How To Plan An Amazing Low Buy Summerween Party
I love the concept of Summerween! Beachy vibes plus cute and spooky? Yes, please!
But why are there so many cheap one-use products being pushed for this super fun trend that probably won't be a thing in two years?
It's astounding to me that even something as simple as Halloween in summer can be marketed. Everything you could possibly need has already been made, right? This feels like a poor excuse to spread more junk into the world.
Sure, if you love Halloween enough to get a spooky beach towel that you will use every summer for years to come, go for it. But you really don't need inflatable jack-o-lanterns for your pool or those "Hot Ghoul Summer" cocktail cups.
If you like Halloween so much that you want to celebrate it twice in one year, why not use the Halloween decorations you and your friends already have?
Want to push back at consumerism AND host a fantastic Summerween? You're in the right place!
It turns out Summerween is the perfect party theme when you are on a budget!
The average cost of a kid's birthday party in America is $314 with an average of 16 guests. That's $20 per person!
Our Summerween themed birthday party for our seven year old cost only $191 for 27 guests. That comes to $7/person! We even provided lunch in addition lots of treats.
I had so much fun putting this party together and my son said it was magical! And so I'd like to share with you how to plan a memorable, low-buy Summerween.
Here's the breakdown of our Summerween party at $191 for 27 people!
I spent $5 on decorations, specifically two of each orange and black paper streamers, and one roll of white paper. The white crepe paper was used to decorate a ghost piñata.
I wanted to forego party favors at first, but my son really wanted to give his friends something. So, I got spooky paper bags to fill with candy and Halloween stickers. These were $11 together.
I also bought some clear plastic cups for $6. My son and I drew jack-o-lantern faces on some of them for orange ice cream floats.
I like these better than buying pumpkin themed cups because I knew the extras could be saved for another event. And drawing the faces together gave us an opportunity to get excited about my son's upcoming birthday.
I paid $6 for compostable paper plates, and plastic spoons cost $2.
Shortly before the party I decided to pick up some parasol picks to make our ghost cupcakes feel more summery. These cost $5.
The rest of our party budget was used for food:
Pizza was $42 plus $3 for sliced cheese to make cutout ghosts.
Vanilla ice cream and orange soda cost $9.
Cake/cupcake ingredients were $52 because I used high quality. A large part of that was $20 of frozen peaches to freeze dry for the frosting!
Candy for the piñata and party favors cost $40.
Watermelon & pineapple were $10.
Everything else was stuff we already owned or borrowed from friends and family.
It was so fun to plan a big party for so little money. But this low buy type party requires a lot of DIY and planning ahead. Here's how to do it...
GATHER IDEAS
The fun thing about Summerween is that you can go all out without buying a lot of stuff.
Save ideas on Pinterest with abandon. Just save everything you like. Wait a few days, then look through your board with a notebook beside you. Write down what you specifically want to do and how you can substitute materials or whom you can ask about decorations.
Next, take your own Halloween decorations out. Look at them, handle them to spark ideas of how you can incorporate them into a Summerween theme.
Please don't try to copy and paste ideas as that will make you want to go buy things you don't already have.
Instead, take notes on how you can adapt these ideas to your own circumstances.
For example, I thought witch hats hanging from trees was super cute, but I didn't have or know someone who had any that would work. So, I asked my neighbor if I could borrow her little ghosts I see in her tree every October.
It turns out she couldn't find them so I made my own using only materials I had at home.
PLAN WELL IN ADVANCE
This kind of party planning simply cannot happen a week or two before the party. And it does take more effort than buying everything.
But I promise this really is the more fun approach. A focus on creating over consuming is truly good for the soul. It turns the party planning into an artistic process rather than a chore to rush through.
It will take time to ask around and for people to get back to you. So, start early, be willing to adjust your plans, and let yourself feel the excitement of not knowing exactly how it will turn out.
Two months before the party I made a ghost piñata over the course of several days. I did it super early mostly because I was excited but also because I didn't want to feel rushed right before the party.
BORROW BEFORE YOU BUY
The next step is to ask if you can borrow some items. The nice thing about doing Halloween in summer is that people aren't using their decorations at their own houses. They may even be flattered that you like their taste.
If you can't borrow or reimagine your decor you need to either adjust your plans or decide if that is something worth buying.
Consider whether you will ever use this item again: Can it also function as Halloween decor or is it a micro trend? Will you be hosting Summerween every year? Do you know someone who will definitely want to borrow or buy this item secondhand for their own Summerween bash?
If, after contemplating these questions, you find you can't go without this item be mindful while you shop. Think about quality, biodegradable materials, and resale value.
Now for the fun part!
