My love for Halloween sparked the idea of holding a funeral-themed 30th birthday party. Of course I had to have a photoshoot to accompany the them. Once I received the pictures I printed them out and put in black scroll paper frames and hung them on the walls during the party.

A local photographer took the photos in an old cemetery and brought these cool balloons and smoke bombs. Some may not agree with it, but I though it was a pretty fun experience!

The food:

There was a typical charcuterie board that had a lot of dark colors on it. It was fun to make and incorporate a spooky feel to it. I had a small skull jar that I used to put fig jam in.

I had a loaded fry bar, which had fun names such as:

Scattered Remains: waffle fries or tots, chopped hot dogs, Coney Island meat sauce, onions, and mustard

Fowl Play: Waffle fries or tots, popcorn chicken, mozzarella & parmesan cheese, and marinara sauce

Lump-Sum Death Benefit: Sweet potato fries, cinnamon honey butter, whipped cream and caramel sauce

Immediate Burial: Waffle fries or tots, brown gravy, and shredded cheese

I printed out the names of the fries and its topping then placed it in a frame. Of course guests could have whatever they’d like, but it was a fun way to try some new flavors, plus I saw an opportunity to inject my funeral-themed party touch!

Of course we needed a specialty drink, which I love to offer at every event. It makes it a little more personal, and gives you another opportunity to reflect your theme in the spread. This drink was called Embalming Fluid, and included Midori to make it the color green.

Atmosphere: Other than food, I like providing activities if people want to engage in. I provided tarot cards and instructions on how to use if people want curious and wanted to dabble in that.

I have a smoke machine that I bought from Amazon and it adds a great effect to the atmosphere. It has a timer so it would routinely go off and fill the house and porch with smoke. As you can see in the above picture, I had blue and blacklights in my home. What I did was replace the lightbulbs in the ceiling and table lights. These small details really sets the mood once guests arrive!

Attire: To really incorporate the feel of a funeral, I asked that all guests dress in black. This was fun to see as everyone moved around the apartment in black costumes and attire.

I love using Evite to send out invitations, however for my 30th, I decided to send out paper invitations. I created them using Canva, printed and cut them on my own which did save me some money, then mailed them! Invitations can also set the theme for a party nicely.

All in all, it was a great night with family and friends! To date, I am still enjoying life and have decided my 30s isn’t that bad afterall.