Here at Wedding and Party Network we want to give you inspiration for your next party. So, here are some of our favorite ideas for a last-minute Halloween party. Yes, it's just a few days away and you probably have a great Halloween bash planned. However, if you still want some great ideas for your party, this week's Inspirational Friday has got them! It's all about orange, black, purples, greens and anything spooky!

Whether you're hosting a spooktacular Halloween event or more of an elegant take on Halloween, there's something for everyone out there. Beautiful Halloween color combinations created in pumpkins or eyeball cheeseballs are great ideas for any party. Get creative and think all things Halloween and your party will be a huge success!

Treat or Treating Tips

We all love trick or treating and loading up on yummy candy. However, now you must always be cautious during this time, yet still make it an enjoyable for everyone. So, Wedding and Party Network has some safety tips for this Halloween to make it fun and safe.

Route – Make sure to plan your route out in advance. Plan out who you will visit, like family members or friends and route out familiar neighborhoods. It's best to know whose door you're knocking on.

Rules of the Road - First off, always go with your children, but remind them the rules of the road. Always enforce traffic rules, like look both ways before crossing, obey traffic laws and use cross walks.

Stranger Danger – Even though you have your eyes on them, it only takes a second for a stranger to come up and take them. That is why you need to always remind them of stranger danger safety tips.

Costume Safety -Don't forget to focus on making sure your child's costume isn't a safety hazard. Keep costumes from dragging on the ground so they're not tripped,

When In Doubt - Throw it away. We are all aware of the dangers that candy can contain. So, if you're nervous about how something looks or you're not sure what's in it; throw it away.

Now, it's time to celebrate Halloween with a ghoulish themed party that will be one to remember.

If you are planning a Halloween party, let Wedding and Party Network help!

Yes, Halloween is right around the corner and it's time to start preparing for Halloween parties. Everyone loves getting dressed up and going out in their best costumes. Therefore, you need to start planning early for your Halloween party.
Read more about Top Halloween Party Themes

Halloween Costume Ideas

Halloween is coming up and now is the time to start preparing your costume. This is the time of year when you can go all out and dress up for the night. It's a big deal to some, however, coming up with the right costume allows some thought process.
Read more about Halloween Costume Ideas

Halloween Ideas For A Frightfully Fun Night

Though it's more than a month away, now is the perfect time to plan your Halloween party. This is one time when it's OK to have cobwebs on the brain because you're going to throw a spooky, delightfully fun Halloween party. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Read more about Halloween Ideas

Halloween theme parties are one of my favorites. When throwing a Halloween party, you’ll need to invest in few scary surprises for your party guest.
Read more about Scaring Up A Halloween Party

October is knocking on our door and is ready to appear in the next couple of days. This is a great month to host parties due to the beautiful weather, gorgeous fall colors and limitless party ideas. There are tons of great holidays to celebrate and use inspiration for your party.
Read more about October

Flowers are one of the most important things at your wedding or event. Why? They add a statement to your event and your style shines through in each design. Flowers convey the theme, they are the most important accents of your event that ties everything together.
Read More about Floral Design

Hocus Pocus arrangement (Flower Shop Network), Pirate Halloween decor (Bloomers Inc.), Pumpkin cake (Icing Illusions), Pumpkin arrangement (Alma Blooms), Calla bridal bouquet (Flower Jazz), Candy bar(The Chocolate Chick Company)

For more vendors in your area, visit Wedding And Party Network for all of your wedding and party planning needs!

Halloween is coming up, and so is your Halloween party. Therefore, you should start planning. Do you have in mind what you want to do for party decorations and the activities that you will do? What about the food? These are all key elements to think about when planning your Halloween party. However, do you need a little direction to start planning? Wedding and Party Network has some great ideas for your ghoulish party menu.