HERE IS HOW I PLANNED MY PARTY
We decorated our two maple trees with streamers by throwing them like we were toilet papering. It was a fast and fun way to decorate!
We used one roll of both black and orange for each tree. I wouldn't have minded having a little more but it was still great.
I took this photo the night before the party while we were still throwing the streamers up. I wish I had gotten a better photo, but it looked really cool in person!
I made a dozen tree ghosts from household materials: paper ads in the mail, plastic grocery bags, an old bedsheet, string, and a black sharpie. Making them took about an hour and hanging them in the trees took 30 minutes or so.
I used sticky putty to create several swarms of bats on the house. I borrowed these little bats from my sister-in-law.
The kiddie pool was given to us by a neighbor. The kids had a blast going down the slide on our deck steps to splash into the pool.
We also used another pool that we already own and the water pump blasters we have for our annual paint fights.
I used my kids' pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets as decor and for throwing water at each other in the water fight. They were just as cute as those jack'o'lantern beach balls but the buckets are functional too.
Not pictured:
I also spread black spiderwebs that we already owned along the banisters of our deck. And borrowed foldable tables and chairs from a friend
This skeleton was borrowed from a neighbor, the jack'o'lantern decoration is my mom's, and the accessories are mine.
In hindsight, I wish I had draped my coral-colored polka dot towel over the chair and given these two cuties each a drink cup with a parasol pick.
This skeleton was borrowed from my mom. I used floral wire to attach him to the fence in our front yard so he could show guests where to enter.
My husband carved these fruit jack-o-lanterns!
The oranges and kiwis were leftover from a wedding I helped to cater.
Pizzas were $41.54 for five 10-inch pepperoni pizzas from Little Caesars. I thought guests would want more than that but it was plenty.
I recommend getting a head count of who would like pizza when they RSVP so you don't over buy.
The white cheddar cheese ghosts were created with a cookie cutter loaned by my mother-in-law
The skull and cake stand were borrowed from my parents.
The flowers were a gift, leftover from that same wedding.
Orange ice cream floats cost $9 for soda and ice cream, plus $6 for the cups.
I bought some cocktail umbrellas for $5 from Walmart to add a summer vibe to these homemade ghost cupcakes.
The cost of ingredients for the cake and cupcakes was $52. By my calculations this cake alone would be priced at about $150+ from a bakery.
It's enough for 30 people and made with a dense sour cream vanilla cake and peach Swiss meringue buttercream!
I made it by baking two bundt cakes and stacking them with buttercream between the layers. I filled the hole in the center with two cupcakes then covered the whole thing with a crumb coat.
After chilling it in the fridge for about 10 minutes I piped vertical ridges all around the cake then chilled it again. Then I used a spoon to smooth and blend the ridges and covered it in one last layer of buttercream.
I let it chill again and then continued smoothing it with a spoon and wet paper towel until it resembled a real pumpkin.
I cut facial features into the peach frosting and filled it with some mango buttercream. Then I placed a cupcake on top, covered it with green frosting, and piped some vines and leaves.
Ta da!
I was thrilled with how it turned out! More than one guest didn't realize it was a cake, but thought it was another decoration on the food table.
Most importantly, the taste was divine!
You can find both the cake and Swiss meringue buttercream recipes I used in this post:
I made this ghost pinata for $1! I bought one roll of white paper streamers and already had the rest of the materials.
I used cardboard, masking tape, twine to hang him up, Elmer's glue to attach the streamers, and cardstock for the face.
This video helped me with the process but, as mentioned, I used paper streamers instead of cutting strips of crepe paper.
It took me 6 hours to make this guy! But I am sure it would have taken only 3 hours if I hadn't unintentionally made him so big. He was only half full of candy and very heavy.
We filled these cute goodie bags ($5) with a little candy and some Halloween stickers ($6). I wish I had thought to add some glowsticks too since I already have them.
I bought $40 of candy at Walmart for the piñata and goodie bags because is it Halloween even in summer without candy?
$40 was a lot but we got good stuff like Trolley Brite Crawlers, Nerds gummy clusters, KitKats, and so on.
Last but not least, some of the best party ideas are free!
I invited guests to wear a swimsuit, costume, or both which made it all the more fun!
The final and one of the most important details is the music!
I made a playlist with all my kids' favorite Halloween songs which included spooky dance songs as well as tunes from Nightmare Before Christmas. The music at a party really sets the vibe!
It truly was a fantastic Summerween!
The peach flavored jack'o'lantern cake, the carved fruit, and the combination of the music and the water fight all gave the perfect Summerween vibe.
What do you want to incorporate into your Summerween party?
Share your thoughts with me in the comments!
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