“There has to be DEATH!”
A snapshot into how Michael and I came to be: Michael was hosting a Greats Gadsby Halloween party one year and, in an attempt to get to know me better, he invited me to be one of the characters! This was the first time we would “hang out” together. What we came to realize is that neither of us do parties or costumes half way. It is all in! Once we started dating, I threw him a Vintage Circus Party (more details on that to come). And now as an official couple, our signature Halloween party has become THE event! The first Halloween party we would throw together set the standard for all parties to come and started with one simple idea: “There HAS TO BE death!”
Those five little words launched our Haunted Pirate Halloween Party and began a tradition that’s near and dear to our hearts!
Here’s how we pulled it off:
The Game: Throughout the evening our guests will stumble on “The Black Spot”. Once they find a Black Spot they will have to come up with their own way to act out their death. With the size of our guests list we were worried that over the course of a couple hours people wouldn’t actually find all the black spots so some were hidden but some were also “handed out”: Every 15 minutes, at the sound of a cannon, everyone has to draw pieces of parchment from a box. Inside is one Black Spot and enough blanks for everyone to draw. This insured someone would “die” every 15 minutes. We went on honor system, but it was explained that once a black spot was drawn you really should die before the next cannon sounded. Our crew got so creative with this! There were duals, there was a strangling, someone choked to death on their meal, people dropping dead everywhere! At one point, a guest snuck outside and let out a blood curdling scream as she was “killed” in the dark backyard! Once “dead”, the guest will paint their face as a skeleton so we soon have a room full of skeleton pirates! Whoever was the last alive is the winner of the treasure chest!
Because the game would take some time, that lead to the structure of our evening. Seemed fitting that as we’re socializing and “dying” we should all sit together for a pirates feast which brings us to… THE FOOD
The Food:
Pirates don’t exactly have the most extravagant pallet. Dinner itself was meant to feel primal and rough. For a dramatic effect the star of the meal was a full roasted chicken for each couple, served intact with a knife roughly skewered into the breast. This is quite a reveal when served! For sides, thinking rough and rustic, I served up root vegetables and potatoes, roasted until just crispy in a Dejon mustard for flavor and great coloring. I also did a big green salad with walnuts and goat cheese. This is not particularly pirate-y but the addition of pomegranate seeds adds a pop of moody red color to the table.
Pirate-y Starters:
For the appetizer I made a Pomegranate Brie Crostini inspired by this post which again brought that moody red color while not holding back at all on flavor. This was served beside a massive charcuterie built on an antique silver tray that was obviously pillaged during a recent pirate raid. I hit the jackpot while shopping when I found “moon drop grapes” which I had never heard of before but look SUPER creepy! Lots of meats and cheeses also feed into that “primal pirate food” feel.
The usual fleet of beverages were offered alongside a signature cocktail, obviously a rum drink, served with dried blood orange slices!
The Décor: When I imagine a pirates feast I think of cold, dark, candle lit rooms with a mixture of rough primal foods but over the top decadent table settings. So breads, potatoes, root vegetables but served in a bowl that a pirate would have pillaged at some point in time. We do a ton of antiquing for these parties! We found some fantastic pieces! Silver trays, serving bowls, goblets, etc bring our serving ware up to pirate standards.
To achieve a moody look, fill the space with candelabras and candlesticks! I used a combination of real candles and fake LED candles so that every surface of the house is lit up. To darken the space, drape several semi-sheer panels of black fabrics over all the walls with some fish netting mixed in to add texture. For our party we included several pops of red as our only color. From a thrift store I found a couple great deep-red table cloths that, when draped over our fake crates, add a great touch.
Because we’re talking dead pirates, we include a lot of skeletal pieces: miscellaneous bones and skulls throughout the space, a few rat skeletons, a skeletal hand reaching out from a corner. When lit only by candle light this had a great dramatic effect. There were also gold coins and other miscellaneous pieces of treasure here and there picking up candle light.
All in all, a perfect pirate party really comes down to the engagement of your guests! The game held a lot of space for creativity and thankfully our group rose to the challenge! They all had a different “death” scene, they all brought their personality with their costumes and their style of skeleton face paint, and we all spent an evening laughing and smiling while sharing a meal and a dramatic Halloween game.
