Transforming Our Home Into a Gothic Halloween Masquerade (with the help of my Amazing Hubby and Friends)
My birthday falls on Halloween. It’s super fun as a little kid. You dress up like a princess, get candy from everyone, and presents? Best day in a kid’s world. It’s still one of the best days – ok, I’m biased – and I always have fun planning Halloween birthday parties with my hubby and girlfriends. This year, we decided to throw a masquerade!
The must-haves? Masks, tons of candles, and all the spookiness.
I started with this large black poly tablecloth and topped it with a sequin round overlay. Complete disclosure time. I had no idea what an overlay was and why you needed them until I went through months of wedding planning. It definitely gives your table dimension and interest – and the sparkles from the sequins, crystal candlesticks, and candlelight created a completely dreamy atmosphere.
Crystal Marquis by Waterford candlesticks are here, purchased in pairs of all three sizes (lows to highs).
Black tapered candles are here. We bought tons of them!
I purchased a handful of these Pottery Barn hand-beaded spiders the day they hit stores. Now that they’ve been out of stock for weeks, I wish I’d gotten so many more! You can find similar ones in silver here.
These Crate & Barrel double old fashioned’s were perfect. I snagged them last year, but because C&B never disappoints, they’ve got these equally spooky smoke glasses available here.
Rose gold disposable flatware by Spritz at Target can be found here.
Remember: tomorrow is your day to stock up on Halloween stuff for next year! Trust me on this. You can buy all of the Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Home Goods, and more at one-third of the price (at the most). I do this after every holiday and my closet (and wallet) thanks me each and every time.
So, what’s my number-one item to stock up on? Two words: cocktail napkins.
I mean, y’all, how do you say no?!
Details are so important when you’re hosting a themed party. I tucked a votive candle in a terrific skull tumbler at the newly-opened Forge Industrial Works in Old Town, Alexandria in our half bath, along with Halloween guest towels.
Guests were greeted at the door by Felix, our newest acquisition this year. He came with this awful velvet rhinestone bow, which was easily hidden by a vibrant orange polka dot wired ribbon. I love this fun way of identifying your home to your party-goers. I’ve used wooden reindeer, flamingos, etc. depending on the party’s theme.
We also hung this too-cute Halloween garland in between my two etageres to keep the theme consistent throughout.
My sweet friend Rachel bought the prettiest bouquet of dahlias and branches of greenery from Wollam Gardens. They have a booth at the farmer’s market a few times a month in front of the National Portrait Gallery for those in town. I added a few pieces similar to those in this post.
My hubby and I decided to add a candy bar for our guests. You know how much I love having treats/party favors at a party! We filled vases and glass containers with unwrapped candies and had our guests fill cellophane bags (available at Michael’s) as they left. Hubby upped the wow factor by adding dry ice to an empty container. The result was oh so spooky.
Votives, tapered candlesticks, and tealights illuminated the space. This totally transformed the space!
We moved our bar to the first floor and had our table of food on the second to help the party flow up and down. I always love to see friends crowd around the kitchen early on, then move downstairs to the bar the later it gets.
My talented friend, Jen, made this super fun and creepy vampire cake, topping it with a black lace mask. It was the perfect touch!
Annalyse made these darling, spicy jalapeno mummies. I’m still trying to track down her recipe!
This skull cakestand was one of my absolute favorite items. We wrapped greenery around it and mercury glass votives to create a creepy forest feel.
I ended up ordering a bunch of masks off of Amazon, just in case others forget theirs. Let’s just say we ended up with more than enough!
(Mask here, Camilyn Beth dress – I size up in hers; similar here and here, J.Crew earrings – similar here)
Special thanks to my amazing hubby, sweet hosts Rachel, Kayla, Tristin, and Jen, and all of my crazy fabulous friends for making this such a fabulous birthday!
