How to Create a Halloween Theme Buffet Table

The menu for your Halloween party includes frighteningly fabulous foods that deserved to be shown off. Creating a Halloween-themed buffet table for your party will highlight the food and be the centerpiece of the festivities. In just a few simple steps, you can have a great tablescape to celebrate the holiday. You should set up and decorate your table two or three days before the party. Then, if you need to make adjustments, you have plenty of time to do so.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Orange and black streamers
• 6-foot long table
• 8-foot length of black cloth, linen
• 2 (54-inch) rectangular orange tablecloths
• Servingware, dishes and flatware
• Napkins
• 2-foot centerpiece
• 2 smaller pieces
• 5 or 6 decorative items
• Electric candles or small table lamps

1. Decide where you want to set up the buffet table. It should be in an easily accessible area that allows for an organized flow of traffic. You want guests to move from one end of the table to the other and then on to the dining area. This setting works best if you’re able to place the table against a wall.

2. Before you set up the table, you need to create a backdrop. Using black and orange streamers, fashion a curtain. Do this by hanging strips of streamers vertically from the ceiling to where the tabletop will meet the wall. Hang the streamers as close together as possible, alternating the colors. You can twist each streamer and secure it with tape at the bottom or your can let them hang freely. The backdrop should be 6 to 6 1/2 feet across. This defines the buffet area.

3. Set up the table and roll out one 8-foot length of black fabric. Using double-sided tape, tape one side of the length to the back end of the table, the one toward the wall. This creates a 5- to 6-inch drop in front, assuming your table has a 30-inch depth. You should have about a 12-inch drop to each side. At each of the front corners, tuck the cloth to make a kind of pinch pleat and secure this with two or three stitches.

4. Place the two orange tablecloths on the diagonal on the table, overlapping them. This will create two diamond points against the front drop and the side drops. Tuck the far sides of the orange cloths between the table and the wall. Secure them with tape if necessary.

5. Pull out the servingware, dishes and flatware you intend to use for the party. Your servingware should be white or white with a black and orange pattern. Wrap individual flatware sets (knife, fork, spoon) in napkins and tie them with black and orange ribbons. Lay an oval serving platter on the right end of the table, near the front, and place the flatware bundles on the platter. Lay out your servingware the way it will be for the party. Dinner plates should be directly above the flatware. Moving to the left, lay out salad servers, then the main course, followed by any side dishes. If serving sandwiches, the bread should be before the sandwich fillings. Any sauces should follow the main course, but be placed before the side dishes.

6. It’s important to arrange the servingware because you don’t want to decorate the table only to discover you have to rearrange everything in order to put out the food. You also want to be certain a 6-foot table will accommodate your party. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to add another table if necessary before the day of the party. As you arrange your servingware, keep it closer to the front. Your decorative items will be toward the back.

7. Now that the servingware is in place, you can decorate. The centerpiece for the table should reflect not only Halloween, but also the tone of the gathering. For example, if it is an all-adult party, a ceramic figure of a sexy witch may be appropriate. For a family oriented or child-oriented party, a figure of Frankenstein’s monster or a ghost would be great. Whatever you decide on, the centerpiece should be 1 1/2 to 2 feet high. It should be centered, but placed at the back of the table. You don’t want people to have to reach around it to get to the food.

8. Keeping in tone with the centerpiece, choose two smaller pieces to go to either side of the centerpiece. For example, if you chose a ghost carved from wood and painted, you could flank this with small wood gravestones. These should be about half the height of the centerpiece and be free standing pieces. Continuing with this idea, you could then create grave markers and place them intermittently around the tabletop. Secure them with double sided tape. These would lie flat, so your guests can these markers. For example, if you are serving ham sandwiches, the marker near the platter could read, “Here lies Ham Sandwich. He made a pig of himself.”

9. The trick is to build a theme for the table based around your centerpiece. Keep the centerpiece and two flanking pieces toward the back and then place any smaller items across the table, intermingled with the servingware.

10. To illuminate the table, use electric candles or small lamps with orange and black lampshades. Place these to either side of the centerpiece and the sidepieces. These should be no taller than the two flanking sidepieces.

11. These few simple tricks will allow you to create a beautiful Halloween theme buffet table for your party. Remember, once the food is served, clear the serving dishes and set out the dessert dishes and coffee urns. You needn’t rearrange anything to serve the final course.