A Kid-Friendly Halloween Party That Celebrates the Sweetness of Treats and Candy

If you close your eyes and envision the Halloween of your childhood, you'll likely picture a flurry of costumes, a dash of decorations, and candy—lots and lots of candy. As the sweetest aspect of the holiday, that image of your trick-or-treater's tote filled to the brim is likely your fondest memory of the holiday. That childlike wonderment was brought to life at a candy-themed Halloween party designed by Royale Ziegler of But First, Party! and hosted with help by blogger Celeste Wright. The saccharine fête also featured plenty of partyware from Daydream Society.

"Daydream Society's playful and modern partyware, specifically their new Hocus Pocus collection, served as the inspiration for this Halloween party," Ziegler says. "The fun and quirky illustrations, such as the cat, bat, and eyeballs also played with classic Halloween imagery, but felt very now."

With its supernaturally-cute desserts, googly eyes, and creatures galore, the party had a tried-and-true Halloween feel while showing off modern elements such as a fresh floral arrangement and pastel touches. "I wanted to keep the vibe of the party very clean and simple, as the print on the partyware has so many fun things going on," Ziegler adds.

Even though this party seems to be made up of only sweetness and light, there are color pops that nod to the "dark" side of Halloween through black and purple hues. "The non-traditional bright orange and purple palette felt appropriate for Halloween but still new and slightly unexpected," Ziegler says.

This spooky celebration was held at Oh Shiny Paper Co., one of Ziegler's favorite places to throw a party. They also provided the oversized balloons outfitted with festive tassels that add a fanciful look to the décor. Reflecting on the venue, Ziegler says, "It is so bright and there is so much open space for décor moments like the balloons and tassels."

A floral arrangement created by Barrett Prendergast of Valleybrink Road takes center stage amid the trappings for a perfect party. The classic Halloween hues of orange and purple were represented through roses, marigolds, lavender, orange ball buddlejas, spray roses, and ranunculus flowers. The bouquet also pulled in the colors of the confetti and tableware.

No Halloween party is really complete without at least a few pumpkins. The mini pumpkins pictured here were decorated in the easiest way possible—with temporary tattoos made by Daydream Society. "The temporary tattoos were the perfect party favor and party DIY!" Ziegler gushes. "Pop them on mini white pumpkins with a bit of water and a cotton ball and you have custom table decorations."

Any kid would squeal with delight at this Halloween tablescape: brain-shaped cupcakes and a full platter brimming with sweet black cats, ghosts, and bones. Simple décor like shadowy spiders, festive confetti, and mini pumpkins added seasonal flair to the table while keeping things clear for little hands reaching for sweets.

At this bash, it's all treats and no tricks! To set a Halloween scene (and provide yummy eats for party guests), Ziegler turned to nearby sugar connoisseurs to provide the deadly-delicious desserts. Josephine Los Angeles crafted the cake, cupcakes, and meringues while Starbakes whipped up the frosted cookies.

How's this for a twist on a charcuterie board? Ziegler says that for this party, she created a "charcuter-treat" board, saying, "I layered royal icing cookies, monster meringues and bones, strawberry-flavored brain cupcakes, and lots of candy for a board that was far from boring. I tried to use only Halloween candy such as gummy pumpkins, fangs and worms, sour skulls, candy corn, and ghost marshmallows."

Kids arrived in their Halloween best. Wright's daughter, four-year-old Lila, donned Halloween-perfect black witch's garb as she sampled one of the many cookies at the party.

If there's another sweet element to this party, it's definitely the "aww"-inspiring creatures showcased throughout the decorations. While black cats can be seen lurking among the treats, faux spine-chilling spiders skitter across the table and flapping bats adorn everything from the cookies to the temporary tattoos on little ones' hands. Ziegler's five-year-old son, Stellan, pictured here, added one on during the party.

Organic orange soda was the beverage of choice at the Halloween party, mirroring the other orange accents seen throughout the day: flowers, paper plates, balloons, and many of the Halloween delicacies. This gathering is also decidedly kid-friendly, with its pint-sized cups, plates, and straws. The pattern on the tableware is also sure to make any child grin.

This party goes to show that elaborate decorations aren't required to throw a Halloween soirée that's a scream. All you need is tableware in a wickedly-fun print, simple flatware, bits of confetti, and a few sparkling spiders which can be easily purchased at your local dollar store. It's alarmingly easy.

A witch and a ghost enjoy the party atmosphere. Ziegler shares how to recreate the look: "To make the jumbo eyeball balloons, we used three-foot white Qualatex latex balloons to start. We then freehand-painted the eyeballs using acrylic paint, starting with the colorful iris and then using black for the pupil. Lastly, we attached custom Oh Shiny Paper Co. tassel garlands to jumbo goldenrod balloons for some added pizzazz."

A spider and his googly-eyed friends top the cake for the party. Ziegler fills in the details on this arachnid-festooned masterpiece: "The Spider Cake was made of four layers of eight-inch Devil's Food Chocolate Cake and frosted with our classic chocolate frosting. Candy eyes were then added to the side of the cake for a cute and ghoulish effect. For the final touch, we topped the cake with baked orange and purple vanilla meringue rounds with candy eyes and plastic spider legs."

For the party, extra candy eye balls can serve as table décor, alongside cookies and patterned napkins. A color palette of black, orange, and purple continued to weave Halloween into the theme. The kids savored a wide variety of Halloween treats from gummies to candy corn, cookies to meringues, candy teeth and brain-shaped cupcakes, and everything in between.

Event planning, Royale Ziegler of But First, Party!

Photography, Billye Donya of Billye Donya Photography

Partyware, Daydream Society

Flowers, Barrett Prendergast of Valleybrink Road

Cake, cupcakes, and Meringues, Josephine Los Angeles

Cookies, Star Bakes

Venue, Balloons, and Tassels, Oh Shiny Paper Co.