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With fall officially here, it means that we are mere weeks away from the most haunting of holidays: Halloween!

While traditional Halloween parties focus on candy, punch, and a wide variety of spooky (and yes, cheesy) décor, we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, with a little effort and planning, you can create a fun, elegant, “not so spooky” Halloween party that your family and friends will rave about to every ghost and ghoul they meet.

Looking for some inspiration. Here are our tips on three of our favorite Halloween party themes!

Ghostly Glamorous Halloween Party

Image Source: Coco Kelley

Even ghosts glam it up for the ‘Gram every once in a while. And with this Ghostly Glamorous Halloween Party, your home will be the backdrop for the most viral posts in the graveyard!

The Food:

To prepare your guests for a night of haunts, be sure to plan a menu full of freaky favorites. Start off with a blood-inspired Abracadabra Platter – a crudité and cheese tray filled with plenty of dark red and purple treats, including Syrah-soaked Italian cheese, blackberries, and purple cauliflower. Or if you’re really looking to ramp up the spook factor, opt instead for an Eyeball Caprese Salad, featuring black olives on top of white mozzarella that brings a whole new meaning to “dead eyes”.

Wash this deliciousness down with plenty of witches’ brew and potions, including a pomegranate poison spritz. And for dessert? Scream with delight with a red velvet brain cake and bloody candy apples!

The Table Setting:

Nothing is scarier than a boring table setting. Spook up the sophistication at your party with a fun, yet glamorous table design. Stick to shades of black, white, gold and silver, ensuring all the fun ties in together. Simple Halloween décor such as plastic bones and mini pumpkins can be painted and turned into a centerpiece that’s to die for. And of course, be sure to use plenty of candles to complete the look.

The Décor:

Building on your table setting, purchase simple Halloween décor in bulk, and class it up with a variety of black, white, and gold paint hues. Whole pumpkins painted white with gold stem create a sophisticated look for any party. And of course, you can never go wrong with fake spiders and bats. For lighting, long candles placed in an assortment of painted wine bottles creates a ghoulishly great look. Just be sure to keep the open flames away from any costumes or fake spider webs!

The Party Favors:

Of course, Halloween is all about treats. Give you party guests the ultimate treat with these fun, elegant themed hair ties, so that they’ll be sure to remember your night of haunts for years to come:

Ready to get inspired? We've created an entire board, jam packed with ideas for this party. Click here to see them all!

Haunting & Flaunting: Pastel Halloween Party

Image Source: Unpacified

If black, white and orange make you want to scream, our Haunting & Flaunting Halloween Party Theme is the one for you. A fun twist on a traditional ghoulish gala, this pastel party will brighten even the deadest of spirits, and is perfect for anyone looking to host a daytime, kid-friendly bash!

The Food:

This party is all about treats, not tricks. Kick off your afternoon of deliciousness with awesomely scary appetizer: Sweet Spider Popcorn. Take regular popcorn and place a serving inside a fun striped cup. Top with pink cotton candy, and garnish with a plastic spider to complete the look!

Continue the afternoon of treats with an assortment of spooky sweets, including mini-ghost cake pops, pastel pumpkin cookies, sugar skull cupcakes, and of course, maniac macaroons – store bought macaroons decorated with food paint. Truly treats galore!

The Table Setting:

With all the delicious treats at this party, you’ll need plenty of cake stands to properly display the goodies. Find cheap used options online or at your local thrift store, and use varying shades of pastel paint to coordinate with your theme. Distribute across your table, and fill in the space with an assortment of mini pumpkins painted to match. Complete the look by setting out paper witch hats for every little ghoulette at your party.

The Décor:

It won’t be hard to make things pop with your pastel color scheme. Brightly painted pumpkins and balloon walls and arches are the perfect focal point for this Haunting & Flaunting Bash. Cute paper ghost streamers and spider webs add a nice touch as well, while paper bats on wooden sticks serve a dual purpose as cake toppers and devilish décor!

The Party Favors:

Be sure to send your guests home with a favor that lets them remember all the fun for years to come. These pastel pumpkin hair ties are sure to be hit with the Brides of Frankenstein at your party.

Ready to get inspired? We've created an entire board, jam packed with ideas for this party. Click here to see them all! 

