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Spooktacular Tablescape: How to Decorate a Hauntingly Beautiful Halloween Table

Are you ready to spook up your home this Halloween? Create a hauntingly beautiful Halloween table that will give your guests a treat this year.

Now that it’s officially fall we can start prepping for spooky season.

Do you love Halloween?

I’ll be honest with you I don’t normally decorate much for Halloween now that my kids are grown.

I did hang witch hats from my porch ceiling and added some lights a few years ago.

Oh, and I styled a tiered tray that was super cute for the holiday.

But that’s as creative as I get lately when it comes to Halloween decorating.

I know I’m kinda boring! LOL

Anne is the one who loves Halloween and used to throw an epic party every year where she’d decorate every corner of her home with cobwebs.

Check out these cool and creepy decorating ideas she shared!

When we decided to choose a Halloween theme for our supper club this month I was a bit intrigued.

I mean I do love a good challenge and it was fun to come up with something different and out of the ordinary for me.

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Welcome to Our Virtual Dinner Party

AnnMarie standing behind table set for Halloween dinner party outside under pergola

You may be asking yourself what a virtual dinner or supper club actually is.

Back in 2021, we started this club with our friends Stacy, Rachel, Jen, and Michele.

We share ideas and inspiration for entertaining at home.

Since we live in different parts of the country (Texas, Nebraska, New Jersey, and North Carolina), we can’t get together in person.

Our virtual supper club is the next best thing to being together.

One day we hope to be able to do this together in person!

Each month we choose a different theme and share beautiful tablescapes, party decor, entertaining ideas, and recipes on our blogs.

And even though we call ourselves a dinner club, we’ve shared ideas for breakfasts, brunches, luncheons, and cocktail parties too.

We also invite a guest host to join in the fun every month.

This month we’re thrilled to welcome our friend Wendy from WM Design House.

We’ve known Wendy for a while and had the opportunity to meet her in person a few times at blogging conferences.

She’s so great and has such incredible ideas she shares over on her website so be sure to go check it out!

This month our virtual supper club’s theme is pretty spooktacular!

After all, it’s an adult Halloween dinner party!

We share beautiful tablescapes, party ideas, and a delicious Halloween-themed menu.

And just wait until you see all of our friend’s gorgeous tables at the end of this post!

Check out all of our virtual dinner club tablescapes and menus!

Some of the items used in this post include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no added cost to you. You can read our full affiliate disclosure policy here.

Where to Host a Halloween Dinner Party

overhead view of decorated Halloween table under pergola with string lights

When it comes to setting the mood for a Halloween dinner party picking the right place is key.

If you’re celebrating inside then turning the lights down low will definitely help you set the mood for the evening.

If you don’t have a dimmer on the light hanging over your dining table you may want to think about installing one before your gathering.

Or if you have an outdoor living space and the weather permits why not have your party outside?

Is there anything creepier than a dark night?

I set my Halloween table up outside on our patio under our pergola with string lights hung above.

These string lights with a mix of small and large globes added to the ambiance of the overall theme.

Tips to Set the Mood for a Halloween Party

backyard patio decorated for Halloween with fire in DIY firepit

My patio also has an area with a DIY firepit we built years ago.

Dining outdoors with a bonfire next to the table was the perfect setting for my Halloween gathering.

But what if you don’t have a patio with a firepit?

No worries…an alternative could be to add a small tabletop fire bowl to set the mood.

Or if you’re indoors then maybe you can set up your Halloween table near a fireplace in your home.

How to Create a Spooky Halloween Table Centerpiece

table set with amber bottles branches for party black and brown accents

I wanted my table to be spooky in a classy sort of way…do you know what I mean?

There was no need for blood and guts since this was a dinner party and I didn’t want to totally gross out my guests while eating.

But I did need a little bit of creepy decor!

Whenever I’m looking for new ideas I always head to Pinterest to search for inspiration.

I found some amazing ideas and really wanted to use branches and birds in my design.

