Welcome, My Pretties…How to host a Halloween Witches themed party for ladies night in!

Who says Witches Parties are just for kids? Creating and hosting a grown-ups Witches Party with friends is so much fun! A few years ago, I hosted a Witches Tea Party with my girlfriends and we had such a great time! I’m sharing with you how to host a Witches Party complete with tablescape, decor, menu ideas and setting up a photo-op that’s sure to be a hit! Keep in mind that a Witch’s Party can be held anytime of day, be it a brunch, lunch, tea party, cocktail party or dinner party.

INVITATIONS:

I have hosted numerous parties in the past and I generally use evite for my invitations. However, since my Witch’s Tea Party was going to be just a small group of girls, I wanted the invitations to be more personal and pretty looking. I really believe presentation is everything and let’s face it, everyone loves receiving an invitation that makes them feel special. So, be creative and have fun with your invites! My Witch’s Party that I hosted a few years ago was themed in purple and black colors. I ordered custom invitations from Etsy and customized my envelopes. My husband (who is good with calligraphy) hand wrote the names on each envelope for me and I added Halloween themed rub-on transfers that I purchased from Michael’s Store for an added festive presentation. On the back of the invitations, I attached color themed ribbon bows and embellished them with witch’s hats and black cats at the center of the bow (sorry I don’t have better pictures of these invitations to share with you). You should plan to give your guests plenty of notice, especially when a costume is involved. The general rule of thumb for sending invitations is 3-4 weeks in advance to the party.

TABLESCAPE:

Nothing compares to a beautiful tablescape presentation. Try to find dishes with a Halloween and/or witches theme and keep your color scheme limited to 2-3 colors. I love the drastic contrast between the pink and the black. For the centerpiece I made a floral arrangement and placed an eerie witch in front of it. My witch was missing her broom, so I improvised with a pink rose that tied in to the rest of the decor.

• 

• 

• 

• 

MENU:

Conjure up some fun and add a creepy touch to your charcuterie board. Look at how interesting it looks when adding simple touches with a rat skeleton, witches fingers and ghost shaped chips. I purchased the witches fingers from Williams Sonoma and the ghost chips from Trader Joe’s. When choosing items for your charcuterie board, think about textures and colors, so that it adds interest to your presentation. I like to serve drinks in a festive glass and offer appetizers as my guests arrive. A charcuterie board is the perfect way to get your guests to gather in one location and spark conversation.

If you’re hosting a Witch’s Tea Party, be creative by using flowering teas served in clear glass teacups. My guests had a lot of fun watching the flower open and grow and then comparing and sharing their tea flowers with other witches at the table. These flowering teas are fun, as they come in a variety of different colored flowers and shapes.

Serving English style tea sandwiches works really well for a Witch’s Tea Party. Great combinations are egg salad, cucumber and cream cheese and/or curry chicken salad sandwiches. You can use different types of bread to create variety in your sandwich platter, such as rye, white and wheat breads.

• 

• 

These mini pumpkin flavored cupcakes were a hit, mostly due to the presentation! Serving your desserts on festive dishware is always a crowd pleaser.

• 

• 

I make these red velvet skull cakes every year in my skull pan. They are very simple to make and decorate. Once pulled out of the oven, while they are still warm, I just sprinkle black sanding sugar into the eyes, nose and mouth. You can also inject them with frosting for added flavor.

Photo-Op:

Creating an awesome space for photos for your guests is a favorite at any party! I purchased a vintage white wedding dress on eBay and died it black to get the effect in the image above. Be sure to see my Instagram Halloween highlights to see how I did it. I set up a similar backdrop at my Witch’s Tea Party a few years ago and everyone LOVED it! Guests were taking selfies, group photos and having a blast! The photo below was taken from that tea party outside the front of my home. It’s important to decorate your entry as well, so that guests feel welcomed and excited to be a part of your holiday festivities.