# My biggest fan just informed me that this year my decorations or tacky :(



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

I'm sure everything looks great...Scary Tales is a difficult task post some pics and I'm sure someone can give advice if you need it. But don't just start ripping stuff down, first you don't have time and second I'm sure it will look great  We always put so much pressure on ourselves, I know with our party I began thinking it wasn't creepy enough and I didn't do CarnEVIL justice...at one point I too wanted to rip everything down (and creepy my stuff up) but I didn't have time, in the end I'm glad I didn't. The party was great and the lighting creepied (or hid) anything I wasn't happy with. So stress down and just enjoy your party....post pics


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## Tannasgach (Nov 1, 2009)

B, I don't think it's your decorations so much but the age of your 'biggest fan'. Three years ago when I did a _Voodoo on the Bayou_ theme, my then 16 year old daughter had nothing but negative comments. "That's stupid, that's not scary, it looks so fake...". However, her friends were extremely impressed and I still get comments from them about that party. This year, I was expecting the onslaught of disparaging remarks from her regarding our Scary Tales theme, after all no matter how much you creep out a toy, at the end of the day it's still a toy. But now at 19, she surprises me, "That looks so creepy, that came out really good, that prop scares me, etc....".

Go ahead with your plans. I've seen your Halloween work and you have an awesome, very sophisticated style of decorating. Your guests will be impressed and in three years your daughter will be talking about how 'cool' your Scary Tales party was.


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## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

I think Tanna is spot on about the age!! Carry on and you will be happy you did, i agree with pumpkin, i'm sure everything looks great! I go through the same things with myself Pumpkin about the second guessing. It doesn't look scary, it looks stupid, why am i doing this ??? I do it every year! 

In the end, just relax and have fun. Everything will turn out just fine.


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## selinamb (Sep 13, 2010)

You should post some work in progress shots on here and let us be the judge. 

The problem is that the more awesome you are, the more people expect you to blow last year's decor out of the water. 

I am sure your set up is spooktacular


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## Wolfbeard (Sep 22, 2008)

I agree, a lot of it has to do with the age of your favorite fan/critic.

My 14 year old daughter was complaining about the cheesy and lame props and scenes I had created for our 15th Boo Bash. She was having her first ever Halloween party with about 27 of her friends and team mates coming. I offered to leave the adult party set up for her and her friends but she was mortified. Within 30 minutes of her friends showing up and the nonstop comments of "awesome," "this is soooo cool," etc., she was bragging how we change our theme every year and how "my dad made this or that."

It is hard to please a teenager. Thank your daughter for her input, and be objective as to her comments, but go with your instinct and experience.

Eric


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Tannasgach said:


> B, I don't think it's your decorations so much but the age of your 'biggest fan'. Three years ago when I did a _Voodoo on the Bayou_ theme, my then 16 year old daughter had nothing but negative comments. "That's stupid, that's not scary, it looks so fake...". However, her friends were extremely impressed and I still get comments from them about that party. This year, I was expecting the onslaught of disparaging remarks from her regarding our Scary Tales theme, after all no matter how much you creep out a toy, at the end of the day it's still a toy. But now at 19, she surprises me, "That looks so creepy, that came out really good, that prop scares me, etc....".
> 
> Go ahead with your plans. I've seen your Halloween work and you have an awesome, very sophisticated style of decorating. Your guests will be impressed and in three years your daughter will be talking about how 'cool' your Scary Tales party was.



^this!

I totally agree - I can't even imagine your decor ever being tacky!


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## tgoodman (Sep 25, 2009)

You're talking about an age group of people who think wearing pants down around their knees and holes in their jeans are THE BOMB! A 2nd opinion is warranted.


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## whynotgrl666 (Oct 12, 2003)

Teen agers are embarresed that they Even Have parents....i remember making cruel off hand remarks to my mother once about her apearence as a teen....i was exasperated with her. Its a hot and cold running snotty teen thing . Just grow a tough hide and let it roll off your back like water. You cant please everyone.


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## SpookyMag (Sep 29, 2012)

I wouldn't worry about it, I get the "mom, why dont we do decorations just in October like everyone else" or "mom, I am really starting to hate halloween" but then it all changes to when can I have my Halloween party and can we add this next year or that 

Just enjoy what you like to do!


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

Well her feedback today was much better -- now that I have the lighting set and the spider webs up she says it's a little creepier. I will post pictures later tonight when it's dark so I can give you the full effect. Thanks for the pep talk guys!


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## Vumurt (Oct 20, 2012)

Bah....she is 16, I'm sure the decorations are great. I would say that was the 16 talking and in the end she will love them.


