The arrival of fall may have a different effect on your psyche depending on your personality. For some people, it’s the most colorful, picturesque, and exciting part of the year, while it has the opposite effect for others. Others find it depressing, cold, and muddy, which is soon reflected in their mood. Still, it’s a part of our lifecycle, and it is in our best interest to try and get the most out of it.
A month and a half into the fall, we usually have a huge Halloween party, but why wait this long? Why not make an early theme party in order to get everyone going? You can use this as an opportunity to gather friends, neighbors, and relatives. This way, you can help people make new friends, have some fun, and form fun memories involving both you and fall.
Still, even with proper motivation, throwing a theme party is far from easy. Luckily, you can easily find an idea to borrow or modify with just a bit of research. With that in mind and without further ado, here are several ideas to help you get going.
Pumpkins and Scarecrows
Fall is the season of the harvest. As such, pumpkins, scarecrows, and hay are generally considered to be a great fit for a fall-themed party. Now, carved pumpkins are usually something associated with Halloween, but a regular pumpkin patch simply spells fall.
While you could carve up a pumpkin in whatever way you can pull off, you need to remember that Jack-o’-lanterns are not your only option. There are so many incredible ways for you to decorate a pumpkin even without carving it. This can be quite handy when you want to get the kids in on the decoration. First, you don’t have to distribute carving knives amongst them. Second, you don’t have to worry about having pumpkin guts all over the place.
Again, if you’re throwing a kid’s party or you have a group of friends enamored with J.K. Rowling’s masterpiece, this idea can quickly grow into a full-scaled Quidditch tournament.
Lastly, you can also take a different turn and go to a country life fair instead. This is one of those party themes that work well both indoors and outdoors. Moreover, it’s something that you can probably pull off successfully regardless of your demographic.
Glitter and Gold
While the golden color is always a hit, during fall, it’s just a perfect match. The rest of the fall foliage goes along splendidly, which is why you might want to start organizing with glitter and gold as your core idea. Keep in mind that setting is everything, which is why your first task should be selecting the right private event venue. Once you have what you’re looking for, you need to start looking for perfect decoration opportunities.
Finding professionals to decorate the place is fairly easy. Once you have the right partners, all you have to do is tell them to glam the place up, and the chances are that you’ll get the exact effect that you were looking for. With just a bit of gold spray paint, some gold-colored confetti in balloons, and glitter (lots and lots of glitter), the place will be ready for your guests.
As far as the dress code goes, just make sure that you stress out that you’re aiming for full-glamour. As far as the beverages go, cocktails, vermouth, and champagne are your go-to in this particular setting. Still, this is not a hard rule that you absolutely must follow.
Cider Tasting Party
If there’s one drink that embodies the spirit of fall the most, it would definitely be cider. So, how do you organize a cider-tasting?
First of all, it’s usually a good idea to keep your guest list fairly small. You see, not everyone will appreciate the idea, and not everyone will put the cider-tasting aspect of the party first. The last thing you want is for these few rotten apples (pun intended) to spoil the barrel.
Second, you need to buy quite a variety of ciders, so that the people have a full tasting experience. Keep in mind that decoration-wise, the tasting station should be the centerpiece. It’s a focal point, and you need to spread it so that as many of your guests as possible can stand behind it at one time.
Also, this is a themed event, but it also has a set activity as a core. So, provide guests with tools that will allow them to take notes of all these ciders. Keep the music down so that they can focus on the task at hand.
Lastly, while it may have this type of vibe, this is still not a formal event. It’s a party and, as such, you need to make sure people have fun. So, crack a couple more ciders as you’re done.
Oktoberfest
Let’s say that you find Oktoberfest to be one of the most interesting events hosted. Both 2020 and 2021 Oktoberfest was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, why not host your own, smaller, safer replica of Oktoberfest yourself?
There are two things you need to use as your starting point. First, you need to think of the beer. Even with the event canceled, the chances are that you’ll be able to find a lot of Oktoberfest-style beers in your local grocery or liquor store. Keep in mind that Oktoberfest is a worldwide phenomenon, which is why around the actual date of the event, chances of finding the right brew increase drastically.
Another thing you need to think about is the food. The Bavarian pretzel, sausages (especially Bratwurst), German potato salad, and apple strudel are a must.
In order to further enhance the theme, you should insist on stylized clothing and decorate the place like the real Oktoberfest. It shouldn’t be too hard to find enough examples and ideas online.
Hot Air Balloon Adventure
Going for a hot air balloon theme is quite an interesting concept. It will require a lot of work and be a proper challenge for your organizational skills. One of the ideas that could further inspire you is the hot air balloon festival in Cappadocia, Turkey. Using smaller balloons with hanging baskets to mimic this idea would be great.
One thing worth keeping in mind is that this is one of the best wedding ideas for traveling couples. Sure, it means having a smaller wedding ceremony and giving up some other ideas, but it is really worth it in terms of uniqueness and romantic scenery.
Fortunately, you don’t have to go to Cappadocia in order to hire a hot air balloon. If you’re throwing a party for just a couple of people, hiring a real air balloon is one of the most creative, adventurous, and unique ideas that you could ever come up with. However, why is the early fall the best for this type of adventure? First of all, the weather is still fairly moderate. Second, you get to enjoy the amazing scenery. Third, there is a change in atmosphere, which comes with cool, crisp weather.
In Conclusion
In the end, your organizational abilities, your guest list, and your own mindset matter more than any theme. However, having a theme can make things more fun, more challenging (for your own creativity), and increase the immersion of the attendees. While none of the above-listed ideas is exclusive to fall, they fit thematically, which is why they will simply feel right to your guests, as well. Now, you at least have a starting point or an idea to inspire you.
About The Author
Stacey is a freelance writer living in Minnesota with her cat, and she’s passionate about yoga, languages, home improvement, and drinking strong coffee. Find her on Twitter @StaceyShann0n