How to Host a Halloween Party

Oh how many times have I attended parties and thought: "What am I doing here and why is this gathering even called a party?" This Halloween my BFF Yessica and I decided to not take any chances. After looking for a pumpkin carving events in Chicago and not finding anything fun, we decided to host our own. And we had such a blast doing it!

My mom has always said: "If you want to do something right, do it yourself". So if you want to attend a perfect party, just plan one. Both Yessy and I love doing everything and anything creative and we also believe that any event should have a meaning and a purpose. The beauty event we have hosted before, for example, was aimed to show women that they can be all glammed up and feel beautiful any day of the week without a special occasion. For our Halloween party we wanted to get everyone's creative juices flowing while getting into the Halloween spirit (and elbow deep into pumpkins 😆🎃).

Here are the things you should consider before planning a party:

1. The Theme

Having a theme for your event is the first step from boring. Think of your party as a brand. What's the main idea behind it? Halloween is already a theme, but we decided to narrow it down even more. We chose Dia de los Muertos as our theme, because A - it is on the same day as Halloween, B - it has a very distinct style and C - we love tequila and Mexican food (who doesn't?!).

2. The Venue

Once we narrowed down the theme, the place where the party should be held at was a no-brainer. Of course, it had to be a Mexican restaurant, and not just any restaurant. Our first and only choice was Broken English Taco Pub in downtown Chicago. The restaurant itself is a work of art. With all the Mexican inspired decor, murals and a giant portrait of Frida Kahlo we didn't even really need to add anything to create the atmosphere (although we still did 😆). When you walk in it seems like there is there is a celebration of Dia de los Muertos all day, every day. So when picking a venue try to find one that fits your theme because that will help to save your money on decor.

3. Supplies

When the venue is finalized, come in once again and make an inventory of everything you will need for the party. Flowers? Decorations? Arts and crafts? Look carefully and write down everything that comes to your mind. Chances are the list will change once you go shopping for supplies. There is always something that you won't be able to find and something extra that you wouldn't be able to resist getting. Try sticking to the list anyway. You don't want to buy too much and not able to reuse the themed supplies later.

4. The Outfit

One of the reasons why I love sticking to a theme is so I can play around with my outfit. I have mentioned before that I never try to buy anything extra, but reuse what I already have in my closet. For our event I wore a black tutu skirt, a flower crown (tribute to Frida) and all the accessories including a choker with a wolf tooth and large cross earrings I already owned (the stuff I have at my house!). The only piece I purchased for the costume was the shirt with red roses, but I can still wear it in normal life, so I feel it was a justified investment.

5. The Party

While you should be having as much fun as everyone else, it is also very important to be a good host. Make sure you talk to everyone and make everyone feel comfortable. Greet guests when they come in and give them the scoop of what's happening and where everything is. At our party we made sure everyone had the proper tools to carve or decorate the pumpkins and reminded everyone about the extended happy hour that the restaurant provided us with.