Stylish & Spooky: Elegant Black and White Halloween Party

Who says you can’t be both scary and sophisticated? With our Stylish & Spooky Black and White Halloween Party, you’ll be sure to plan a bash that will impress even the best dressed undead on the block.

Image Source: Chelsea Life & Design

The Food:

Set the tone of sweet sophistication for the night with dessert appetizers. A single dab of black food paint on white chocolate covered raisins creates the perfect pile of pickled eyeballs for your guests to munch on, while chocolate and powdered sugar mini donuts on mini broomsticks continue the scary night of black and white.

When it’s time to break out the real desserts, an assortment of crypt-ready cakes is the perfect way to continue your theme. Black widow webs, marshmallow ghosts, and sugary skulls all make for fantastic cake themes, and will be sure to put a scream into your guests.

The Table Setting:

Though your colour palette may be limited, that doesn’t mean you can’t design a scary sophisticated table setting. Start with a black and white tablecloth and add in Halloween themed confetti, painted pumpkins, and plenty of your favorite black and white terrors, including spiders, bats, black cats, and more!

The Décor:

Building on your table design, a black and white balloon wall is the perfect way to create a focal point for this black and white bash. Use a permanent market to paint ghost faces on the white balloons, and place a fog machine or dry ice hidden behind to really set off the look. And of course, you can always take the scare factor up to 11 with paper bats and other demented décor.

For a fun touch, get an assortment of black beer koozies and hot glue on sets of felt bat wings. Not only will it add to the theme of the holiday, but hiding the beer cans will also add an extra touch of class and sophistication to your party!

The Party Favors:

Want to send your guests home with the ultimate mummified memento from your bash? Try these spooky stemware charms!

Ready to get inspired? We've created an entire board, jam packed with ideas for this party. Click here to see them all! 

As you can see, with a little effort you can plan a Halloween party that is fun, classy, and yet still to die for!

Do you have more ideas for a glamorous or elegant Halloween theme? Be sure to share them with us on social…you never know when you might inspire another spirit!

Recently, we were asked to make a collection of custom hair ties to celebrate a very special 4^th birthday for a little girl named Ellie. Like many girls her age, Ellie has a love for all things princesses and mermaids, and so her super creative momma Melissa from Petite Littles Everyday put together the absolute cutest mermaid-themed celebration for her.

Looking for some inspiration for the little mermaid in your life? Let us show you how Melissa put it all together, and created the most wonderful afternoon of memories for Ellie and her friends!

Swimming in Décor

As I written about before, “less is more” when it comes to birthday party décor these days. While you may remember gigantic, shiny banners and streamers galore from your own childhood birthdays, nowadays it’s all about subtle touches to set off the theme.

In Melissa’s case, she opted for several themed banners that were both elegant and whimsical, but without being overbearing. On the mantle, simple sticky-backed hooks were used to hang a colorful string of stars and spheres, as well as a text banner with “let’s be mermaids” written out in script between two shells. Super cute, and super easy to hang!

To continue the theme, Melissa decorated their long white dining table with an assortment of shells, gumballs, pearls, flowers, and confetti. All of this created the perfect piecemeal runner that really amplified the mermaid theme.

Bold white cake stands were added to display treats, as well as provide some additional depth and visual interest to the look. All together, these super subtle décor pieces set the tone for the perfect day of fun under the sea! 

Tiny Table Settings

To add to the wow factor for the guests as they arrived, Melissa opted to do individual table settings for each of Ellie’s little friends that had RSVP’d to the party.

Seashell plates and napkins were of course perfectly on theme, and were accented with pearl necklaces and shell sugar cookies.

We were so happy to see our custom hair ties incorporated right into these settings as well. Each set included two ties – one with little printed mermaids, and the other with a plain accent color – as well as a custom message: Mermaid Hair, don’t care! Thanks for splashing by Ellie’s birthday!

From what Melissa shared with us, it sounded like the ties were quite hit. In her own words:

“I especially love the customized hair elastics because kids can actually use them afterwards for their hair or a cute bracelet. My girls love them and they're extra adorable when you can customize them to your party theme.”

Sea Snacks

Like all good birthday parties, there was no shortage of tasty treats for the kids. Melissa found a recipe for a super cute mermaid party mix that she recreated with kettle corn popcorn, fishy crackers and pastel gumballs. Placed inside a large glass jar, it was one more piece of fun (and edible) décor!

