When planning a Halloween gathering, the Haunted Mansion theme can provide an elegant choice that will evoke images of the old South or Victorian England. This event is the perfect choice for a formal dinner for a few friends who want to celebrate Halloween without the fanfare of a normal party.
Creating Invitations for the Dinner Party
Send out formal invitations on parchment or heavy vellum that will remind the guests of a bygone era. Choose a dark gray or cream paper. If the invitations can be run through a printer, use a calligraphy font to inscribe the details of the dinner and request an RSVP. Let the guests know that it is a semi-formal party and that they should dress accordingly. Due to the length and nature of this party, be sure to tell the guests that it is not suitable for children.
Decorating for the Victorian Halloween Party
Decorations are key to this event. Begin the decorations on the outside of the home and continue them throughout. Set up tombstones for an eerie welcome. Use synthetic spider webs outside the entrance that will make your home seem old and abandoned. Continue to decorate the inside of the home with more cobwebs. Add a few artificial black birds and spiders to give an Edgar Allan Poe-ish feel.
Drape black cloth over pictures to evoke the mirrors that the Victorians covered when a person had died. Cover the table with a heavy white or black tablecloth and add a runner along the center of the table. Place candles in inexpensive candlesticks and run cobwebs between them on the table. Print the menu on parchment and have a copy on each plate. Burn the edges to give the paper an older feel. Have a selection of heavy classical music playing in the background.
Clear glass plates can be purchased inexpensively from a dollar store. Get some purple or orange glass paint from a craft store. Spider webs can be drawn on the back side of the plate to add a touch of creepiness. Be sure to paint only on the back side of the plate. This way food will not come into contact with the paints. Set the table with matching napkins and a selection of silverware.
Greeting the Guests
Have a silver doily-lined tray with appetizers ready for the guests to nibble on while people arrive. Give them a choice of a dry martini with preserved eyeballs floating in it (cocktail onions stuffed with a piece of olive) or a glass of Vampire Wine (a deep red wine that has been relabeled to fit with the theme). Introduce the guests to people they may not know and encourage conversation. Serve some skeleton fingers (mozzarella and tomato on crackers) as an easy to make canapé.
Planning the Dinner Menu
Select the menu well in advance and decide upon the number of courses. Most formal Victorian meals had seven courses. They would start with an appetizer and be followed with a soup course. The vegetable course would come next and be followed by a fish course. Next would be a sorbet that was used to cleanse the palate. The meat course would be next and would be followed by dessert and then a selection of cheeses. Often this would be served with coffee or brandy. Also decide if the meal will be served as a tasting menu, which means smaller portions or as a normal menu with full portions.