Halloween Cheese and Wine Party - Setting the Spooky Scene
When styling this party I wanted "easy" to be the word du jour. So what could be more easy than a cheese and wine party?! You don't have to cook anything, and the only "heavy-lifting" involves the DIY decor, which is really more fun than work!
For the table I chose my office desk for its array of display levels at various heights. I cannot stress enough the importance of varying the heights on a table - be it a desserts table or dining table. It keep things interesting to the eye, and with a little clever positioning, will make your spread look a million bucks!
Since this is an adult party, the office desk also got me thinking that the ideas would work perfectly for a school or office Halloween party too! The moral here is use what you've got! Haven't got a desk like mine? Then use boxes, mini suitcases or anything to help bring height to the table.
The styling here is modern with a hint of the macabre, keeping it all very clean with a color palette that's also easy to source for: orange and black with hints of white and silver. I could have used accents of purple to match the wine, but I was going for what I already had at home.
Halloween Cheese and Wine Party - The Ghoulish DIY Decor
After you decide on a location or table, then its time to plan how the scene will look and pay particular attention to the display backdrop, as it can help "frame" your table and harmonize the decor.
Again easy was my motto, and I chose to cover embroidery hoops with black and white fabric I had at home (tutorial coming later int he week). I simply glued a glitter spider to one of the hoops, but the fabrics on their own looked cool enough. It's such a simple and effective way to decorate a backdrop, and looks so classy too.
Who says Halloween needs to be kitsch?! Plus, you can keep the hoops as a wall feature in your home all year round. Yes, versatile decor is what we like 'round here!
Moving on to the usual decor items, most of which you can easily find this time of year, like plastic spiders, rats and skulls. You can get ready-glittered ones or you can glitter your own. Michaels has some fab paper maché skulls and accessories that can be covered with glue and glitter of your choice.
I also had some terracotta pumpkins and gourds at home, which I painted black and white for the occasion.
A while back I found an old typewriter in a flea marked, and thought it would be perfect sitting on this Halloween office desk! It also has double duty as a Halloween spooky sign holder (DIY sign tutorial coming soon.)
My trusty black crow and cage come out every Halloween, and this year was no different. Other decor items included lace-wrpped candles and display trays, helping to carry the fabric theme through.
I loved decorating with props and objects I already had at home, like the glass cloches used to house a glitter orange skull, the embellished stemware or the lace-covered silver tray. Just shows you don't need to buy themed cake stands or Halloween serve ware and dishes. Most pieces you have already can probably be re-purposed from party to party, it just takes a little imagination!
The floral arrangement was dead simple. No pun. Just orange Gerbera daisies pricked inside a block of floral foam, and embellished with glittered pipe cleaners. I twisted the pipe cleaners around a pencil to make them whirl-y.
To finish the table off, there was the beautiful tassel garland made by The Flair Exchange.
Halloween Cheese and Wine Party - The Devilish Cheese and Wine Display
Now, I could try to give you a lesson in cheese and wine pairing. But I'm not gonna. The fun thing here is to taste and try for yourself. The only thing to remember is to have fun with your choices, and ensure you cover a variety of flavors for the cheese and wine being served. For the cheese platter, it's good to have a mild soft cheese like Brie or Camembert, a blue cheese like Stilton or Stinking Bishop, a mature piece like an aged Gouda and a goat's or sheep's milk cheese to vary the textures and flavors.
The wine can be chosen to match the cheese. Or not. I prefer to go blind tasting, as I said. But your wine vendors or sommelier will help you if you really want macht-y match-y.
As a sides, I chose to serve fig jam labelled as jellied brains, salty mixed nuts labelled as petrified bugs, neutral honey labelled as beetle juice, and also black olives, cheese crackers and black grapes.
Halloween Cheese and Wine Party - Halloween Party Printables
Halloween is my favorite! Can't wait to throw a party.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love Halloween!
ReplyDeleteNow that's my way of celebrating Halloween, with some wine and cheese. Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us at the Creative Muster. Looking forward to seeing what you'll be sharing next week. Pinning!
ReplyDeleteRobin😊