In lieu of a cake, Melissa opted for cupcakes from a local baker. The kids all thought that these mermaid cupcakes were super tasty, and of course they fit the theme perfectly. The birthday girl Ellie just loved them as soon as she saw them, and couldn't believe how special they looked.

Before all the sweet treats, Melissa served a kid-friendly mix of mini croissant turkey and cheese sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, watermelon, fruit salad, popcorn, chips and veggies. By keeping the food really simple and easy to grab and eat, it made it a lot easier to ensure the kids had some hearty nutrition in the midst of running around playing princess games. And as an added bonus for our party host, almost all the prep on these items was completed the night before – a huge win for any mom that’s ever hosted a birthday party at home!

Sunken Treasure

At the end of the day, each little guest got to take home a shell bag filled with some mermaid goodies. The treasures inside included a shell sugar cookie, mermaid candy stick, seashell candy necklace, shell notebooks, stretchy pearl necklaces and erasers. And of course, our custom mermaid hair ties went in everyone’s bag as well, ensuring each guest (and their parents) had a fun little memento to remember the party.

Another Year of Birthday Fun

Birthday girl Ellie felt so loved by the end of the party, both by her friends and her incredibly creative mom. We are so thrilled to have played a part in the special day, and cannot thank Melissa enough for sharing all these wonderful photos and tips for creating the perfect mermaid themed birthday party at home!

Happy Birthday Ellie!!

PARTY DETAILS

Mermaid Banner teeny wish
Shell Napkins teeny wish
Confetti teeny wish
Shell Candy Necklaces teeny wish
Mermaid Candy Sticks teeny wish
Shell Goody Bags teeny wish
Felt Mermaid Banner elizabeth & lo
Pearl Necklaces - Target party section
Mermaid Hair Elastic Sets plum polkadot
Shell Plates - Daiso
Mermaid Cupcakes sheas sweet shoppe
Shell Sugar Cookies sheas sweet shoppe
Shells - Michaels 
Gumball Pearls - Dollar Store
Lavender Dresses - H&M
Necklaces coral and cloud
Shell Hair Clips giddyup and grow

I wanted to take a moment and share with you a few things that could help make these upcoming parties a little less stressful in the planning department. At the bottom I include how you can get your hands on a FREE party printable, just print out and start filling out and in no time at all, you will be a party master! 

Want to get your hands on the freebie now? No worries, follow this link to subscribe to our email list, and we will get it to you ASAP!

Throwing parties doesn't have to be a long dreadful stressed out task. 

Start with the fun inspirational part, and work your way through the checklist and in no time your party will be planned out! 

I always start with a theme. I use Pinterest for this. Knowing the guest of honor you can easily pick out a party theme and find inspiration.

Whether it be a bridal shower full of flowers or a unicorn birthday party filled with magical touches, Pinterest is a great inspirational source and even a great party decor source, and hellooo to the PERFECT party favors as well. ;) 

Create a board around your theme and pin away! Have fun with it, invite your friends to the Pinterest board and enjoy all the planning and details. 

When it gets closer to the event, use your printable and Pinterest board to start tackling the list item by item. 

- Make sure your invites are sent

- Make sure you have your food/desserts all planned out

- Decide on the games/activities/favors you will want

As it gets to be a few days closer to the big event, you can start getting the errands done and all the groceries needed, and make sure you bring your printable list with you! 

When the big day arrives, make sure you have your printable with you and get all your ducks in a row. Set up everything according to your decor, notes, activities, etc. Ask for help when you can and tackle things as they come. 

THE BIGGEST THING YOU WILL HAVE TO CHECK OFF YOUR LIST, AND PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT IS...TO HAVE A GOOD TIME! 

Take way too many photos and enjoy every last second of your big event with your friends and loved ones. 

I sure hope that this printable brings some ease into your party planning routine. To get access to the free printable click here. 

Let me know in the comments below what your favorite part of party planning is! What do you find the most challenging? 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Pop the champagne…wedding season is officially here!

With another new year of weddings, it’s time for brides-to-be everywhere to keep an eye out for the latest and greatest wedding trends. With our thumb always firmly on the pulse of all things weddings, Plum Polka Dot has compiled a list of the Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2019.

If you’re planning your own wedding for this year, here’s a chance to add a few unique last-minute touches. And for those planning nuptials for 2020 and beyond, a chance to get a jump on some great ideas that’ll really set you wedding apart.