Mummy Rolls – This is a great party food for everyone! All you need are hot dogs, crescent rolls and candy eye balls and wrap the crescent roll around the hot dog to look like a mummy. However, you can also use bread dough, Nutella and candy eye balls too. Wrap the brad up in a braid and ice the face on with Nutella and place the eyeballs on. Therefore, you have an appetizer and a dessert.

Graveyard – Graveyard themed food is a must at your party. There are great ideas to create this. One great idea is to take individual small cups and put black pudding and top it off with Oreo cookie crumbs with a cookie that is shaped like a gravestone that has "RIP" iced on it. These make great individual snacks and can be picked up and finished in a few bites. Also, you can bake a cake, pipe icing on top to look like grass and place headstones all around the cake with your guest's names written on each one. Rice krispy treats topped with some green color coconut, candy pumpkin and a gravestone is also a great idea.

Pumpkin Food - Of course, every party needs something pumpkin related. Place carrot sticks on a platter and have the carrots represent the shape of a pumpkin with green dip as the step. Cheese pumpkins are such a great idea. All you take is cheese, roll it into the shape of a pumpkin, place a pretzel stick and parsley on top. Such a cute idea! Place soup in a pumpkin, create a pumpkin cake or cupcakes and don't forget to use the pumpkin as a drink cooler.

Eyeballs -Eyeball cupcakes in a red jello cauldron, eyeball cupcakes, eyeball punch, fruit eyeball Oreo pops and even eyeball pasta are just some ideas that create this eerie treat. For the eyeball pasta, just take spinach pasta noodles, red spaghetti sauce and create the eyeballs out of tofu, green olives and peppercorns. What a treat that will be for the children, plus it sneaks in some spinach and tofu into their meal. Oreo pops are simple. All you take is an Oreo, dip it in white chocolate and place a candy ring in the center and enjoy!

Skeleton -Skeletons are fun to create for Halloween. First find a small bowl and fill it up with vegetable dip and that is the head of your skeleton. Next, take vegetables of your choosing, just make sure they're cut length wise and place them to look like a skeleton. This is just a cute way to display your vegetables.

Body parts -When you think of Halloween, you always think of gory body parts being part of your Halloween decorations. So, why not include them in your party menu? Take a bowl with vegetable dip, long carrots and almonds to create a spooky dip. Just fill the bowl with dip, take a paring knife and shape the carrots into fingers and place the slivered almonds on the carrot as a finger nail and place the carrot fingers in the dip.

You can also make fingers out of sandwiches. Just roll out the bread with a rolling-pin, spread on cream cheese or butter and roll up, make indention with a butter knife to replicate a finger and place an almond on as the finger nail.

These are just a few ideas. However, there are limitless possibilities when planning your menu for your Halloween party. Create witch's brooms out of pretzel sticks and peanut butter cups, spider cupcakes, bones, knife cupcakes, ghost pizza, monster marshmallows and even spiderweb pretzels. Just get creative with it and your party will be a success!

This post is brought to you by Houston Party Caterers.
Not in Houston, TX? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find a party caterer near you!

Yes, Halloween is right around the corner and it's time to start preparing for Halloween parties. Everyone loves getting dressed up and going out in their best costumes. Therefore, you need to start planning early for your Halloween party. So, Wedding and Party Network is here with our top picks for Halloween party themes that will be a frightful success.

Vintage Halloween – A vintage Halloween is a great way to go! It definitely adds to the creepiness and eeriness of the holiday. It's definitely in the party decorations with this theme. Use subtle colors instead of bold and bright ones that you normally see around this time of year.

For party decorations, focus on cob webs, skeleton keys, vintage bottles, crows and spiders. Place cob webs around the house with spiders in them for that vintage Halloween feel.

Use old books and photos for decoration as well. For the party food table, feature "witch's brew" cards that features what party food you are serving on the table. The cards should be ripped, torn and stain to give off that full effect. Serve drinks in old, vintage bottles with labels that have bat juice, poisonous tonic and dragon's breath. This party theme is great for every one of all ages!

