Start planning an epic Halloween party with these tips from a celebrity party planner
Edward Perotti is who celebrities including Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas call when they want to throw an epic party.
Perotti has been in event production for more than 28 years, planning celebrity parties and weddings, including more than 2,000 events around the world last year alone.
"I'm in the business of people, my job is to bring people together," Perotti told "Good Morning America."
Now that it's officially Halloween season, Perotti is sharing his advice on how to throw a picture-perfect Halloween party.
When it comes to the Halloween parties this year he says people are keeping their parties on the fun side instead of scary, "people aren't really going for dark, they're not going overly spooky."
Here, Perotti shares his his recommendations for how to have an epic party this Halloween.
1. Start with your table
I always start with my table.
When starting to plan your party, start with your table and decor, and work your way out.
When you look at the bigger picture, it gets very overwhelming.
Look at your table, create your table idea, and then look out at your house and find things that tie in.
2. Use fake pumpkins
Use craft pumpkins instead of the real thing. Craft pumpkins can be painted to go with whatever theme you want for your party.
The best part is you can paint them ahead of time so you don't feel overwhelmed -- and you can reuse them year after year, so you'll only need to buy them once. It's a better investment to buy a slew of different-sized, fake pumpkins and repaint them every year.
If you are using real pumpkins, don't carve them so they last longer.
3. Avoid going store-bought and don't duplicate
When it comes to hosting the best party, you want some personality behind it. I want to know who the host is, what the reason is for the party.
If you buy everything from the store, it's generic and there's no host personality in it. You can buy some things from the party store, but it's best to put your own unique spin on the party and use decorations that no one else will have.
If there were no party stores, what would you do? What speaks to the kids? What speaks to you? And then just kind of play with it.
Take a step back, make a cup of coffee, pour a glass of wine, and just think what can you do.
Halloween and Christmas have become the most duplicated design ideas by people.
It's good to get inspiration online, but when you try and recreate something exactly, it never works out. In 28 years, I've never done the same event twice.
Find what you like about the picture or design. Take it and make it your own.
4. Make a branded photo area
If you're doing the photo booth, check in to see whether or not you can control the background. Can you brand it?
You want to give your guests a moment to remember. Pre-print a hashtag or props for the photos.
