Romp in the Swamp Louisiana Halloween Party - Mardi Gras Costumes

My Halloween entourage is pretty great. They generally RSVP. They show up on time, so I don't have that angsty "what if nobody comes?" moment of terror. Other than a drink ring on the mantle (boo!) nobody wrecked my house this year. And above all else, they always acquiesce to my costume mandate, and generally impress the heck out of me. This year was no exception. Not only were the costumes fun and creative, but nearly all of them even played into the theme! That's some serious party dedication.

Let's start with my favorite photo of the whole evening - this is lil' brother and his girlfriend, also known as "The Other Heather" (I'm surrounded!).



They did a great twist on vampire and victim, starting with formal Mardi Gras reveler outfits, paired with some fangs and a bloody "bite" mark. It's creepy but also kind of pretty!



For their efforts, they took home the "Best Couple or Group" Costume award this year. They celebrated with a bite:


(do you just love the vein popping out in his temple? so authentic!)

Another set of Mardi Gras Celebrants - my cousin Holly & her husband in some excellent masks. Holly made hers almost from scratch! She's so crafty.



I love Kelly's Venetian-style "beak" mask, it was pretty cool - it broke into 2 pieces so he could keep the top half on and still eat and drink by taking the bottom part off. Smart & stylish!

Beth and Dan had actual gator heads around their necks, along with the Mardi Gras beads:



And speaking of gators...



Attack! Dan sorta looks like he fell in our bathtub, eh? :)

I'm going to throw Jen's costume into the category of Mardi Gras revelers as well, because there's something Venetian about her bird costume that just screams Mardi Gras to me. It was dark and a little spooky, but also really elegant and pretty:



She made the skirt herself out of feather boas (sort of like Bjork!)and her beak is paper! I love simple solutions that look so chic :)Her long talons didn't last the evening, but they were on long enough to attack an errant lumberjack.



Ahh, newlyweds :)



Many more costumes, decor vignettes, and recipes to come, despite my dead laptop I am THANKING MY LUCKY STARS that lil' sis got me a passport backup drive a few years ago, and all my important files (aka, photos!) are safe and sound. Whew!