Girls Night Halloween – Enjoy a girl's night Halloween party, or a "ghoul's night". For the party colors, think bright pink & purple. This party needs to be all things girly. Use glitter pumpkins, candles, candle holders, skulls and feathers for party decorations. Think glam with a touch of creepy for this girl's night in on Halloween. Sip on spooky drinks and share some good laughs and a great time.

Family Friendly Halloween Night In – If you have children, Halloween is all about family time. It's about dressing up the kiddos and taking them trick or treating. Therefore, having a family friendly Halloween night in is definitely the way to go. Invite your neighbors, family and friends over to do a little trick r treating indoors.

It's safer that way and everyone can enjoy each others company. Go with the traditional orange & black colors or choose something funky like purple & lime green or do a contemporary black and white Halloween party. Keep the party decorations kid friendly, some can really be a bit terrifying, especially for younger ones. Place furry spiders in cob webs around, owls, pumpkins and mummies around for party decor.

The best part about the night will be all the delicious food Think spider cupcakes, ghost marshmallows, mummy cake pops, graveyard sandwiches, jack-o-lantern burgers, bone yard cookies and brain punch. Set up different candy stations for the kids and fun activities to keep them entertained all night.

Fright Night – If you have older children or you want a party for the adults, this is a great theme for Halloween. Fright night! Turn your Halloween into a frightful evening with a spooky haunted house or trial ride. This is sure to bring a little fear and a great time to everyone.

Have your friends and family members dress up like mummies or zombies and have them hiding. You know how a haunted house and trial ride goes, so you can plan exactly how frightful you want it to be.

Visit your local party store to find ghoulish party decorations, try to find decor that actually looks like the real thing.

These are just 4 party theme ideas, however, there are a ton more out there. You can even go with a ghoulish glam adult party, upscale Halloween party or a Victorian Halloween party. Remember it's all in the accents for this party. Pick one of these themes and you're sure to have a successful Halloween party!

This post is brought to you by Miami Party Decoration Suppliers.
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find a party store near you!

Halloween candle photo, purple skull & brain food provided by Denis Cintra Scurzuzu gadgetgirl via flickr.

Tricks For Treating: Halloween Entertaining

The night is dark and the goblins are out, and the witches and black cats are prowling about. And costumed creatures, the strangest I've seen, are knocking on doors 'cause tonight's Halloween!

October is the month for tasty, fall treats, beautiful colors and Halloween! A month for chilling, themed parties that everyone will truly enjoy! For this month, Wedding And Party Network's Halloween themed newsletter just for you! Here you’ll find lots of ideas to throw a thrilling Halloween party! Here are just a few ideas to let you know what’s in store:

Halloween Colors: Of course, you’re thinking black and orange. However, change it up a bit with hot pink, purple & black for a more modern vibe. Whichever way you decide to go, just make sure to keep it within the Halloween spirit!

Party Décor: Spiders, bats and cobwebs, oh my! Think, cobwebs, spooky jack-o-lanterns and witch hats for fun party decorations. Your Halloween party décor should be chilling and thrilling decorations that will put a frightful spin on the party.

Frightful Food: Picture finger shaped appetizers, graveyard cupcakes or a witch’s house-inspired cake that will put your Halloween party over the top. Frightful treats will truly be one to enjoy!

You’ll find these ideas and many more that will help you create a fun, Halloween themed party for everyone! All your guests will truly enjoy their frightful night provided by you. So go on and find out what’s in store. You may want to be cautious and continue reading, if you dare!

