How to Decorate a Halloween Buffet - Buffetscape
Two Buffetscapes for Halloween
On All Hallows Eve, we dress up as ghosts, witches, warlocks, ghouls and vampires. We attend cocktail parties and dances to commune with our family, friends and neighbors. Let's take it a step further and "Dress Up" our food tables and buffets for these gatherings.
I went to the grocery armed with my list of ingredients from the recipes I chose to use (included below). I dug out my Halloween decor (and bought a few new items), and divided it into two different themes for my buffets. One utilizes more traditional Halloween decorations and the other is an elegant take on what I would expect to find at a buffet in a scary hotel.
The two styles:

- Transylvania Hotel and Resort Buffet
- Ghoulish Graveyard Grub Buffet
There are pictures and suggestions for building your own buffetscape as well as some of the decor I used to build two different style buffetscapes. Incorporate some of these ideas into your next Halloween Bash!
Contents at a Glance
Transylvania Hotel & Resort Buffet
Click on the pictures for more info...
This option tries to go a bit more elegant with its ambience but frightening at the same time.
“That buffet makes me vant to sink my teeth into the food."
Count Dracula”
How To's for both Buffets
* Transylvania Hotel and Resort Buffet Centerpiece
* Skull Menu Card Holders
* Feather, Eyeball and Crow Tree
- Halloween Crafts
- Halloween crafts you can do at home to enhance your buffet decor. They are inexpensive and add some creepy ambience to your food presentation. Have some fun with them!
Transylvania Hotel & Resort Invitations
Decor for your Transylvania Buffet
Buffet Ideas for Vampires
Comes with a 30" cord to reach any plug in and the candle lights flicker like real flames. A wonderful addition to your Halloween decor.
If you want an even scarier addition to your buffetscape, consider this Grim Reaper 4 taper candle candelabra (taper candles not included).
The detail is incredible on this piece. Even the sash for the Reaper's robe shows it is braiding. Made of cast resin, it measures 13" tall to make a commanding presence on your buffet. It is 7 in. wide by 5 in. deep. This ghoul will be right at home on your buffetscape, entry table or dining room table.
Ghoulish Graveyard Grub Buffet
(click on the pictures for more info)
This is a simple but fun option for a buffet. Using tombstones, leaves, skulls and skeletons. Just enough going on to make it interesting but easy to accomplish!
Ghoulish Graveyard Invitations
Ghoulish Graveyard Tombstones
You can't have a "Ghoulish Graveyard" without tombstones! These are great to use as a focal point on your buffet. You could use miniature tombstones sprinkled around the food for accent to your graveyard or even use tombstone shaped salt and pepper shakers!
Skull Card Holder

At my local Dollar Tree, I found a bag of these cute little skulls for a buck. I wasn't sure what to use them for but bought them anyway. After setting up the buffetscape, I thought it might be fun to lable the food names since they went along with the Halloween theme. That's where the skulls came in. They are about 1 1/2" tall, 1" wide and 2" front to back; perfect size to hold my food labels.
Here's how to do it:
1. I used a sharp paring knife and pushed it through the top of the skill about a third of the way back from the face.

2. Then I sliced to the left and the right about halfway down each side of the the skull.


3. I made a card on my computer for each of the foods and inserted it into the slit and there you have it! 8 scary card holders for $1.

You could use these for place cards at the dinner table, to label the food on a buffet or to sit around the room writing with scary quotes on them.
Have Fun!
Halloween Buffet Serving Ideas
Purple and Black Dripping Pillar Candles
3 x 6" Halloween Drip Purple Pillar Candle
Amazon Price: $6.89 (as of 05/31/2012)![]()
For a traditional Halloween color scheme of purple and black, these drip candles are perfect. Use a pillar candle holder you already have, place them on a saucer on group them on a mirror or cake stand and add some spiders for an instant spook centerpiece!
What is a Buffetscape?
More info about the term and how to build
Themed Halloween Serveware and Buffet Decor Ideas
Haunted Dead Tree with Skulls
Cool Centerpiece!
Haunted Dead Tree with Skulls
Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)![]()
This spooky tree is perfect as a centerpiece for your scary graveyard buffet! It measures 21" high and the branches are pose-able. Have some fun by adding mini gravestones!
Countdown to Halloween
A Few Additional Recipes I used
Bones
1 C. Cherrios 
1 C. Rice Chex
1 C. Honey Comb
1 C. Mini Pretzel Sticks
1 C. Raisins
1 jar Marshmellow Creme
1 - 12 oz. bag of White Chocolate Chips
Cooking Oil
Mix all the cereal, pretzels and raisins together in a large bowl. Set Aside.
Combine the bag of white chocolate chips and a 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Take bowl out and stir well as this helps the chips melt. Microwave for additional 30 sec. at a time until smooth. (Make the other half when first half is gone.)
Microwave marshmellow creme until it is pourable. Mix with melted white chocolate chips.
Pour white chocolate/marshmellow mixture over the cereal. This is the "glue" that holds the mix together.
Spoon out mixture into "piles" on wax paper. Let dry for a couple of hours or overnight. Serve in a bowl or cauldron. Recipe from a friend.
Meaty Balls
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1 lb. roll of medium spiced sausage
3 C. Bisquick
16 oz. bag of Cheddar or Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese
Mix the all three ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This will take some kneading but it does work. Form mixture into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 mins. in your 400 degree oven. Serve in a basket, bowl or on a platter. Recipe from my mom.
Devils on Horseback

