Halloween Party Invites

Every year I love to throw a Halloween Dinner Party. I like to think of it as going to dinner at the castle of Count Dracula. I’ve never taken that theme too literally (particularly because my house in no way resembles a Transylvanian castle), but I use this as guiding inspiration that steers me towards a more upscale, sophisticated event. Guests do not wear costumes, but rather they are asked to dress formal in black or dark colors.

We serve a multi-course meal, and a detailed, gory menu is provided at each place setting. Some regular menu favorites are “Bones and Blood” (breadsticks and marinara) served with “Dead Leaf Salad.” In years past the main course was “The Head of the Headless Horseman” (a pumpkin), stuffed with sauteed brains (hamburger), bird eyes (green peas), and crunchy albino beetles (water chestnuts). However this year I have decided to try serving a new main dish: “Layered Flesh and Blood” (lasagna).

I’ll be posting more on the actual party later, but today I wanted to share the invitations that I mailed out a couple weeks ago.

Colorful Halloween Party Invite

I like these party invites to feel about as formal as a wedding invitation. I have used black envelopes several times, and this year I found some dark purple, metallic envelopes that I thought would be fun and unexpected. Aimee helped me create this multi-colored invitation design using scrapbooking paper we found with a decidedly spooky damask featuring a deep-purple swirl that reminds us of a bat and ink blot along with silhouettes of birds and a bee.

Closeup of Colorful Halloween Party Invite

Granted this design didn’t have the traditional Halloween colors, but both Aimee and I loved the look with the metallic purple envelopes and thought they had a creepy feel that was unexpected and fresh. Unfortunately after we had all 18 invites made, several critics (namely my sister and husband) gave us a thumbs down saying the invitations didn’t seem very Halloweenish. (To which I said, “Boo!”)

Bat Halloween Party Invitation

At my husband’s insistence, I then created a much simpler design on a sturdy off-white cardstock featuring a sparkly purple bat icon. This version received approval all around, and is what we ended up sending out.

Closeup Halloween Party Invitation

So now I would like to know which invitation you like better. Does the first one read spooky to you at all? What say you??

Bettijo Bridges

Administrator at Paging Supermom
Bettijo is the founder and designer of Paging Supermom where she shares creative ideas for family fun. Known for practical and kid-friendly activities, free printables and holiday entertainment. Bettijo was a guest on the Martha Stewart Show and has frequently appeared on local TV. Her work has also been featured in national magazines including Real Simple, O, Redbook, Parents, Family Circle, and Health. She enjoys art, retro-modern design, photography and making new things. Mom of 4 kids.

6 thoughts on “Halloween Party Invites”

  1. To the sister that didn’t like the invitation appearance — I say a bag of last year’s unwanted stale Halloween candy. I like the innovative names of the dishes you serve on your menu — very creative. Your dinner party sounds wickedly delightful.

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  2. Maybe you should have put the first decorative paper behind the latter paper for a framed look and sewn the two papers together with black thread. I like the first card but didn’t like the red paper. They both turned out cute though :)

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  3. I think they’re both very cool but I think the 2nd one definitely looks more formal. Maybe you could have lined the envelope with that great paper or made some sort of a wrap around the middle of the bat invite. It really is cool paper that says Halloween in a non-conventional way!! Great job girls! Can’t wait to see pictures of the dinner!!

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  4. I’m gonna say the second one, hands down. I think your husband is right that the first one is not obviously “Halloweeny.” However, since you had already made 18 of them, I think a smart man (and sister) would have kept his (their) mouth shut and told you how nice they looked!!!!!

    Have a great party.

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