave the frozen berries out of the Dangerously Delicious Punch. Unless you want to spend the next day rubbing berry stains out of your carpet, it's best to not garnish punch at a large party.

I would have liked a picture of everyone who came in their costume. Next time I will set up a Halloween costume photo shoot area and ask guests to snap themselves with an old Polaroid when they arrive.
Don't offer Halloween candy that comes in wrappers. The house was littered with Kit Kat and Skittle wrappers by the end of the night.
Put a large towel under the keg. We put a small one underneath it, but the condensation was so bad that the floor ended up getting slippery and wet.

For more on my Halloween party, including a virtual tour of the space before the party began, read more

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Come Party With Me: Halloween Bash - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:00:25 -0700

This Saturday night, I'm co-hosting a blowout Halloween Bash. My girlfriend Emily came to me at the end of September and asked if I would help her plan a costume party. Never one to say no to hosting a party, I excitedly said yes.

We decided on a date - the Saturday before Halloween - and got busy making invitations. We chose to send the invites via snail mail, instead of through email or Evite, in order to set the tone for the party and give everyone enough time to come fabulously disguised. To see how I made this simple yet spooky invite, read more

To make a similar invitation to the one seen here, you will need:

cardstock
transparent paper
a stapler
scissors
computer and printer
a fun Halloween image

To assemble the invite:

Start by dragging your image to a new Word document or blank Photoshop file. My image of a bloody knife and splattered "blood" is a picture I took after I pitted several bunches of cherries while making ice cream sandwiches this Summer. Crop the image to your liking and add the text Come if you Dare... in a haunting font. (I used Lucida Blackletter in bold.) Print out a test copy and, if you're satisfied with the look, print it out on the transparent paper. Set aside.

Create a new Word document and type out the details of the party. My invitation says:

…to a freakishly fabulous Halloween bash.
All goblins, ghosts and ghouls welcomed.
Come dressed in costume or be prepared to pay the price.

10 pm, October 27, 2007
San Francisco, CA 94117

Regrets only…
PartySugar 415.555.5555

Print out on a plain sheet of paper and carefully check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Ask someone else to take a look at it, because they might notice something you forgot. Once happy with the text, print it out on the cardstock.
Cut both the front and back of the invitation down to size.
With a stapler, staple the two sides to each other, back to back. Staple twice, making an X, on the left-hand side of the invite.

Send in an envelope with the address written in your best handwriting.

Lots more of this party to come! Is anyone else hosting a costume bash? If so, tell me about your invites below.

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YumSugar

Behind the Scenes: My Halloween Party

Come Party With Me: Halloween Bash - Invites