* 48 large shrimp (approximately 2 lbs.. - with shells), shelled and deveined
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
* 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons prepared garlic chili sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 6 strips bacon, quartered (in half lengthwise and then again cross), flattened with the back of a knife to prevent curling
* Wooden toothpick
* 2/3 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon prepared chili garlic sauce
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 green onion, finely chopped (both white and green parts)
Directions
1. Combine shrimp, wine, lemon peel, 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, and salt in non-reactive dish. Marinate for 15 minutes. Remove shrimp and drain on paper towels; discard marinade. Wrap each shrimp in a piece of bacon, securing bacon by skewering shrimp with wooden toothpick (neck to tail in a half-moon).
2. Preheat broiler. (Position oven rack so the food will be 3 to 4 inches from the heat.) Place shrimp in a single layer on an unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil, turning twice, until shrimp are opaque and bacon is cooked through and crisp (7 to 9 minutes total).
3.For Remoulade, stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon prepared chili garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and green onions. Cover and chill until serving time.
4.If desired, thread broiled shrimp onto fondue forks or 8 to 10-inch wooden skewers. Serve shrimp with sauce. Makes 48 shrimp (12 to 16 servings).
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Website
Tip: Lights
Use white/clear string lights on your buffet to add indirect lighting and/or highlight your decor and food. Slip them under one of your fabrics to give a "glow".
White/Clear Lights
J Hofert 2980-22 100 Clear White Wire Light Set
Amazon Price: $15.30 (as of 05/31/2012)![]()
White lights are a decorators best friend. They can be used to highlight areas (entrance, vignette, ceilings, etc...) and add ambience to a table (buffet, head table, cake table, etc...). There are a million different ways to use them in decorating for your event!
Want some Tiered Stands for your Buffet?
Check out this article!
Great Halloween Buffet Ideas
from eBay
Halloween Decor Question
Do you like to decorate Scary or Fun for Halloween?

The scarier the better - think blood, vampires and cauldrons!
domainblitz says:
I think it would depend on your audience. But I prefer the scarier the better! After all, it is Halloween!
sandyspider says:
Actually I have done both. It depends on the mood that I am in when I start.
GreenOasis says:
The scarier the better
leggleston24 says:
Scary!
WindyWinters says:
Our kids loved a scary theme; bats, spiders and witches! We used to decorate the front door and shrubs with scary stuff and play music!
I prefer fun type decor - scarecrows, skeletons and old tombstones!
VickiSims says:
I prefer fun - I don't enjoy food and decor that is too gross!
MiseryBusiness519 says:
I like a l;ighter type mood, because I'm a huge scaredy-cat!
VickiSims says:
Perhaps a bit of both, but for the most part I lean toward the fun not the gory.
bakerwoman says:
Since I am a funny person by nature, I prefer the fun decor.
Blonde_Blythe says:
I don't decorate myself, but I love to look at what others do. Fun lens! I loved it! Thank you so much for blessing my Big Eye Halloween Art by Blonde Blythe lens! :)
More Buffetscape and Self Catering
Articles on the Web
- Decorating Buffets
- Yes, your buffets are part of your decor! They can add to or take away from the ambience of your event. There are many ways to make your buffet interesting, visually.
- Self Catering Tips and Tricks
- People are always asking me how to keep hot food hot and cold food cold, but stylishly. They don't want to line up a bunch of roasters or those ugly DIY aluminum chafers from party stores.
My answer? Take a lesson from caterers, chefs and other event hosts. - Food Ideas for Self Catering Your Party
- Keeping in mind that most homes don't have chafing dishes on hand to keep food at proper serving temperatures, or refrigerated salad bars, you should be selective with the food choices. Anything on the menu with mayonnaise or dairy based can go bad when sitting out too long. You will probably need to use crockpots or electric roasters to keep hot foods hot too.
- How to Decorate a Buffet - Buffetscapes
- Today, most caterers, chefs and event hosts put more thought and creativity into creating memorable buffets or food stations at their events. So much so that these buffetscapes actually become part of your event décor
Happy Halloween
to all!
Halloween Fun Stuff Apparel and gifts
Are you Decorating for a Halloween Party?

Contact Me!Thanks for stopping by, much appreciated.
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sushilkin Nov 8, 2011 @ 12:13 am | delete
- nice Skull Card Holder.
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aesta1
Oct 27, 2011 @ 9:10 pm | delete
- That skull card holder is quite easy and a very creative idea. Love that and this lens, too. Blessed!
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VickiSims Oct 19, 2011 @ 8:01 am | delete
- I'm not having a Halloween party this year, but these are great ideas for future reference!
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jackyalsi
Oct 17, 2011 @ 4:12 pm | delete
- Ooooh the candelabras are too cool and the food looks really good. Next time I have a halloween party I'm going to try one of these.
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Wednesday_Elf
Feb 1, 2011 @ 4:58 pm | delete
- This lens has been featured on and lensrolled to my "SquidAngel Blessings by an Elf" lens. :-)
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About Mandee
Recipes Used
Please visit these pages
Some of my Other Lenses
DecoratingforEvents on Squidoo
This Halloween Magazine page written by
DecoratingforEvents
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