"A specter's hanging in the yard, your next clue's hidden in his garb." What does this sound like?  A fun Halloween scavenger hunt waiting to happen!  This is the absolute perfect Halloween party for kids and adults.  The adults will enjoy it just as much as the kids, it'll bring out their inner child.
Read more about How To Throw A Halloween Scavenger Hunt Party…

How To Throw A Zombie Invasion Halloween Party (For Under $40)

Zombie parties are the easiest way to throw an impromptu Halloween party. The decorations are easy, in fact, you don't really have to decorate at all. (But it's a lot more fun if you do!) Keep reading for more on how to throw an amazing zombie party with decorations, zombie-themed food, and easy zombie make up for under $40!
Read more about How To Throw A Zombie Themed Halloween Party…

Ghouls Night In— The Ultimate Girls Halloween Party

Halloween is such a fun time of the year!  Delicious candy, creepy decorations and adorable costumes to get you in the Halloween spirit!  There's so many Halloween themes and party ideas to pick from that you won't know where to begin!  Well, why not choose a Halloween theme for just the girls, or ghouls?
Read More about Throwing A Girls Halloween Party…

Tips For Throwing A Twilight Party

If you have a tween it's safe to say that you've heard of Twilight. You may even be a fan yourself. Because so many people love the Twilight series, here are a few Twilight party ideas that would be helpful for Twilight themed Halloween Party.
Read more about Throwing A Twilight Themed Halloween Party…

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A professional photographer at your service is Anderson's Designer Portraits. They create amazing photographs ranging from bridal portraits, senior portraits, family portraits, engagement and wedding photos. Each and everyone is created with true passion that will say something special about you.
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Imagine having the perfect wedding day and topping it all of with a piece of art from Crystal Image Ice Carvings. Guests will truly be amazed by an ice sculpture carved just for you. It will definitely be the talk of the night; behind you, of course!
Read More about Crystal Image Ice Carvings…

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Empty houses abound in the once densely populated city. Zombies are now all that remain in this decaying suburbia. With no more humans to devour, what better way to enjoy these empty spaces than to throw a ZOMBIE PARTY!

HOW TO THROW A ZOMBIE PARTY FOR UNDER $40

Zombie parties are the easiest way to throw an impromptu Halloween party. The decorations are easy, in fact, you don't really have to decorate at all. (But it's a lot more fun if you do!) Keep reading for more on how to throw an amazing zombie party with decorations, zombie-themed food, and easy zombie make up for under $40!

+ zombie party decorations

Zombie party decorations are the EASIEST! You just have to make your house look wrecked and messy. (Gee, that's not hard to do!) You want your house to look like it was quickly abandoned.. For this you can do as little as turning over some chairs or as elaborate as actually boarding up your house.. It's up to you, be creative! (note: we are not liable for any damage you might do boarding up your windows ) Here are a few suggestions that I did for my zombie party last year:

FAKE BOARDS – The last, uninfected humans used boards on their windows to keep the zombies OUT! Our fake boards give our party the same look and feel.

For our fake boards, we used recycled cardboard boxes from our local grocery store.

• Cut the cardboard into 1½' strips about 4" wider than your windows
• Draw on them with markers, like so:

• Attach the boards to your windows with masking tape. (Be careful not to use tape that might hurt your window frame or wall.)

For curtains – I have long curtains that I really didn't want to take down and put back up, (lots of windows and I'm short!) I taped safety pins to the back of my 'boards' and just pinned them to my curtains.

Other Places: Don't forget to board up other places that zombies might enter. I also boarded up my fireplace!

COBWEBS: Your house has been abandoned for a while, there are cobwebs all over.

You can find fake cobwebs at almost any store that sells cheap Halloween decorations. String your cobwebs up all over your house, or at least anywhere your guests might enter.

FACE MASKS: The last humans would have tried to protect themselves from the z-day infection with face masks.

I figured whoever lived here, I bought a package of face masks from my local hardware store and placed them around my house. I have a few busts that decorated with face masks as well.

WARNING SIGNS: No doubt there would be signs warning of the zombies.

Out of the same cardboard used to make the fake window boards, I made warning signs: Quarantined! Beware! Zombies! Infected! Captured! …you get the idea.

