Halloween is days away, and you don't have to cook, craft, or spend an evening gluing paper bats to build a party table that looks planned. Fox News rounded up easy, last-minute picks on its Shopping With Friends segment, from ready-made snack boards to spooky flowers. Here's how to use that list to set up a full table fast, and where to save money if the splurge prices make you wince.
The main idea is simple: pick one centerpiece, add one supporting piece, and let a few cheap details do the rest.
Start with one showstopper food board
The featured picks lean heavily on Boarderie, which sells ready-to-serve themed boards. Per Fox News, the lineup includes:
- Large Cheese & CharBOOterie Board: $249
- Mummy Brie: $139
- Dessert Board: $249
Those are real splurge prices, so decide what the party needs. If you're feeding a crowd and want zero prep, a single board can be the whole spread. If you're hosting a smaller group, the Mummy Brie at $139 is the lower-priced option on the list and works as a focal point on its own.
The budget swap
I can't vouch for prices beyond the list, but the approach is easy to copy at home. Buy a wheel of brie, wrap it in strips of puff pastry or crescent dough and bake it, then add two dots for eyes. Surround it with crackers, grapes, and sliced meats. It's the same mummy idea with a bit of oven time, and it costs a fraction of a premium board.
Put flowers where people will see them
Flowers are the easiest way to make a table look styled. The segment featured 1-800 Flowers' Boo Blooms Roses, starting at $64.99. A single arrangement in a dark or dramatic color reads as intentional decor without needing a pile of props.
Place it at one end of the table, not the middle. That leaves room for food and keeps the arrangement from blocking conversation.
The budget swap
Grab a grocery store bouquet in deep red or purple and drop it into a black vase or a jar spray-painted black. Trim the stems short so it sits low and doesn't tower over the snacks.
Give kids something to do that isn't messy
If little ones are on the guest list, the featured entertainment pick is the ZipString Arcana at $44.99, listed as kid-friendly. I'd treat that as a good reason to set up a separate corner so the activity doesn't compete with the food table.
A few ways to make that corner work:
- Put it on the opposite side of the room from the snacks.
- Lay down a washable tablecloth or old sheet underneath.
- Keep it within sight of the adults, so nobody has to supervise from across the house.
Use a skeleton as your table's anchor
The list also includes a life-size skeleton prop for $41.79, the cheapest big-impact item here. Fox News pitched it as décor, but one idea from the angle menu is worth borrowing: make it part of the snack setup.
Seat it at the end of the table, or lean it beside the food as if it's waiting for a plate. Drape a bit of cheesecloth over its shoulders, and it looks like a guest rather than a prop. That's a styling idea, not a product feature, so tweak it to fit your space.
Three ways to build the table by budget
Prices below come only from the featured list, so I've left out anything I can't back up.
The full splurge
The Large Cheese & CharBOOterie Board ($249), Dessert Board ($249), Boo Blooms Roses ($64.99+), and skeleton ($41.79) add up to $604.78 before the roses climb past their starting price. That's a lot, but it covers food, dessert, flowers, and decor with no cooking.
The middle road
Mummy Brie ($139), Boo Blooms Roses ($64.99+), and the skeleton ($41.79) come to $245.78 at starting prices. You get a centerpiece, flowers, and a prop. Fill in with store-bought crackers and fruit.
The scrappy version
Buy the skeleton ($41.79), make your own mummy brie, and pick up a grocery bouquet. You're set for the cost of one prop and a few ingredients.
A quick setup order for the day of
- Clear the table and lay down a dark tablecloth or runner.
- Place your flowers at one end.
- Set the main food board in the center, with plates and napkins nearby.
- Add the skeleton at the opposite end or beside the table.
- Set up the kids' activity in its own corner.
That's it. The whole thing should take well under an hour, mostly because nothing on it needs cooking.
Pick the one thing that matters
You don't need all six items. Choose a single centerpiece, whether that's a $139 brie or a homemade one, and build around it. A table with one confident focal point looks better than one stuffed with everything.