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## LSM (Oct 6, 2012)

I am new to Halloween decorating but I am not new to teen age daughters. We have 3 in High School (17, 16, 14) and reading about your 16 year old makes me smile and realize all the more that teenage girls are all the same. This could have been my 16 year old saying the exact same thing. The funny part is underneath it all they usually love all we do but for some reason (maybe hormones?) they have to say something negative and mean which I will never understand. Last Saturday night we had a large group of high school kids at our house for a formal dinner before the Homecoming dance. My mother in law decorated and had very nice table clothes, candles, flowers etc and it was very nice. My 16 year old walked in and said "why do have those table clothes and flowers, they look stupid. This did not bother me since I am use to it but it crushed my mother in law. No reason for saying other than being sixteen and immature. 
Oh well, all we can do is to keep in loving them, praying for them and one day they will grow up. Underneath it all I am confident your daughter loves your display but she is at a stage in life where she can't express that. It is called being 16. Hang in there, she will love it once again with a little maturity behind her.


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## dariusobells (Sep 24, 2007)

16... oh what an age... they want to prove they are indestructible.. give her a hug and keep on keepin on!


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## star_girl_mag (Aug 5, 2008)

I am ALSO an event and wedding planner and I did that theme LAST year. I could understand if it's difficult. I have never spent so much time on any theme as that one. I started putting up decorations a week before the event and spent every night that week (4-6 hours) (all-told about 30 hours of set up) by myself decorating and it looked really stupid until the last couple hours when everything came together. I swore never again to do such a complex set up unless I had assistance and was getting paid. LOL! 

This year I only had about an hour of set up time in my bar and was happy with the results oddly enough but had the problem of unprofessional behavior from the people I was paying and lack of promotion. I lost a LOT of money this year. 

My point here is that even as a professional coordinator: Halloween will always present enormous challenges. I actually find weddings to be easier to plan than my own yearly Halloween party.


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

star_girl_mag said:


> I am ALSO an event and wedding planner and I did that theme LAST year. I could understand if it's difficult. I have never spent so much time on any theme as that one. I started putting up decorations a week before the event and spent every night that week (4-6 hours) (all-told about 30 hours of set up) by myself decorating and it looked really stupid until the last couple hours when everything came together. I swore never again to do such a complex set up unless I had assistance and was getting paid. LOL!
> 
> This year I only had about an hour of set up time in my bar and was happy with the results oddly enough but had the problem of unprofessional behavior from the people I was paying and lack of promotion. I lost a LOT of money this year.
> 
> My point here is that even as a professional coordinator: Halloween will always present enormous challenges. I actually find weddings to be easier to plan than my own yearly Halloween party.


Stargirlmag -
I have to say this year has been much more challenging then most years and my daughter has never commented negatively on any of my events -- she helps me most weekends and has seen me work with some very obscure themes and always seems impressed so I was just so taken back when she said the words "tacky" in relation to my decor. Her quote this evening was " It's much better in the dark -- I know your guest stay to all hours of the night, but you might want them to be gone by day light because it looks much tackier in light. " I am interested in seeing what she says after her party.


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## star_girl_mag (Aug 5, 2008)

B Scary said:


> Stargirlmag -
> I have to say this year has been much more challenging then most years and my daughter has never commented negatively on any of my events -- she helps me most weekends and has seen me work with some very obscure themes and always seems impressed so I was just so taken back when she said the words "tacky" in relation to my decor. Her quote this evening was " It's much better in the dark -- I know your guest stay to all hours of the night, but you might want them to be gone by day light because it looks much tackier in light. " I am interested in seeing what she says after her party.


I think everyone here is right about the age problems too. I remember being a kid and my mother was very theatrical and I would tell her something looked bad etc. because I really thought she ought to be brought down a peg. I always felt like she was always showing off and everything she did was about showing off and purposely embarrassing me by being weird.


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## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

B Scary;1378534Her quote this evening was " It's much better in the dark -- I know your guest stay to all hours of the night said:


> LMAO  Thank you BScary I needed that this morning,lol...but seriously I'm sure it looks great and she will too. My 17 year old son was hesitant when I set out planning our CarnEvil party this year...he saw me bringing in balloons and flag banners and such and was sure it would look like a little kids party...without teenager tone he asked me a couple times "is this going to be like a little kids party?" at first it stung but then I thought about it...it's hard enough for our teens to allow others to see them having fun with mom and dad much less at a party with balloons and clowns (or for that matter fairytales)....sometimes it's less about teenage attitude and more about self image and insecurities.
> 
> Hope you all have a great time...something tells me even your biggest fan will love everything  you've put a ton of work into it...it will be amazing  Have fun and take loads of pics


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