You didn’t think I’d let this week go by without something Twilight-related, did you? I have to admit, although a few years ago I never would have thought I’d be a fan, I can’t WAIT to go and see the latest film. A wedding! In a forest! Jacob with his shirt off! All my favourite things. I’m guessing lots of you will be feeling the same way, and although it may sound a bit cheesy, Twilight actually makes a great little theme for a bachelorette or hen party (assuming the bride is a fan, of course!). Here’s everything you need to know to make it Twi-umphant rather than Twi-hard, and turn your bestie into a bitten smitten kitten.

Venue: The ideal place to throw a Twilight party is in someone’s home, so you have the flexibility of decorating and preparing food and then going out on the town afterwards if you like. If that’s not possible, you can always rent a suite in a hotel room for a few hours – as long as you have a place for everyone to mingle, sit and chill, as well as a place for your buffet and a screen if you’re showing one of the movies, you’re good to go.

Images: Left – Events by Heather Ham/A Stunning Affair via HTWM; Right – Chanelle Segerius Bruce/Want That Wedding

Dress: Although Halloween-esque Vampire outfits are always a possibility, I’m guessing most of you girls want to keep it classy and not go too dressed up. Fortunately, there are some other options. If you’re going for a red and black theme (probably the easiest, since it also ties into the book covers), then you could have all the girls wear black and then have your bride either in red or in white. Give them Team Edward/Team Jacob badges depending on their perving preference. Or, you could have cute custom tees/vest tops made up with Team Edward/Team Jacob or fun slogans (have a look here for lots of ideas and designs). And don’t forget the vampire fangs! You can pick up a pair of silver fangs on sale here for just £2.50 at the moment, but just about any party shop should stock them (and they make great favours too!).

Invitations: I love the way this clever Maid of Honour based her bride’s ‘party till the breaking dawn’-themed shower invitation on one of the best-known quotes from Twilight. Such a clever touch! (For those who don’t know the books, the original quote reads: “About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.” To create your own invitation, you can find a fab Twilight-esque font to download for free here.

All images HWTM except table setting and candle, from Pizzazzerie

Decor: So much fun! As mentioned above, you don’t have to go black, red and white, but there’s a lot of stuff available online if you do choose to follow the colour scheme and ideas from the book covers. Think red apples in glass vases, white tulips (if you can’t find parrot tulips, you could paint normal white tulips with red paint or nailpolish), ribbons (a wall of ribbons would make a gorgeous backdrop for your food table), and chess details. Framed quotes are a must, since so much of the books’ appeal lies in Edward’s words to Bella (swoon) – plus, Hostess of the Mostess has produced the most fantastic series of quotes that are all ready for you to download for free (see here, here, here and here). Include the books themselves, so that it all makes sense to those guests who’ve never read them. And if you possibly can, beg, borrow or steal a life size cut out of Edward himself – just think how brilliant the pictures will be!

Images: All HWTM, except for vampire blood lollipops

Food & Drink: You can have so much fun with these! For savoury snacks, serve a selection of Italian-themed antipasti (there are a number of links to Italy in the books), as well as a selection of red desserts like red velvet cake or cupcakes, a selection of strawberry sweets, and even these slightly gruesome (but so fun) vampire blood lollipops. Signature cocktails are a must – anything red will work, as will Bloody Marys (of course!) or Sucks on the Beach (thanks for this one, Sonia!) and well as cherry-coloured shots. You can find clear or red non-alcoholic mixers as well, and HTWM has fun labels for them too. And you can make your martini glasses look extra bloody with this sugar craft technique.

Activities: As always, this depends on the kind of party you want to throw. If you want to keep it at home and relatively low-key, throw an all-night girly sleepover Twilight movie marathon or head out together to watch the new Breaking Dawn release. Or, if you don’t want to watch the whole thing, just show a portion and have the girls play Twilight bingo or one of the many Twilight drinking games. You could also consider fun games like ‘pin the tail on the Jacob’ or Twilight trivia, but if you don’t want to lose momentum, just stick to the cocktail party basics of drinks and mingling (perhaps with the movies screening or the soundtracks playing in the background) and present giving.

Image: HWTM

Favours: This is another area where you can get creative, depending on your bride and your budget. A simple idea from HWTM is ‘blood bag’ sweet bags filled with red sweets, but I also liked the idea of mini first aid kits (Bella is a total klutz, always in the wars). Another great idea is to find some deep red nail polish and gift all the girls with one of these – definitely something they’ll use and appreciate! The team badges mentioned above also make a lovely souvenir.

Real Twilight Parties: 

• Twilight bachelorette party via Hostess with the Mostess
• Twilight viewing party via Hostess with the Mostess

And if you’d like to see some gorgeous Twilight wedding inspiration, check out this awesome shoot from my friends Chanelle Segerius Bruce and Sonia of Want That Wedding! (picture above from their shoot)