Originally, I had planned to spray-paint some sticks black and use them in vases as the centerpiece.

Then, when I was forging in the woods behind my house I found cut pieces of a large tree limb that had fallen.

I loved how the branches still had some dried-up dead leaves attached to them so decided to leave the pieces natural rather than paint them.

A large antique amber bottle served as a vase for the branches.

close up of faux black crows on branches

Adding a bunch of small faux black crows to the branches adds to the spooky vibe I wanted for the middle of the Halloween table.

I also lifted the centerpiece up on a vintage brick mold to give it even more height.

Haunting But Elegant Halloween Table Decor

table setting with washed jute runners in middle over black table clothes.

Decorating my Halloween table started with a simple black tablecloth but it was a bit boring on it’s own.

So I borrowed this fantastic natural jute netting material from Anne that she used to decorate her fireplace mantle a couple of years ago.

The thick jute netting was perfect to use as table runners.

I laid one table runner on either side of my centerpiece and scrunched it up a bit along the table.

The texture of the jute is fabulous and looks amazing on the black tablecloth.

faux crow on table outside for Halloween dinner party

I added a few larger black birds along the table runner because, well…you can never really have too many hauntingly spooky birds watching you eat.

Repeating the same decor keeps the table looking a bit more elegant rather than several different items mixed together.

amber bottles filled with black candles in middle of tablescape

Don’t feel like you have to add so many different elements when decorating a tablescape because that can tend to look messy.

Using multiples of just a few different pieces can provide a bigger impact when grouped together.

Just like the crows, adding a variety of vintage amber bottles in all shapes and sizes throughout the table design looks more impressive than just one or two.

How to Add Ambience to a Dining Table

amber bottle with black candle stick that has melted and dripped down sides

There’s nothing better than lighting a few candles on your dining table during a dinner party to create ambiance for your guests.

Placing long black taper candles in the amber bottles rather than using traditional candlestick holders is a fun idea.

Plus, using the old vintage bottles as candle holders allowed me to use even more of the pretty glassware along the center of the table.

As the candles melted during the evening the wax dripped down the bottles and looked so cool!

Halloween Table Place Setting Ideas

Halloween table place settings with black dishes and striped napkins with gold flatware

Try to keep your place settings neutral when styling your Halloween table so the other decor is the star of the party.

I used black dinnerware with natural colored accents to coordinate with the black and brown color scheme of the table design.

If only I had black or bronze flatware then it would have perfectly matched the rest of the table.

I may have to invest in some soon!

So for this Halloween table, I pulled out my gold flatware.

place setting with wood charger gold flatware and black plates for Halloween

The wood charger plates add a natural element and also help break up the black plates on the dark tablecloth.

The wood also brings lots of warmth to the neutral table.

In between the plate and the shallow bowl, a white and brown striped linen napkin adds more interest to each place setting.

wicker pumpkin on middle of black plate with striped napkin between dishes

If I don’t lay the napkin with a napkin ring on the top plate, I like to add something fun to each place setting.

So before dinner is served this little twig pumpkin is a cute way to welcome your guests to the table.

It’s actually a floral pick that I just snipped the stem off to create a little decor element for the place setting.

table set for Halloween under pergola decorated with string lights

The decorative pumpkins are replaced with baked real pumpkins when it’s time to serve dinner.

Wait until you see Anne’s recipe to make these mini pumpkin soup bowls.

It’s so easy and adds so much style to the party menu.

bloggers sitting at table eating chili in pumpkin

I hope you got some simple ideas to host your own Halloween dinner party this year!

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collage of products needed to decorate Halloween table

Sources: wood charger | black plates | striped cloth napkins | black shallow bowls | gold flatware | mini twig pumpkins | black taper candles | amber bottle vases | small faux crows | jute netting | amber glass bottle set | set of large crows

More Simply2Moms’ Tablescape Ideas:

More Halloween Tablescape Ideas from Our Friends

Be sure to click each of the blog names below the photos to get even more inspiration for your spooky Halloween table.

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

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