halloween town

Despite popular opinion, sometimes it helps to have a box to think inside of. Halloween with its endless costume possibilities is a prime example.

So when a friend told me he recently attended a Tim Burton-themed wedding, I thought it would make the perfect Halloween party (minus the wedding) to give invitees a little bit of structure yet plenty of options. Here’s how to throw one.

• Ask invitees to dress up as characters from Tim Burton movies (or they can go Tim Burton movie-esque as some at the wedding did). This gives guests everything from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure to Edward Scissorhands to choose from.

• Play music from the movies. Nightmare Before Christmas, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Beetlejuice and Batman (Prince’s theme song, especially) will provide an exceptional soundtrack.

• Supply plenty of chocolate and everlasting gobstoppers Willy Wonka-style; meat pies or empanadas will make a nod to the Sweeney Todd film; anything with peaches (peach melba, perhaps?) can point to James and the Giant Peach; a cereal bar is very Pee-Wee-esque; and “Big Fish ceviche" would round out the offerings.

• The wedding my friend attended was set in a garden with wrought iron décor providing Burton-esque Gothic ambience and giant papier-mâché mushrooms that looked like they were from Willy Wonka’s candy paradise. If you don’t have the time or money for that, potted topiaries and ice sculptures (that one might be pricey but so worth it) in outrageous shapes is very Edward Scissorhands; Jack-o'-lanterns call to mind Nightmare Before Christmas; and a graveyard would represent the scenery of The Corpse Bride. Tape cut-out pictures of fruit and place them all over the walls to re-create a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then hope your guests don’t lick the walls….