Halloween Feast in Salem

A HALLOWEEN FEAST IN SALEM

CONCEPT AND PHOTOS BY CHARLIE SLEIMAN - ZOOM IMAGES. STYLING BY MARY RONIS EVENTS

In the woods of Salem, the witches and zombies gather for a moody and dark All Hallow’s Eve dinner feast of fear.

This styled shoot is part of Confetti Fair's United States of Party collaboration; a collection of 23 unique parties and events – all inspired by a US location.

What inspired you to choose Salem?

The party is a gathering of the witches of Salem and their guests to feast on everything gross. I wanted to ensure that it was as close to the horror genre as possible and deliberately avoided a ‘fun’ Halloween. No Casper or Halloween pumpkins in this shoot! I wanted the stuff you would see in horror movies. I had a vision but the next challenge was making it a reality. I’m quite fortunate that I have a few industry friends and called my good friend Mary Ronis to help style the set. My conversation went something like “Mary, I have an idea for a shoot.” She was overseas at the time and wanted in before I could finish the sentence. My other friend Natalie from NPM had everything I needed so it worked out well.

What influenced the theme and styling?

I have always been a fan of horror and for years have wanted to do something like this. The opportunity came up this year, I held on and made sure I didn’t let go until it happened. It is also a good excuse to let your creativity go wild. The number of vendors that wanted to be involved really shocked me. Everyone wanted to let their darker side come out to play.

What is your favourite thing about the USA?

They really love a celebration, whether it’s tossing pumpkins in Oregon or a Zombie walk in New York City – nothing is off limits. No matter how crazy the concept, there are enough people over there to make it a reality.

Which DIYs or party trends did you incorporate into your shoot?

I’m not really a follower of trends, I am more interested in looking at a different way of doing things. There were plenty of hands-on projects though. The painting of the silhouette was hand-painted by Jo from Jo’s Signs by Design. Those cakes, wow! Kathy from Fancy Events and Parties nailed the heart stitch cake as well as the brain cake and those cupcakes, so gross and awesome at the same time! Cassandra from Mama Tuck’s also brought in a pannacotta heart and brain cheesecake. Anne Marie Molloy Cookies made the eyeballs and finger cookies. Mary Ronis made the webbing and with the help of Mel at NPM Events, transformed the space into something surreal.

The Salem Team

STYLING AND PROPS MARY RONIS EVENTS @maryronisevents

CONCEPT AND PHOTOGRAPHER ZOOM IMAGES @zoomimages

CUPCAKES AND BRAIN, SKULL AND HEART CAKES FANCY EVENTS & PARTIES @fancyeventsparties

PANACOTTA HEART AND BRAIN CHEESECAKE MAMA TUCK’S @mamatucks.au

PROPS AND TABLEWARE NPM EVENTS @npm_events

EYEBALL AND SEVERED FINGER COOKIES ANNE MARIE MOLLOY COOKIES @annemariemolloycookies

INVITATION ELK PRINTS @elkprints

MAKEUP JASMINE THALIA MAKEUP ARTIST @jasminethaliamakeupartist

HAND SILHOUETTE PAINTING JO’S SIGNS BY DESIGN @jossignsbydesign

FLOWER CROWNS ABELIA FLOWER CROWNS @abeliaflowercrowns