Get Ready To Throw The Best Halloween Party Ever

With October 31 just a month away, it's time to start planning your Halloween party. That's right — you're about to throw one scary awesome soiree that your friends will no doubt be talking about for the rest of the fall season. Plus, you're looking for an excuse to binge eat the latest candy creations and show off your multiple Halloween costumes (a gothed-out Lorde, a non-basic cat, hipster zombie... it's so hard to choose!). Halloween lands on a Friday this year, so there's no reason why you can't get things started early with a Thursday night bash, celebrate with costumes on Friday, and keep things going with a Saturday night blowout. But you need to start planning right now.

Between the colorful costumes, spiked beverages, and sugar overload, Halloween parties top the list of my favorite annual celebrations. They're crazy and kooky and totally ridiculous, or at least, they should be if you do it right. There are four things you need to have prepped and ready to go in order to throw the greatest Halloween party in the history of mankind: Decorations, food, drinks, and a few gimmicks along the way to keep everyone on their toes.

Whether you want to keep things PG or scare the daylights out of all your guests, nothing is off limits. So start sending out your invitations now and spread the buzz... because you are going to throw your best party ever. Yeah, I know that's kind of a dramatic statement, but isn't Halloween all about the dramatics?

1. Decorations

What's a Halloween party without creepy-chic decorations? It's a bad Halloween party, that's what it is. Don't throw a bad Halloween party. Fill your place with ghouls and ghosts. These DIY hanging spider balloons by Studio DIY are a great place to start. They're creepy, but kind of in a cute way, don't you think? Also, they're incredibly easy to make... just add glitter. This Halloween bunting banner is also a no-brainer.

Bonus: Try swapping out your lightbulbs for different colored bulbs or black lights. A party is all about atmosphere, so you want to be sure that yours is dark, creepy, and playful.

2. Food

If there was ever a time to give up sugar in your diet, it's definitely not now. When it comes to feeding your guests, I recommend sticking with the three Cs: cookies, candy, and cakes.

While there are plenty of delicious Halloween recipes to choose from, give your treats the spooky extra oomph the occasion calls for. A Beautiful Mess nails it with their ghoulish cake toppers. Now That's Pretty shows you how to make Dia de los Muertos gingerbread cookies that are total show-stoppers.

Bonus: If you're going the candy route, try filling a large bowl and stick a fake hand in the center. Or, if you really want to show off, try making any of these 13 creepy cupcakes!

3. Activities

Chances are your guests will be having a blast chit-chatting, imbibing beverages, and taking selfies, but just in case, be prepared with some extra Halloween activities you can pull out at any time.

Coordinately Yours offers some great ideas when it comes to pumpkin carving, but there are some really great no-carve options out there as well because, let's be honest... this activity can get messy. Looking for something unique? Studio DIY teaches you how to make some pretty amazing monster confetti eggs.

Bonus: A costume contest is also never a bad idea. Obviously you're going to win, since you've already picked out the perfect outfit.

4. Drinks

It doesn't really matter what drink you're serving at your party. Alcoholic or virgin, try to spruce up your beverages with some fun twists.

A Beautiful Mess' edible critter cubes made with olives and rosemary are not only a fun decoration that will keep drinks cold, but a tasty snack once they melt. As for drink toppers, I can't get enough of these creepy cool spider web drink umbrellas by Now That's Pretty.

Bonus: If you're having trouble deciding what kind of drinks to serve, I recommend trying one of these pumpkin spice cocktails (because this seasonal flavor isn't just for lattes, you know). You also can't go wrong with throwing a few fake fingers into a Bloody Mary, along with a couple of plastic eyeballs for good measure. Hey, it's only Halloween once a year, so live it up!

Images: Now That's Pretty (3); Studio DIY (3); A Beautiful Mess (2); Coordinately Yours