Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I have always loved to celebrate this holiday by picking out fun costumes and makeup! Halloween parties are a great excuse to get dressed up no matter what age you are! I love Halloween parties but I decided to make mine a little more elegant this year. So here is my guide to creating the perfect upscale and spooky event for you and your friends this Halloween. Since my costume was inspired by the Scooby Doo movies I decided to go with a spooky island theme for the decorations and made this a tropical Halloween party so you will see a mix of Halloween and tropical decor!
What to Serve:
Graveyard dip
This is one of my favorite Halloween appetizers it is so delicious and comes out looking really professional! All you have to do is make your favorite 7 layer dip and then fry up some tortilla shapes. I cut mine into a tree and some half circles for a spooky graveyeard look!
Autumn Chex Mix
I love home made chex mix and it is one of my favorite things to serve at a party. For this event I added some candy corns and candy corn pumpkins into my bowl of chex mix to give it a sprinkle of fall. I also love candy corn pumpkins so this was the perfect place to use them.
Spider Eggs
I found this recipe while researching ideas for my party and I will honestly never go back it came out too cute! All you have to do is make deviled eggs and add an olive on top! You just slice up an olive half into 4 slices and use another olive half to place in the middle of the egg and you have a spider! So creepy but somehow still cute!
Witches Hats
These witches hats are another one of my favorite snacks to make. All you need is a bag of bugle chips and some ritz crackers. I used spray cheese to attach my bugle chips but you can use anything you want like peanut butter or another snack spread. Mingle them in with the spiders eggs for the perfect appetizer platter.
Spooky Smokies
I used my mini crock pot to cook up some spooky smoky sausages. I used BBQ sauce and then served them with toothpicks for a fun finger food! Pun intended!
Cupcakes
I decorated some bright orange Halloween cupcakes for the ultimate dessert. I also added some pumpkin faces and used Halloween themed sprinkles. You can never go wrong with cupcakes!
Cookies
I baked these pumpkin and ghost shaped sugar cookies and included them in my dessert assortment for some extra character. You can also make this another activity for your guests and have a cookie decorating contest!
Candy
I love the eyeball chocolates and pumpkin Reese's on Halloween so sprinkle them around the table for your guests to find whenever they are feeling a need for a treat!
Punchbowl
I love a good vampire blood punch bowl. A crystal punch bowl is the perfect accessory to class up your party decor as well!
Decorations:
Tiki Bar
This is part of my Spooky Island theme. I used some tiki torches I found at the dollar store and these fun lantern lights to create a tropical effect. Plus I had this cute decorative Coconut jar. I topped it off with a sign and this cute Pineapple man idea I saw on Pinterest!
Halloween tablecloth
I used some Halloween tablecloths that came in a party pack and then put this grass skirt around the edge of the table to keep with my tropical theme.
Lights and lanterns
I used these paper lanterns I found at the dollar store and a string of purple outdoor halloween lights. I strung the purple lights from the trees to create a criss cross pattern and then secured the lanterns onto the lights so they would hang down over the party!
Candle holders
I found these iron candle holders at a garage sale and they turned out to be perfect for this party! They give off Dracula vibes and I added some fun ribbons to tie in my party colors.
Tropical tablerunner
This tropical tablerunner I also found at the dollar store and I used it to put on the tiki bar for an added island theme accessory. It also makes the table look more put together.
Pumpkin cart
This easy and fun design is something you can keep in your yard all month long! I bought some different sized pumpkins and used mums to create this autumn themed pumpkin cart. I had this little wooden wagon in my yard already and then created a sign to direct party guests into the backyard. I placed this at the entrance of the party and it also turned out to be a great spot for pictures!
What to listen to: My Elegant Halloween Playlist
These are some of my favorite spooky classics along with some songs I researched and added to create a classy playlist perfect to set the mood.
I Put a Spell on You
Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra
Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac
Abracadabra by Steve Miller band
Disturbia by Rihanna
She Wolf by Shakira
Monster by Lady Gaga
Genie in a Bottle
Monster Mash
Weird Science
My Costume: Daphne from Scooby Doo
I love this costume because it is easy to recreate with clothes you can get from any store and it is a little bit dressy too! Plus who doesn't love 70s fashion right? I created this look using a pair of white GoGo boots I got from a costume store however you can wear any pair of white boots. These ones from JustFab are in style and on sale so this is the perfect excuse to buy a cute pair of boots! I used this brightly color blocked dress from Kate Spade that I got a few years ago. I have linked some similar color blocked styles in bright purple here. I accessorized with this green scarf I found in my closet and of course had to wear a cute purple headband to complete the look! I also used this peach hair color to temporarily get an authentic Daphne hair style! This is the perfect party look because it is low maintenance and you can still wear a cute dress that you'll love!