+ zombie party food ideas

For the best zombie party food, just think, "If I were a zombie, what would I eat?" This might bring to mind things like, brains, fingers, toes, eyes. Well, now think of creative ways to recreate them in food!

EYE BALL & BODY PARTS PUNCH – Make your favorite red punch and float gummy eyeballs and body parts in it. (Add rum to make it even better — adult zombie party!)

LADIES FINGERS - Carrots, String Cheesesticks, Cream Cheese, Green Peppers.

• Use carrots and string cheesesticks as fingers.
• Carve little lines in the center of your fingers for the knuckles.
• Cut a small notch in the end for the fingernail bed.
• Use cream cheese as 'glue'.
• Cut green pepper into a  fingernail and stick to the cream cheese.

GLOOMY DIP – Gray is always a gloomy, moldy color. Add a few drops of black food coloring to the ranch dip in a vegetable tray to make a very gloomy, yet delicious dip.

GUACAMOLE – Make regular guacamole dip, it's gross enough.

BRAINS JELLO – There are lots of unique jello molds out there just perfect for a zombie party! Check out this brain jello mold from Think Geek. You can make your jello opaque by using a little condensed milk or cornstarch. Use unflavored gelatin for pure white! Add fresh fruits like strawberries, cherries and grapes to make something horrible, yet delicious and healthy.

Your Zombie Party Food Table

• Table Cloth – Sheet with fake blood stains
• Table Accents – Plastic mice, spiders and gummy worms and bugs
• Lighting – Lots and lots of candles! Find old candelabras at thrift stores and burn a few cheap candles before your party to add lots of melted wax.

If you want to skip the work of making party food, call your local caterer and ask if they will create a unique zombie party menu for your part!

+ zombie makeup how-to

Probably the easiest Halloween costume to create is a zombie costume. You can wear your day-to-day clothes and just add blood to them. Fake cuts, bruises and bites are easy too!

Zombie Makeup How-to

• Use dark eyeshadow to create bruises. Blend together a mixture of black, gray, purple, and green, if possible, for an authentic look.
• Use ladies blush to create red  areas around your bruises, also around your eyes.

For Cuts & Gashes

• Paint a layer of white glue on the area you want to make a gash.
• Stick tiny pieces of torn toilet paper to the glue
• Paint another layer of glue on top of the toilet paper.
• Continue adding layers of toilet paper pieces and glue until it's about 3-5 layers thick, depending on the size.
• Before the last few layers dry completely tear a tiny gash into the middle. Be careful not to tear all the way threw.
• Paint the wound with fake blood.
• Paint the outside edges with makeup and bruises.
• Pour extra fake blood into the center of your wound and let it drip down for an authentic zombie look.

+ zombie party under $40!

So lets recap:

Zombie Party Decorations:

Recycled cardboard - free
Cobwebs - $1.00
Facemasks – $2.00
Glue & Toilet Paper – free (Hopefully you have this at home.)
Makeup: Eyeshadow/Blsuh - free (Should either have these at home, or you could probably borrow them from mom or a friend.)
Food – $37 budget

Not too bad! Zombie parties are GREAT way to get friends together for a night of ghoulish fun. Your zombie party doesn't have to be on Halloween, you can throw a party anytime!

"A specter's hanging in the yard, your next clue's hidden in his garb." What does this sound like?  A fun Halloween scavenger hunt waiting to happen!  This is the absolute perfect Halloween party for kids and adults.  The adults will enjoy it just as much as the kids, it'll bring out their inner child.  Running around in the chilling night air while searching for frightful clues is the perfect treat for some Halloween fun!

How It Works?

Divide into teams, however many you would like with however many people on each team.  This all depends on how many guests you invite, however, the more people involved means more fun!  The teams then take their Halloween themed clue sheet and search for  items and clues.  Some examples may be pumpkins, candy corn or Halloween decorations.