Ready to get started? Then let’s say “I Do” to 2019’s best wedding trends:


1. Non-Traditional Bridesmaid Dresses
Gone are the days of uniform, ill-fitting bridesmaids dresses. Nothing is worse than looking and feeling uncomfortable, and decades of weddings photos can confirm that taking a one-size-fits-all approach to bridesmaids is not the best idea.

Thankfully, one of the hottest trends in weddings right now is a letting your bridesmaids chose from a variety of dresses, with each one looking a little different, and picking something that’s flattering to their own shape and style. If you still want a uniform look, brides can pre-select a few styles in the same color to ensure that there is some consistency. However, for those bold brides looking to really rock this trend, selecting a wider color pallet and allowing your ladies to choose from within can really lead to a fun, beautiful look at the altar.

2. Mixed Bridal Parties
Speaking of bridesmaids, another hot trend right now is mixing bridal parties. Usually brothers, cousins, and close male friends of the bride would end up standing in on the groom’s side, even if they were not particularly close. The same would go for any females in the groom’s life.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way anymore, as mixed bridal parties have become all the rage. Why not go for an even split of men and women on each side? It’s important to remember that this is your special day, so have whichever special people you like right by your side, tradition be damned!


3. Embracing Food & Wine
With the growth of the Food Network and Netflix cooking shows, there is no shortage of aspiring foodies in the world. If you and your significant other fall into this category, why not embrace it at your wedding?

Instead of a generic cocktail hour, show off your foodie side with a wine and cheese pairing instead. And for dinner, look into caterers willing to do small shared plates, allowing them to show off their expertise, and allowing guests a change of pace from the traditional dried-out chicken dish they’re used to at weddings.

4. Personalized Welcome Gifts & Wedding Favors
One area that brides and grooms have chosen to really step up their game is welcome bags and wedding favors. Out are the generic gifts and favors that have no meaning. Instead, couples are opting to take a more personalized route, including special meaningful items, handwritten notes, and customized wedding favors. You can find our favorite picks here.

Couples want their guests to walk away with something that’s truly special to them, and that can be used, enjoyed, and remembered for a lifetime.

5. No More “Showy” Displays
Another wedding trend that’s decidedly out right now is overly flashy, unnecessary displays. Unfortunately, weddings can sometimes become a means to show off wealth. While this was celebrated for a while (think fancy swans and doves, crystal chandeliers and centerpieces, etc.), couples have begun shifting more towards subdued, minimalist décor and venue treatments.

The name of the game in weddings right now is look, feel, and vibe. An interesting centerpiece is an interesting centerpiece, no matter if it cost $20 or $2,000!

6. Focusing on Guest Experience
While weddings have always been known as the “Bride’s Day”, 2019 trends show brides and grooms leaning into building more of an “experience” with their wedding, as opposed to having it be all about the couple.

While there is no hard or fast rule as to how to accomplish this, the best method involves putting yourself in the shoes of a typical guest, and thinking about the course of their day. Where do they arrive? How are they greeted? Are they comfortable? What can you do to make the day special for them?

The more you think about the overall guest experience, the more likely they are to have a wonderful time. And this happy energy will work its way back to the happy couple, so that everyone wins!

7. Large Floral Installations
Not surprisingly, a lot of hot trends are drawing inspiration from last year’s Royal Wedding. One such trend is large floral installations. At the entrance of St. George’s Chapel, the 2018 nuptials of Harry and Meaghan feature a large floral arch, brimming with beautiful whites and greens.

Whether it’s at the entrance to your venue or at the alter itself, a floral statement piece can really set you wedding apart, and serve as the perfect “not so little” touch that guests remember forever.

8. Ceremonies in the Round
While centuries of tradition have had the bride and the groom married at the altar with rows of guests behind them, with alternative, non-church weddings growing in popularity, why not change things up a bit?

If your venue allows, a wedding in the round is a unique twist on the traditional ceremony. Giving guests a 360-degree view not only makes it more intimate, but it makes the ceremony much more memorable.


9. Get Social!
Social media has integrated itself into nearly every aspect of our lives. So it should come as no surprise that one of the hottest trends that keeps getting hotter is finding ways to (tastefully) incorporate social media into your wedding.

The most obvious starting point would be creating a cute hashtag for guests to use. A unique hashtag ensures you’ll be able to search for everyone’s posts long after the last glass of champagne has been poured, giving you a chance to relive the night through the memories of your guests.

