Halloween for adults: the table, the glasses, and the door
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Halloween on Saturday, October 31st, with a group of adults at home? This is how you set up the door, the table, the lighting, and the masks — and how to store what can be reused next year.
Most Halloween tips are about children: candy at the door, a costume for class, a spooky garden trail. But October 31st falls on a Saturday this year, and a significant portion of the parties that evening will consist of eight to twenty adults sitting at someone's home. That calls for a different kind of preparation: not a treasure hunt, but a table, glasses, lighting, and a door that knocks.
This article is about that evening. What do you set up, how much do you need, and what can you save for next year?
Start at the door, not the room
The first thing your guests see is the entrance, and that's precisely where most people do nothing. Two simple additions are enough to set the tone before anyone even enters.
Cobwebs over the doorframe or coat rack work because they can be stretched apart: one package covers a large area. The Halloween Cobweb with 6 Spiders costs €9.95 and is enough for a doorframe plus a corner of the room. Stretch it thin — the further you stretch it, the less it looks like cotton wool.
Additionally: caution tape. A strip of tape across the stairs or in front of a room you'd prefer to keep closed does two things at once — it's decor and it indicates where guests don't need to look. The 25-meter Caution Tape with Funny Text costs €2.95 and will last for multiple parties if you roll it up afterward.
The table: glasses are more important than decoration
At an adult party, the evening revolves around where the drinks are. There are two practical choices to make.
Firstly, the number of glasses. Count on approximately one and a half to two glasses per guest per evening if you wash them in between, and three to four if you don't — people put their glass down and grab a new one. For twelve guests, that quickly means thirty glasses, and hardly anyone has that many at home.
Secondly, the type. One or two striking glasses on the table make more of an impact than twelve identical ones. The Halloween Skeleton Glasses at €9.95 are such eye-catchers; they look especially good if you use them as accents alongside regular glasses, rather than as a full set. For shots, you'd prefer a set you don't mind losing: the Shot Glass Set of 6 pieces, 60 ml costs €3.00, so two or three sets are not an investment to be nervous about.
If you want one piece on the table that sparks conversation, the 750 ml Wine Bottle as a Glass for €9.95 is a gamble that usually pays off. And for the drinks themselves: Bamboo Straws, 10 pieces of 20 cm for €2.99 are sturdier than paper and last all evening.
Light does the work that decoration cannot
A room with the regular ceiling light on won't feel like Halloween, no matter how many spiders you hang. At the same time, you don't want it so dark that nobody can see each other. The practical solution: ceiling light off, two or three light sources low in the room.
LED Balloons, 5 pieces cost €2.95 and are underestimated for this purpose: they give soft light at eye level, they don't fall over, and they last all evening. Five pieces spread across a living room is enough. Don't put them all together — distribute them in the corners.
A second layer is created with candles or table lights in the places where people stand: by the drinks, by the snacks, on the windowsill. You don't need anything more.
Masks: who participates, and for how long?
For adults, a complete costume is often too much to ask. A mask or headpiece is the shortest route to a look, and the big advantage is that it can be removed as soon as someone has had enough.
Cardboard Masks, 4 models, 6 pieces — €1.95. Place them by the door for guests who didn't bring anything. Cardboard masks are light and don't heat up, but usually last one evening.
Bunny Mask with LED lighting, adjustable — €39.95. Adjustable, so it fits different head sizes; the lighting immediately makes it the most striking item in the room.
Practical point: a mask that covers the nose and mouth will get warm within an hour and be awkward for drinking. For an evening with food and drinks, you'd rather choose something that covers your eyes and forehead, or something you put on your head instead of over your face. Think of the Bat Wings Tiara at €3.95, the Halloween Tiara with Spider at €3.95 or the Red Devil Horns Tiara at €4.95. For those who want to keep it light: Costume Nose Masks for €4.95.
Details you only miss when they're not there
Fake blood is the classic example of something that's fun in a photo and annoying on the couch. Use it if you use it, but controlled: on hands, on a cardboard mask, or on an old piece of clothing, not on furniture. The Halloween Doctor Syringe with 28ml fake blood costs €9.95, and the Fake Blood Set with Syringe and Refill also €9.95. Put an old sheet over the couch if your guests are really going to go wild with it.
You don't have to cook at an evening party. Two or three things that don't get soggy are enough. Jimmy's Popcorn Sweet, 100 grams costs €4.95 per bag; count on one bag per three to four guests. For something sweet, a TWIX 10-Pack of 500 grams for €7.95 is convenient: what's left over doesn't have to be thrown away.
Afterwards: what do you save?
The difference between a party that costs a lot of money next year and a party that costs almost nothing then lies in what you put away. Masks made of sturdy material, tiaras, LED balloons, glasses, and caution tape will last for years if they are stored dry and flat. Cobwebs and cardboard masks are usually single-use. Put the reusable items together in one box with a label on it, and note on the inside of the lid what you lacked this year. That note will be worth more than any checklist next October.
Everything for October 31st at a glance
To complete your evening, check out the Halloween collection for decorations and accessories, Masks for the full range of styles and materials, and Glasses for your table. For balloons, ribbons, and the rest of the decorations, everything is together in Party Supplies. Don't know how much you need for your number of guests, or want to know what's still in stock? Email your number and date to info@verpakkingdeals.nl and we'll calculate it with you.
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