Each clue will lead you to the next clue and in the end you'll find the grand prize.  Some ideas might be: take a picture of a bat or the number 13.  Others might be find delicious candy corn, bob for the green apples or even find the skeleton key under the tree.  The first team to figure out all the clues and finishes first wins!  The amazing grand prize can be anything you want, a treasure chest full of candy, gift cards, coupons, a crown, just whatever you think is appropriate.  Your guests will love just about anything.  Just the Halloween scavenger hunt itself will be fun enough on it's own.  A great Halloween treat for everyone!

It's In The Details

Halloween themed invitations are a must!  Location needs to be outside, some place dark and creeeepy!  The best way to set the creepy feeling is with frightful party decorations.  Think skeletons, spider webs, witches, spooky carved pumpkins and dim lighting.  Party supply stores will definitely have all the frightful decorations you need.  'Tis the season for frightful and spooky decorations.  These are the perfect Halloween props to make it feel like a real scavenger hunt.  A spooky setting is sure to set the mood for this fun party!

Spooktacular Sweets And Treats!

What to serve… what to serve?  Halloween themed food, what else?  Your local party caterer is sure to provide tasty food for the chilly night, imagine fun appetizers shaped in spiders, spider webs and ghosts.  Fun party food will always set the perfect mood for your party.  Especially when you give each Halloween appetizer a spooky name, such as, eerie eyeballs, mummy dogs or dead mans dip.

Warm your guests up with a thrilling main course featuring delicious chilling chili.  It's the perfect Fall treat to warm your guests right up after an exciting scavenger hunt!  Finish it all off with a delicious witches brew or mystic punch that will satisfy everyone.  Your party caterer will make your party a success and stress free by providing all of these tantalizing treats!

Want to serve up some ghoulish goodies, also?  Have your bakery whip up some Halloween themed treats!  Your party will be over the top with graveyard cupcakes, creepy crawler cakes or even let your guests bob for apples and create their own candy apple!  How fun would that be?!  Bobbing for apples is a super fun game that everyone enjoys, but spice it up a bit by letting them create their own candy apple out of it.  Offer up warm caramel or chocolate, assortment of nuts, coconut, candy and even sprinkles which will create the perfect candy apples.  These ghoulish goodies will leave your guests refueled and ready to go for another terrifying scavenger hunt!

The thrill of Halloween is in the air with a fun scavenger hunt that will bring all the ghouls and goblins out of hiding.  Everyone of all ages will truly enjoy this fun frightfest and will be a real treat.  In search of some frightful clues and chilling secrets will be the perfect way to celebrate a spooktacular Halloween night!

Halloween Cupcake and Halloween Candy Apple Photos courtesy of ChicagoGeek and Sea Turtle via flickr.

Halloween is such a fun time of the year!  So much delicious candy, creepy decorations and adorable costumes to get you in the Halloween spirit!  There's so many Halloween themes and party ideas to pick from that you won't know where to begin!  Well, why not choose a Halloween theme for just the girls, or ghouls?  This creative Halloween theme can be catered towards fun, little girls or thrilling adults.  All ghouls are sure to have a great time with so many different party decorations, foods and games that you can play.

Thrills, Chills & Goblins…Oh My!

Spooky Pumpkin

Think pink and black or purple and black as your color scheme.  Bright girlish colors paired with black will truly make it a girl's Halloween party.  Halloween invitations will be easy to find, just keep in mind it's a girl's Halloween party.  Anything Halloween themed will do.  The fun part will be the party decorating.  Think fun tablescapes.  Make the focal point the Halloween themed table.  Lay down a black tablecloth with a hot pink or purple table runner to begin.  Add fun accents such as, black candlesticks, hot pink skulls, black candles, pink pumpkins and pink place settings.

Throw out some colorful jewels, black glitter and dark lipstick to add a touch of dark glam and girlish accents to your Halloween night.  You're sure to find all these great items at your local party store, especially since Halloween is right around the corner!  Another fun decoration is you!  Get stylish in a cute or scary witch costume, your favorite cartoon character or a flapper.  Costume ideas are endless.  Really, how many times a year do you get to dress up?  Go all out!  So get your ghouls ready to have a thrilling time!

