I try to make them mandatory, but most of my "friends" suck! They always have some kind of excuse especially no money. It's not like I expect them to get some elaborate costume or anything, just a little make up will do. I think it's disrespectful when people show up with no costumes when they know that you as the host requested costumes.
darkness: I agree that it's disrespectful. Do you still let them come in, or make them go away and come back costumed?
I have a couple of friends who I think would REALLY get into the spirit of things, and some that - if they thought I was serious about the "mandatory" part - would do it begrudgingly. There are a couple who might even decide not to come. My goal will be to make dressing up worth it.
One of the reasons I asked the question about the "this is my costume" people is that I knew folks in the past who would have tried it. Not now - I think - but if someone showed up without a costume, and I said it was mandatory, then I think I'd have to insist that they figure something out. That or make things so fun that the uncostumed folks feel awkward and then want to wear one. Everyone has to figure out their own policy.
I'm obviously a big fan of costumes - halloween is just getting bigger here & i live in a village where only my friend & I decorate our houses completely - usually most people now stick a pumpkin in the garden on halloween night - maybe a couple of decorations up - but that's it. I always dress up for the kids coming to the door - they have to pass my house everyday going to & from school & they get the build up for a couple of weeks seeing my house done up & i get great feedback from them when i open the door to them on the night. usually me friend has the adult party the night after halloween & I help her with decor too - it does annoy me when some people come & they don't bother to dress up knowing all the effort she has gone to. i don't have a party for the adultsas we live rural & most of the family would find it too much to travel & i don't have the space for them to stay.
I even had a fancy dress party for my 40th birthday last year (booked a hall near where most of the people we new stayed) - & more than half dressed up - & I can definately say that people who didn't know one another mingled more because of the costumes - plus a lot of the people who hadn't bothered said they wished they had!
by all means push the costumes part - if they can't be bothered to make the effort they won't appreciate what an effort you've made.
We've always had great cooperation with guests wearing custumes. We moved to a new state last year and lost our Halloween "reputation" because none of our new neighbors knew what to expect. We sent out the invitations (coffins with the skeletons, webs & spider inside) that told them costumes were required and then started putting up the outdoor decorations. At first we heard the usual "I haven't worn a costume since I was a kid" and other excuses, but as the party got closer and they say by our outdoor display how much we really put into it, we had 70 of our brand-new neighbors and friends come to the party and every single one was in costume. At the party they got to see the great prizes we give for funniest, scariest and best costumes and NOW we have neighbors coming up to us to tell us they've already figured out or ordered their costumes for this year. THAT's what makes us keep wanting to make it bigger and better every year!!
Note: If anyone would come without a costume, I keep a basket by the door with misc. wigs, masks, old clothes, etc. and they would have to dig in there and figure something out!!
we have one rule.....dress in costume....well some friends just seemed unable to get a costume together....so new rule was made....costume or ALL BLACK . seemed to work just fine
If you showed up not in costume, the hostess would dress you. Those parties were a blast. People rarely showed up out of costume more than once; not because the hostess would dress them (she did), but because they started to understand how much fun they could have if they participated fully. Also, you just didn't want that hostess mad at you.
That sounds awesome! What a great hostess! At least it's a sure way that everyone will have a great time
I think that the majority of party fun is costumes, and taking pictures. After all, where's the halloween fun in plain old clothes?
Some people are reluctant and show up without, but then realize EVERYONE else is doing it and having a great time. One guy was ADAMANT about not wearing a costume... the next year he came dressed as PAPA SMURF. All blue!
That sounds awesome! What a great hostess! At least it's a sure way that everyone will have a great time 
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