There's just so much to love about the fall season: the colorful foliage, apple cider doughnuts, and pumpkin spice, well, everything! Then there's the holidays. Halloween ushers in a night of trick-or-treating with costumes and candy, and just a few short weeks later, we're carving the turkey on Thanksgiving. That's a lot worth celebrating. 🙌
So how do you keep the fun going all season long? The answer is simple: a Falloween party.
What's Falloween, you might ask? It's the best of all the fall holidays, with food, decorating, and entertaining ideas that will get everyone excited for Halloween and the harvest season leading up to Thanksgiving. Best of all, it's a whole lot of fun for kids and adults alike.
For her own Falloween party pictured here, Royale Ziegler was inspired by "all things autumnal."
"There are a lot of fun tablescapes you can design around a traditional Halloween color scheme, black and orange, as well as the trendier pink or pastel Halloween palette," she says. "But we loved the neutral colors of the pumpkin patch-inspired party supplies and used them as a jumping-off point." She used partyware from Bonjour Fête and asked friends to help her bring together decorations, pumpkins, flowers, and food.
How do you decorate for a fall party?
"In our opinion, the beginning of fall is the sweet spot for florals," Royale says. "One can find end-of-summer blooms in addition to the abundance of fall's beauty."
Florist Shawn Chamberlain of Flower Bar Co. took inspiration from the season and sourced what she could locally to pair with the partyware. She put together bouquets of queen lime zinnias, ninebark foliage, peach ranunculus, yarrow, and cosmos.
"We love using dried elements and other unexpected textures in floral design," Royale says, adding, "Dried wheat, tiny pumpkins, and coneflower pods helped add the perfect autumnal touch to this fun fall party set up."
For the backdrop, Sara Turner of Pop Park City assembled a wall of balloons in autumnal colors. This paired nicely with ribbons tied on the decorative pumpkins, both honeycomb and real. "We also loved the table linen and the matching cake stand," adds Royale, "each in the perfect shades of autumn!"
What do you serve at a fall party?
Enter: this dreamy fall cake with sweet buttercream pumpkins! To make it, Holly Moore of Bonjour Fête used a recipe for Biscoff Cake from Cake by Courtney and added a dusting of graham cracker crumbs. For bite-sized treats, they baked a batch of matching cupcakes, each decorated with their own topper.
If you want to kick things up a notch, incorporate your own treats into the Falloween fun. "Light up the fire pit and get some s'mores cooking, or prepare some caramel apples and have a little decorating party!" Royale suggests. "Because, as we always say, the more excuses to eat all the fall treats, the better!"
What party games and activities are fun for fall?
"All the best parties have something fun for guests to wear, to do, and to take home," Royale says. "Costumes should be a requirement at every Halloween party, but we suggest having a few Halloween party crowns on hand for those who may have missed the memo. As far as activities go, pumpkin carving is always great, but you can never go wrong with decorating cupcakes, especially if you want something easier for kids to do."
But Royale adds that what makes any party memorable are the souvenirs your guests get to take home. Party favors like pumpkin surprise balls or Halloween sparklettes let them have fun long after the party is over!
Everything You Need for a Fall Party
Cloth Grid Pattern Tablecloth
Honeycomb Pumpkin Decorations
Melamine Cake Stand
Meri Meri Fall Cupcake Deocrating Kit
Alexandra Churchill is the Deputy Editor at The Pioneer Woman, overseeing the site's strategy in topics of food and cooking, home and life, beauty and style, crafts, and holidays.
