How to Plan a Costume Halloween Party

Halloween Costume Party Overview

A Halloween party is an event that can be enjoyed by both young and old. It is usually celebrated around the end of October just before the All Hallows and All Saints Day which is on November 1st. These days, kids don't always have to have all the fun because grown ups love Halloween as much as they do. And what makes it even more fun is the fact that Halloween parties are traditionally celebrated with an artistic touch — a costume.

Host To-do's

Pre-planning: A month before the party

The first thing you need to do is give yourself enough time to plan and procure all the necessary items for your party.

1. Pick your day — although it is ideal to hold the party on All Hallows Eve, your guests might be celebrating their own Halloween party. So it is always a good idea to choose another date for the party, and preferably on a weekend.

2. List your guests — one of the basics of party planning is having a list of your guests pat down perfect. This will help you budget and plan the space for your festive occasion.

3. Select your venue — depending on how big your party is, you can rent a big place or have it in your home to save on money. Having the party within your property means there are no restrictions when it comes to decorating.

4. Send save the dates — it's also the perfect time to send your save-the-date invites. This ensures that you'll have a bigger chance of your closest friends spend the day with you. Make sure that you include the detail about wearing a costume to the party.

Planning the nitty-gritty: 2-4 weeks before the festive party

As the day of your costume Halloween party draws nearer, ironing out the important aspects becomes even more important.

• Send your invitations. Since the major details of the event is already finalized, sending out your invitations is the next step. Have your invitations conform to the theme you've chosen for the costume party

• Decorations. Halloween is traditionally about scary characters like ghosts, mummies, witches, and ghoulish creatures. However, you don't have to be limited to that theme as Halloween is becoming more about a day for wearing costumes of every kind. Just make sure your decoration ties in with your theme. Check out these one-of-a-kind Halloween Party Favors & Decorations.

• Games and prizes. Make having the best costume a challenge for all guests and give an enticingly good prize for the person who comes in the best one. Also, plan to have simple games for guests to play. This will guarantee that you'll have a party that's fun and everyone will enjoy.

• Food. It's really important to keep guests filled with good food and lots of drinks. Since it's an adult party, you can also serve alcoholic drinks and hors d' oeuvres, easy finger foods, as well as veggie sticks and dips.

Halloween Costume Party Etiquette and FAQs

Get all the bases covered at your party with these frequently answered questions:

Is it ok to have some "lazy" time during a party?
Adults like to talk and know what and how the others are doing. So it's ok not to cram your party chockfull of activities. Your guests will appreciate it more.

Is it ok for guests to bring their kids to the party?
Well, if you want it to be only adults and you're holding it at nighttime, then you can politely tell your guests not to bring their kids. Tell them that you'll be serving alcoholic drinks. However, some will still bring their kids to a party (most likely for some reason or another). When this happens, you can't do anything about it. Just be ready with food and drinks that are kid-friendly.

Where can I get great costumes and ideas for the party?
You can go to almost any department store and party supply store for great Halloween costumes. Almost every merchant will be selling it once the event draws near. To save money, you can also go to second-hand stores or rental places.