Halloween Treats

When thinking about what to serve your guests, think delicious desserts.  That seems to be one of the main focal points on Halloween; yummy candy.  Hire a local bakery to create Halloween themed cupcakes, cakes and cookies.  Try to stay within your color palette because that will just add that much more to the decorations.  Delicious candy apples, candy corn, cake featuring a graveyard, spider cupcakes and so much more!  Your possibilities are endless.  With so many cute Halloween dessert ideas, you'll have trouble narrowing your choices down or even have your local bakery surprise you!  Be sure to stock up on lots of yummy candy too, possibly a great idea for a candy bar!  Perfect for the theme!

Beverages are another fun way to spice up any Halloween party.  Personalize water bottles, wine bottles and even soda bottles with cute Halloween paper.  Your favorite punch recipe can be served up in hot pink, add a few colors of pink food coloring and there you go.  Another fun touch is serving it in a pumpkin!  Too cute!  You and your guests are sure to enjoy all these thrilling desserts and drinks.

Chilling Good Times

Your ghoul friends will mainly enjoy each others company.  Carve pumpkins!  Set out all the supplies, newspapers and pumpkin templates for you and your guests.  Which can be found at a nearby party store.  What about a murder mystery game?  Everyone will absolutely love this!  Mainly catching up on good times and laughing about the past and present will be a great treat for everyone.

If this Halloween party theme is being thrown for your younger ones than there are tons of Halloween games out there that they will really enjoy.  Pin the wart on the witch, broom races, Halloween candy guessing game and even having a little pumpkin carving station set up for them too.  These are just a few of the game ideas to ensure that they will have a blast .

Pink and black decorations, frightful decorations and terrifying treats are all the makings for a great Halloween party.  All the ghouls are sure to enjoy these fun ghoulish ideas with the pink, purple and black accents.  It'll be the perfect ghoul's night in!

Pink Pumpkin and Halloween Cupcake Photos courtesy of Brandy Shaul and Abakedcreation via flickr.

Halloween theme parties are one of my favorites. When throwing a Halloween party, you’ll need to invest in few scary surprises for your party guest.

Tip #1 – DRY ICE

The most important surprise begin with dry ice.  It creates the ultimate spooky party feeling. You can use it in your punch and with your decorations. Not sure about dry ice but still want the creepy affect of an eerie fog rolling in? Rent a fog machine.

Tip #2 – Get Into Character

Create the ultimate Halloween party atmosphere by hiring some scary characters to mingle with the crowd. There performers can liven up the party with ghoulish activities and spooky skits.  Be part of the fun by renting a character costume for yourself or make it a Halloween costume party. Transform your party area into a Halloween mecca. Decorate with fake spider webs, mini caskets to hold the food, orange and black streamers and black candles placed in a fake skull. Cardboard cut out tombstones for your outdoors and well as indoors.

Tip #3 – Ghoulish Food Equals Good Time

Once you’ve got your dry ice punch, other food and drink ideas are simple.  Serve a blood drink for Vampires (7up™ or Sprite™ colored with red food coloring). Serve your ghoulish dip served in carved pumpkin. (Ghoulish dip can be made from anything but dips with chunks of pimentos, mushrooms, etc. give a creepier effect.) Don't forget the spooky sweets.  If you’re not good at making creepy cakes and spooky cookies have your bakery make them for you. Serve super spicy bat wings. Okay, you can’t really buy spicy bat wings but you can chicken wings and call them bat wings.

Tip #4 – Treat Them To Entertainment

Although entertainment will vary by age, a Halloween party lends itself to many options. A unique kids entertainment ideas is pumpkin bowling.  All you need for this low-cost form of entertainment is some empty water bottles and a few pumpkins.  Everyone loves to bowl, but teens and adults might prefer a more refined type of entertainment.  Try a murder mystery game.  Halloween entertainment options are endless.

