• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About Us
    • Meet Our Talented Team
    • Anti-hate Speech Policy
  • Terms Of Service
  • Free Printables
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us

DIY Home & Garden

A DIY & Gardening Resource

  • Home Page
  • DIY Projects
    • Upcycling
  • Home
    • Cleaning and Organizing
    • Holidays
      • Christmas
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Easter
      • Fourth of July
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Memorial Day
      • Mother’s Day
    • Home Safety
    • Home Decor
    • Pets
    • Real Estate
  • Gardening
  • Herbal and Natural Wellness
  • Recipes
    • Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Salads
    • Venison Recipes
    • Home Canning and Preserving
      • Canning
      • Dehydrating
      • Freezer Recipes
  • Travel
Home » Party Ghoul, I Got You: A Halloween Party Planning Checklist
Party Ghoul, I Got You: A Halloween Party Planning Checklist

Party Ghoul, I Got You: A Halloween Party Planning Checklist

10/02/2017 By Deborah T

Love us? Share us!

Halloween as kids is all fun and games. You dress up, you get free candy. The night ends with you on a sugar high riding into the sunset. But what do you do when the neighbor kicks you off her doorstep shouting, “You’ve got to stop! I’m not giving you free candy! You’re 38!”

That means it’s time to get a different excuse to eat too many sweets: a party.

But planning a party seems complicated and overwhelming, but I’ll break it down step by step so you can plan a bash that will rattle everyone’s bones.

RELATED POST: Do It For $10: Halloween Decor For Cheap

Step One: Figure Out the Deets

Before you can start bragging about how awesome your shindig will be, you’ve got to actually figure out some details first. Answer these questions;

halloween party decorations
Spooky Halloween decor will set the party mood.
  • Where? If it’s going to be at your house, not too big of a deal, but if you’re looking to rent a place or utilize a park, ensure that you’ve looked at cost, policies, and made that reservation, which leads to question two.
  • When? It might be your instinct to holler, “DUH! Halloween!” but keep in mind parents might need to be taking their kids out and Halloween is on a weeknight. It might be best to opt for the weekend before, but either way, make that decision.
  • Who? Last, once you know where and when it will be before you can start inviting folks, you need an idea of where those invitations should go. Make up a least, ask anyone else who’s planning with you and now you’re ready for step two.

 

Step Two: Invite People

The worst thing is to plan a party, prepare a party, and then have no one show up because they’ve all got other plans. As soon as you know you’re planning something and you’ve got the above details, start inviting people so you can get on their calendar!

How you invite them is up to you. Consider your budget and the aesthetic you want. If your budget is larger and you want the style and pizazz of an aged, wax-sealed envelope delivered to everyone, go for paper invitations. Otherwise, perhaps opt for emailed e-vites or a Facebook event you can easily invite a huge chunk of your friend list too.

Halloween Party Ideas
Halloween party ideas are everywhere, but we’ll help you get that party started!

Step Three: Decorations and Decor

You’re still a ways out from your party, but it will make your life easier if more than less is prepared. Obviously, you can’t be decorating the whole house RIGHT NOW with a zillion cobwebs, but step three is to plan, buy, and coordinate decor so you know you won’t be running out for black balloons the night of.

Consider what you already own. Get that “Halloween Stuff” box down from the garage. Maybe even the “Christmas” or “Thanksgiving” box too, if you want a string of lights somewhere, plain white lights from the Christmas-theme will work just fine or icy blue lights for a cold, chilling graveyard scene. Raid your Thanksgiving stuff for leaves, pumpkins, anything that can be fit into your Halloween scene.

Once you’ve got what you do own figured out, look for holes. Start making a list or sketch of where you’re decorating. Ask yourself where guests will spend most of their time, that’s where you should focus your decor energy.

Once you’ve identified a plan and what you need for it, make a list and go shopping for those supplies. Also pick up paper plates, utensils, and napkins (and potentially disposable serving materials too!) if you’re not going to use your own.

fall decorations
Incorporate your “fall decor” with Halloween to get the most use out of your decorations. After the party, toss the pumpkins and switch back to a “fall harvest” theme in time for Turkey Day.

