On Day 10 of my 13 Days of Halloween, I’m sharing pointers for making compelling Halloween party invitations. Attracting Halloween revelers to your party is a tricky business. Basically there are two personality types, those that love donning a costume for the night and those that loathe it. When you add in high school and college football, young children, and other competing weekend opportunities, getting commitments can be harrowing.
So heed the advice of Vito Corleone, the patriarch from The Godfather, and make your guests an offer they can’t refuse. Honor them with a real, paper invitation. No cheating with Evites!
This goes without saying, but make sure the date, location and time are clear. Also decide if costumes are optional or mandatory and convey that in the invite as well. For example, in the Charlie Brown-inspired invitation below, I chose to convey that costumes are optional. If you wanted everyone to come in costume, you could have used the verbiage “Don’t be a blockhead, come in costume“.
In the past, I used to ask guests to RSVP or send Regrets, but got very little response or very late response (as in day of the party). To simplify things, I now send out invitations and don’t request an RSVP. If you’re wondering how I gauge the amount of food, I typically serve food that can be frozen or eaten as leftovers. Above all, focus on having a good time with your friends that are able to attend and not the overall headcount.
To keep the food simple, I traditionally serve a barbecue buffet. I use chafing dishes to keep the food warm throughout the night. I used to spend countless hours preparing Halloween-themed food but frankly the barbecue buffet is much easier and satisfying.
Since our last two parties have fallen on Halloween night, most guests arrive a little later than usual. This year, I decided to forgo the barbecue and asks guests to bring an appetizer or beverage to share. Most of my friends are really good and creative cooks, so I can’t wait to see what they have in store this year.
The invite below is from our first Halloween party and one of my all-time favorites. Although there’s a lot of body copy, the wording and rhyming is clever. If you have an annual party, pay attention to the first and last stanzas in this invitation and the one below it as the words convey a unified theme with the anticipation that you intend to make your party an annual event.
And here’s the follow-on for year two. Both were created using pre-printed Halloween stock.
If you’re not creative, never fear – Etsy is here – with a limitless supply of options. Most vendors will send you a downloadable file for as little as $10 and you can print as many invitations as you need. Many will also print and snail mail to you as well. Here’s a sampling of some of the variety you can find.
Available from Design 11
Available from Ginger’s Party Place
Available from CupcakeExpress
Available from The Peach Pinapple through Etsy
Are you hosting a Halloween party this season and have you made your guests an offer they can’t refuse?
And a little Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood? Top Gun, baby!
Mav and I are looking forward to your party!!!