Source: Snacks Works

Planning a Halloween party doesn’t have to be difficult. Plan a great party with these creative, fun and unique Halloween party planning tips.

1. Pick A Theme

Setting a theme for a party always helps to set the stage. Try a traditional Halloween idea, like a Costume Party, a Jack-O-Lantern Party, or a Scary Movie Party.

2. Set A Date, Time & Place

Once you’ve decided on a theme, it’s time to set the date, time and place for your Halloween party. If the number of guests you’ve decided to invite is large, consider having your party in an alternative location, such as a community hall or firehouse.

3. Make A Guest List & Send Invitations

Make your list ahead of time, that way you’ll be sure not to forget anyone! If you’re going to mail your invitations, be sure to post them well enough in advance to give them time to be delivered.

4. Plan Your Costume

Around Halloween it’s easy to find costumes for sale in a variety of places. If you want something extra special, you might want to consider renting a costume for the evening. However, some of the very best costumes can be put together with items you have in your own closets.

5. Plan Decorations

Our recommendations for the perfect Halloween decorations:

Ghostly Furniture Covers: To set a ghostly mood for your celebration, adorn party furniture with lots of white sheets. Old or new, it doesn’t matter, just keep them white.

Instant Atmosphere with Colored Lights: Replace the light bulbs in the party room with colored bulbs (available at your local hardware, craft, or party store). Black, red, blue, and green light bulbs cast eerie (yet festive) glows. If you have a lamp that uses two bulbs, combine a red and a blue bulb to create a cool double-vision effect.

NOTE: Make sure the colored bulbs do not exceed the recommended wattage of your lamp and make sure to leave enough light to allow guests to easily move about the room.

Webs Overhead & Creepy Crawlies Underfoot: Purchase spider webbing, plastic rats, spiders and snakes at your local craft or party store. Place the webbing on lamps (don’t place too close to a light bulb), in the corners of the ceiling, across the tops of doorways-everywhere you want to create an aged and creepy look. Place the rats, spiders, and snakes in corners, under tables, and other unexpected places. In low light, they look scary (and real!).

Ding Dong Our Witch is Dead: Remember the famous scene from “The Wizard of Oz” where they pan in to show the house fallen on the wicked witch? Recreate the scene in your party room. Purchase a pair of red and white striped socks, fill with other socks, newspaper or fiber-fill (pillow stuffing), place the socks under a chair or sofa (so the top part is hidden) and then place the foot part of the sock inside a pair of ladies high-heel shoes.

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Source: The Knot

Unlike the work of your other wedding vendors (music, flower arrangements, cake), photographs aren’t things you can hear, smell, taste or even see at first—you don’t really know what you’re getting until after the fact. That means careful research and selectiveness regarding professional skills, artistic style and personal demeanor are extra important when choosing your photographer.

Step 1: Settle on a Style

Before you begin researching photographers, you’ll need to first decide what type of photography style you prefer, as that will help determine which kind of photographer you’ll want shooting your wedding. Get inspired! Spend time pouring over any kind of imagery you love, from décor shots to a fashion blogger’s Instagram feed. Once you have a good collection of inspiring photographs, try to narrow in on what draws you to them specifically and dissect what feels most authentic to you and your partner. Maybe that’s formal-posed portraits, a classic photography style or a lifestyle, photojournalistic feel. If you love sharp and contrast-y shots, perhaps a photographer with a flair for the dramatic is the right choice for you. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to narrow in on one style in particular, since many wedding photographers can do a blend of portraiture and documentary-style shots, a mix of black-and-white and color images and so on. But if there’s a special style you love, make sure to focus on photographers who specialize in it.

Step 2: Do Your Homework

Start your search by reading reviews from recent newlyweds and browsing local listings, like the ones on The Knot Marketplace. Carefully review potential photographers’ websites and blogs to check out photos of other weddings they’ve shot, which will give you an idea of their style. How do they capture the moments important to you, like a mother bustling her daughter’s gown or an emotional first look? The design of the website may also have clues about the photographer’s personality and sensibility. Check out their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages too, if possible. Is the feedback from clients positive? How does the photographer respond? How do they interact with their Instagram followers, do they seem friendly and personable? You get the idea.

Step 3: Set Up Interviews

This is not a decision that can be made on looks alone—you must meet your potential photographers in person. If you like what you see on their site—and their fees are in your ballpark range—call to see if they’re available for your wedding date. If available, go ahead and send an introductory email with a bit about you and your soon-to-be spouse, you event and the vision for your day, and feel free to attach five or so of your very favorite photos from your research so they know what you love. If the photographer is already booked on your date, you may want to see if they have an associate or can recommend another shooter with a similar style. Set up in-person meetings with three to five potential photographers who are available on your wedding date to look at more of their work and assess whether your personalities mesh. Be prepared to talk about your venue, wedding style and what you envision for your photos.

Step 4: See a Few Full Wedding Albums

Don’t base your decision solely on what you see in a photographer’s highlights gallery or album. For good reason, photographers show prospective clients a portfolio of their best pictures, all from different weddings, so you’re seeing the best of the best. The problem with that is you won’t get a well-rounded idea of their work. Ask to see two or three full galleries from real weddings they’ve shot (not someone else at their company) so you can get a better idea of what your complete collection of photos might look like after the wedding. If you see that the full gallery photos are just about as good as the ones chosen in the highlight gallery (that is, they’re all so good it’s impossible to choose!), you’re on the right track. And ask to see at least one or two complete albums of weddings that are in similar settings to yours. For example, if you’re planning an indoor affair with dark lighting, don’t just look at weddings shot outdoors in natural sunlight. And if you’re planning to say “I do” on a beach at sunset, you’ll want to see examples of that.

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By Sarah Schreiber

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings

Consider these brand-new ideas as you start planning your ceremony and reception.

Here’s the thing about wedding trends: They evolve year after year, which means that one year’s celebrations are distinctly different from the ones that come after (and before, for that matter!). Though all of these ideas—which encapsulate wedding décor, floral, and fashion components—change constantly, it’s rare that a new trend replaces an old one. In fact, we like to think that each year only adds to the already-incredible roster of big-day ideas that exist, meaning the options available to engaged newly-engaged couples just continues to grow larger and larger. That means you can pick and choose the wedding trends of the past that speak to you while still infusing your event with of-the-moment touches.

That’s why we’re particularly excited about the wedding trends coming up in 2019. They’re proof that these major life events are becoming more and more about the couple of the moment—if these touches are any indication, weddings are becoming more personalized than ever before. At least, that’s what the majority of the industry’s most lauded wedding planners are telling us. And we trust their instincts, and we think you should, too. If their predictions are spot-on, 2019 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting weddings seasons to date.

As for the trends that’ll blow your mind in the new year? Brand-new ceremony set-ups (ceremonies in the round are on the rise!), nontraditional floral components (like pampas grass and wheat!), balloon installations, vellum invitation suites, and velvet accents are just a few of the stand-out ideas on this list. Click through to familiarize yourself with all of the brand-new wedding trends top planners expect to see everywhere in 2019.

Dark and Edgy Color Palettes

Event designer Jessica Sloaneexplains that weddings “are getting edgier,” something we’ll see come to fruition in many ways next year. This is particularly interesting, since moodier accents are in direct contrast with the romantic blush décor, soft textures, and bright photography that’s dominated the wedding scene in recent years. Wendy Kay of Birds of a Feather Events noticed this, as well—she notes that more and more couples will become more “adventurous with palettes” by “mixing colors that traditionally would not go together” in the new year.

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