Once a hashtag has been selected, you’ll want to be sure it’s distributed for guests to see. Custom cocktail napkins, cute framed signs at the bar, printing it directly on the program – there are plenty of options to choose from to get the word out, so be sure to find one that fits within the theme and style of your wedding.

Another trendy way to leverage social media is by utilizing a “live social wall”. Displays can be set up around the venue, and utilizing simple software you can find online, every guest social media post that features your custom wedding hashtag will get published to the display in real time. You can literally watch your party trend right before your eyes!

10. Statement Lighting
While there will always be a place for classic uplighting at weddings, another hot trend for 2019 is statement lighting pieces.

From Chinese Lanterns to Turkish Lamps, finding a collection of unique, colorful lighting to line your aisle or dot your head table can really set off your décor, and serve the perfect textured “extra” in those wedding photos and guest ‘grams.



Nothing is more important in a wedding than having it be personal and meaningful to the couple. While we hope these 2019 wedding trends can inspire you, remember that the main inspiration you need comes from within. Plan you special day the way you want it to be enjoyed and remembered. Because when all is said and done, it’s going to be one of the most important and magical days of your life, so its best done to your vision!

L.O.L. Surprise dolls have captured the hearts of little girls everywhere, including that of my own daughter. A series of collectible dolls and accessories with fun names, themes, costumes, and glitter… it’s no surprise (pun fully intended)!

At first, when my little girl asked that her 6th birthday party be L.O.L. Surprise themed, I wasn’t quite ready for it. You should have seen the look on Julia’s face when I told her that a L.O.L Surprise themed birthday party was not on brand! Like any mom would do, I immediately hit the internet, determined to see what I could find. As I searched through all the branded L.O.L Surprise birthday décor, I was not quite sold on any of them. Then, a thought popped into my head! “What if I go another, more customized route…?” I knew that I could create a magical party that would be totally unique and personal while giving Julia what she wanted for her birthday, without having to resort to “out of the box themes”.

I rolled up my sleeves and got to work on putting together Julia’s very own L.O.L Surprise birthday party! Here’s how I did it…

Dessert

The most important part of any birthday party is dessert, right? I knew that the cake was going to be the centrepiece of the party so reached out to one of my favourite local cake and cookie designers, Shea’s Sweet Shoppe, to see if she could bring my vision to life... and she did not disappoint! With a lavender base, pink dripped icing, macaroons and sprinkles, it was absolute cuteness overload and exactly what I was looking for!

Those fun L.O.L Surprise cookies? The cookie magic makers at Shea’s created these as well. Not only were they cute but also amazingly delicious!

Both the cake and cookies were totally insta-worthy (not to mention on brand), plus my daughter and her friends went bananas over it all.

Décor

For the décor, I went to local party purveyors Paper & Parties, as I knew that the event styling associates there were going to come up with something really special for this theme. With L.O.L. Surprise character Kitty Queen being my daughter’s favorite character, I picked some gorgeous cat themed options to tie it all together - I knew this would be the purr-fect way complete this elegant L.O.L Surprise theme party!

We spelled out “Meow” on the wall with glittery letters, and they even created a custom kitty ballon complete with whiskers and ears! IT WAS SO PURR-FECT! Finishing touches were added with the kitty cat napkins, and I have to say I was feeling so good about the result. I loved how these decorations combined to create a truly lovely L.O.L Surprise theme birthday party that was a huge hit with all the party guests!

Party Favors

A purr-fect way to thank your party guests? Party favors of course! Thankfully, that’s my area of expertise and I was able to take advantage of the custom birthday party favors we have here at Plum Polka Dot! I decided to create customized meow-themed hair tie sets for all the guests to take home! The girls (and their moms) absolutely loved them! And of course, my daughter kept a couple sets for herself as a reminder of her amazing day created with love by mom.

In the end, the L.O.L. Surprise themed birthday went off without a hitch. While it took a little more time to plan and prep, everyone very much enjoyed the unique, custom feel of this party, and my elegant take on this popular theme. And as any mom knows, seeing that sparkle of joy in your daughter’s eyes made it all totally worth it!

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Sources:
Cake and Cookies: Shea's Sweet Shoppe
Party Decor: Paper and Parties
Party Favors: Plum Polka Dot