These are basic tips you can use for any type of Halloween party. These same principles for a kids Halloween party or for adult parties.  Just remember with the help of these tips, your local bakery, and a  party supply store, you can throw a wickedly fun Halloween party!

As always Wedding and Party Network, is a great place for ideas when planning your party.

Though it's more than a month away, now is the perfect time to plan your Halloween party. This is one time when it's ok to have cobwebs on the brain because you're going to throw a spooky, delightfully fun Halloween party. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Plan Your Halloween Party Invitations And Music With Theme In Mind

You'll want to find Halloween party invitations with a unique design on them. Depending on the expectations of your Fright Night, your party may want a more subtle, fall oriented invitation or may require something more thematic and spooky. Choose the one that's right for you and being filling out the information necessary to send them to each guest.

Another thing to think about is the music at your party. Of course, there are bound to be classic hits like "Monster Mash" if you're throwing a jovial party, but consider going outside of the box a bit and selecting slightly more eerie music. Visit your local music store and ask for help selecting music for your Halloween party. Don't be surprised to find a range of creepy music and silly tunes to fit the theme of your party.

Planning Your Party Decorations

For a Halloween party to really go smoothly, you'll also want to make sure that you have unique decorations. Again, the level of intrigue in your party theme is very crucial to planning your party.

If you're going for a very scary evening, plan decorations that excite feelings of uneasiness, creepiness, dark and dreary evenings. If your Halloween party is just an excuse to hang out and have fun, go with more traditional Halloween party decorations.

Traditional Halloween party decorations usually include party supplies that feature pumpkins, cartoonish witches, ghosts, vampires and other creatures of the night. Think orange and brown with a spice of black when picking out your streamers, napkins, plates, cups, and even the color of your lightbulbs. Hey, ambiance is everything at a Halloween party.

Scare The Dickens Out Of Your Halloween Guests — Or Not

More scary Halloween party decorations usually include a bit more planning. These are the same party supplies but with a more adult and dark theme. More blacks, blood reds, some whites, and a mix of other dark and light colors with a theme.

Black, red, white and silver go splendidly together though black and red would be the dominant colors at a scary Halloween party.

Use creativity when picking out these decorations. A fake eyeball in the punch is funny, but you're going to have to up your game here. Try ideas like these.

• Any frightening creature that can be remote controlled to act robotic and sound scary is great. Think of fake spiders that actually move, creatures with motion sensors so that they make a scary sound when guests walk by, and other almost-alive decorations.
• Keep the colors dark if you want a scary party. Though it doesn't have to be pitch black, a little fear of what looms in the darkness sets up the night perfectly.
• Arrange a scary moment like the lights flickering or going off. Your guests will think it's normal or part of the prank if you do it once. The second time it happens–not so much. This is a wonderful time to play a game of "Mystery Killer" but make sure that guests are in on it by putting it on the invitation. If you skip this part, just let them know during the game that it's all for fun.
• Have a scary movie playing in one room or sit guests down to watch the movie. For adults, this is a fun time to play a little creative drinking game. Have guests swig a drink of a bloody mary, a blood-red punch, or the beverage of their choice every time a character casually forgets to "see it coming". I'm sure your guests can think of other fun twists on the game.
• The sound of chainsaws is instantly grating and frightening if you're in the dark. Work one in and watch a few guests shiver.

Your Halloween party is sure to be a thrilling evening. You know your guests well so tap into what drives them and what frightens them. If your aim is to thrill and chill them, tread lightly but be slightly terrifying. After all, it's expected of a Halloween party.

If your aim is to razzle and dazzle them but not to send anyone home scared to sleep, perk up your decorations and think of fall colors. Either way, your Halloween party will be a smash thanks to your clever party planning!