Step Four: Prep (Food, Music, Layout)

The day of the party is approaching, we’re optimally maybe a week out right now. Now it’s time for that detailed prep.

Food

Write up a menu, consider the time of day you set for a party around 5:00, people may expect enough food to count as dinner. If it’s later, you can get away with appetizer sizes.

Once you’ve got a menu, make sure your guest list doesn’t include anyone with dietary restrictions, if so, make sure you have some options for them on that menu!

Then, make up a shopping list and a cooking schedule.

What can you cook ahead of time and freeze?

Then what can be made the night before?

Also, what has to be made the day of?

Music

Whether you’re going to use a pre-made playlist or carefully coordinating your own, plan this now. Think about how long your party will be and make sure nothing is going to play over and over again because you didn’t plan enough music out.  

Layout

Depending on your number of guests, think about if you’ll need to move furniture around and/or get more tables/chairs. Plan that now so you don’t spend three hours arguing about it the morning of, trust me.

Halloween Party Cobwebs
Cobwebs are scary for Halloween

Step Five: The Day Before

You’re planned. People are invited. You’re ready, but you’re not there yet! The day before is a day of timely tasks.

  1. Clean. Make sure your venue is tip-top and tidy. Real cobwebs do not count as decor.
  2. Decorate and set your furniture. If you can live overnight with your house in party layout, do it now and ease your mind for tomorrow.
  3. Cook anything you can before.
  4. Set things out for tomorrow (your costumes, cooking supplies, whatever).

Step Six: Crunch Time

It’s the day of. Your costume is ready. The fridge is stocked. Now what?
→ Do you have ice? Buy some.
→ All the food cooked?
→ Does everyone know how to get to you? Put directions on the Facebook group or make sure your phone is on for that lost soul.
→ Put on your tunes.
→ Put up those last minute decorations.
→ Lay out the food table.
Finally, the time comes.

Step Seven: Do the Monster Mash.

Once the party is in full swing, take care of your guests but remember to let loose and have some fun, that’s what it was all for.
 

like DIY Home & Garden on Facebook
Like us on Facebook 

 

copyscape
Free banner from copyscape. Protect your work!
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Deborah T
Deborah T
Editor and author at DIY Home & Garden, a Word Innovations publication
Deborah Tayloe is a full-time blogger, children's book author, and freelance writer, contributing to large publications.

She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificate in Natural Health from a fully-accredited program and is a Certified Herbologist. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.

Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."

Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.

Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
Deborah T
Latest posts by Deborah T (see all)
  • The Explosive Truth of PYREX vs. pyrex - 08/15/2023
  • Viola, Violet, and Pansy: Close Relatives But Distinct Flowers - 08/11/2023
  • Purple D’Oro Daylily: A Regal Touch of Elegance - 08/10/2023
Tweet

Filed Under: DIY Projects Tagged With: checklist, Hallow's Eve, Halloween, how to, how to plan a party, October, party, party plan, party planning, planning, planning list, Spooky month

About Deborah T

Deborah Tayloe is a full-time blogger, children's book author, and freelance writer, contributing to large publications.

She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificate in Natural Health from a fully-accredited program and is a Certified Herbologist. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.

Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."

Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.

Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.

Primary Sidebar

Click for details on our latest travel deal

book vip cancun travel

Here’s Why You Should Plant Sunflowers in the Garden:

https://youtu.be/ZwvPDTbs9U0

You Won’t Even Notice You Tossed These Cluttery Things:

https://youtu.be/z16ZRMC4wbE

Don’t Suffer, Try This Bath to Soothe Itchy Skin:

https://youtu.be/SUxl9UL7QDw

Footer

Amazon Affiliate Disclaimer

DIY Home & Garden is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DIY Home & Garden does not constitute or intend to provide medical, health, financial, legal, or other professional advice. This website is for entertainment purposes only.

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Terms Of Service
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 · DIY Home & Garden

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in .

DIY Home & Garden
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.