I had a smash hit party last night!
Number of guests: 30
Budget: $150
For Drinks:
Hot Pumpkin Apple Cider
Black Lagoon Cocktails
Spooky Sangria
- 1 Bottle wine
- 2 cups ginger ale
- 1 "pour" grenadine
- slices of oranges and lemons
For food:
Pumpkin Pesto Pasta
Anti-Vampire Garlic Bruschetta
Chocolate fondue
"Glass" German chocolate cake.
Fondue Dippers
- marshmallows
- pretzals
- apples
- pears
Decorations:
- Cut out bats
- Pink Poofs
- Pumpkin Lanterns
- White Sheets
The party was super fun! Since this is the third party we are throwing with the same crowd, we decided to be more ambitious. There were a lot of elements and some definitely stood out more than others.
For instance, the black lagoon cocktails took a lot of assembly with a dedicated preparer, and neither of the hosts had the extra hand. It took too much skill for the guests to do it themselves.
The Spooky sangria was perfect for the event and was easy to refill mid party. The guests also loved the taste even though it was just a three part recipe.
The hot pumpkin apple cider was a stand out. It didn't have alcohol in it, but you don't need all alcohol all the time, even if you have a young crowd. I just wish I had more apple juice! I bought two half-gallons of apple juice and it ran out in the first two hours of the party. It ran out before everyone got faded so my poor party guests had to run to the sink to drink tap water from their wine glasses. I think even double the amount of apple cider I prepared (4 x the recipe above) would have been bare minimum for this party.
The bruschetta was freaking amazing. I could hardly keep it on the plates. I liked it so much that I am considering having bruschetta sandwiches for the next day hangover lunch.
I think the costume contest was also amazing. I think even cool kids like dressing up, but everyone is insecure about being the only person who dressed up. When there was a prize for a costume contest, you know there is going to be at least 75% participation. I am utterly impressed how much everyone worked and how fantastic some of the costumes were. The prize was really simple - a box of chocolate and a pair of movie tickets adding up to about $30.
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| aftermath |
So I think is going to be our last party of the year. It didn't take an astronomical amount of money for the value we got, but it just took a lot out of us to put together. Not to mention that having a party run so late means clean-up is left until the next day. Maybe my tune will change once everything is back the way it was, the dishes are washed, and I've fully slept.