Halloween is just around the corner and if you’re planning on hosting a party, you’re going to want to take notes today! And if you weren’t on planning to host friends over for a spooky evening, today’s post might just change your mind. I know it swayed me from not liking Halloween to contemplating a full on party in the coming weeks! As in, I may have tentatively invited my neighbors over for a party. This set up is THAT good and easy!
How To Host A Sophisticated Halloween Party
Halloween can go one or two ways I feel like. Bright orange and cheap, or simple, black and modern. Super kitschy holiday decor really drives me bonkers. So I wanted to create an elevated Halloween spread that felt modern and effortless. With the majority of the decor being black and white and a few touches of texture and greenery, it felt modern and sophisticated. This was also really simple to pull together!
Decor Ideas For A Sophisticated Halloween Party
Eucalyptus
I sprayed these with black spray paint to add a live element to the spread but still sticking to black! It may be my favorite thing from the entire look. It was also a really affordable way to add greenery without breaking the bank. $3.99 bunches at Trader Joe’s and this only required about 5 or 6 bunches. 1 can of spray paint is all you need to spray them all.
3D Bats
I discovered these from my friend over at Nicole Hoover. It was exactly what I was looking for. By placing them neatly together in a pattern going up the wall it felt modern and cool without being messy. I purchased two sets of 28 bats from Amazon to create this look. I’d say I used about 75% of them. One set wouldn’t have been enough. They also come with extra stickers so you can reuse them again. Shop the bats here →
Also a note on the bats, they have a little double-sided sticker you add to the back to stick them to the wall. They seriously stick to the wall and can leave some residue behind or even pull off a little paint. If you care about your walls, I’d suggest using something like tacky putty like we used to use in elementary school to decorate the walls. You can shop that here →
Skulls & Skeletons
Sure these are kitschy but since they went with the colors and made things feel a tad spooky, they were a bit necessary. I secretly love the Frenchie skeleton and regret not snapping a pic of Pork next to it. Target & Michaels had great options for these.
Poison Bottles
To add height to the buffet, we added in these mercury glass poison bottles. Found many of them at Home Goods.
Candlesticks
I picked up a few simple candlesticks from Target and added in some dark burgundy almost black candlesticks. There’s something very eery about candles and they simply are a must! And I recommend going to Goodwill to get the candles, they cost me less than $1 each.
Porcelain Pumpkins
I threw in a handful of black porcelain pumpkins from the $1 section at Target. They made it feel like Halloween but not orange and bright. Perfection!
get the look
A Sophisticated Halloween Party Menu
The menu is just as important as the decor! Depending on your party you may be offering more food, less drinks, more drinks, less food. You know what I mean. For this event, I’m keeping things simple and offering 2-3 appetizers and a main cocktail.
The Cocktail
I’m a firm believer in having a main cocktail to offer when guests walk in. It makes hosting much easier and less stressful. Plus, you aren’t stocking your bar with a million things. I’ll always have wine in the fridge if they like, and oftentimes people bring things they enjoy drinking anyway. For today’s menu, I made an activated charcoal lemonade refresher. Just a bit of dry ice adds a fog effect that’s so fun! Recipe available here!
The Bites
A variety of easy-to-grab bites is great for a cocktail party. I did a few easy to bake up appetizers from Harry & David. Plus, a great charcuterie board is a go-to. Buffalo chicken dip is another favorite to make that’s always a crowd-pleaser. And for something sweet, I did my espresso bean brownies. But really it’s just box mix with chopped up chocolate-covered espresso beans. It’s the easiest trick to spruce up a box mix.
