#WeddingWednesday: Halloween Wedding Planning
Do you love the Halloween season and want to incorporate it into your dream wedding? Not only is that a fun idea but it is completely plausible. We are here to help you during the planning process and have thought of some great ideas to have the best Halloween wedding.
First you need to decide how much of Halloween you want to add into your wedding plans. Do you want to go all-out and have every little piece be spooky and ghostly? Or are you leaning more towards having a fall wedding with some subtle Halloween accents? After deciding that you will have a better idea of what type of venue you want and how you’ll want to decorate the space.
Some great venue ideas would be a hotel or space with an eerie history. You could even have a destination wedding in Transylvania!
The typical Halloween colors are orange, red, purple and black. If you do not want your wedding to scream Halloween then you could easily choose a plum or a sunset orange and accent them with a more neutral color instead of having them together. This way you will have a subtle fall look for your wedding.
When you decide you want to have a Halloween themed wedding you should ensure that the theme is accurately communicated to your guests. This can easily be done by using stationary that encompasses the Halloween theme. This stationary should be used for your save the dates, invitations and any other correspondence you have with your guests. Also, make sure you continue the theme on your wedding website.
If you would like to ditch the traditional look and dress more festive for the holiday there are a few couple’s costumes that you and your future spouse could wear. A classic Halloween couple’s costume you could employ is Frankenstein and his bride. Some historical costume choices include Anthony and Cleopatra or King Louis and Marie Antoinette. If you want to feel like a princess for the day and only subtly break from tradition, you and your fiancé could dress up as Prince Charming and Cinderella.
It is possible to stick with tradition and still have a Halloween wedding. If you don’t want to wear a costume on your wedding day you can still wear a more formal, traditional dress. To add the Halloween touch get a white dress with black or red detailing. Another way you can add a subtle Halloween flair is by adding an orange sash. The groom can wear the traditional suit with an orange or red tie and boutonniere.
The bridal party should also be dressed according to your colors and how much of the Halloween theme you are incorporating into your wedding. Bridesmaids could wear black, red or orange and groomsmen would wear matching ties. If you want everyone to dress up in costume then head to the party rental store to choose their outfits.
If you want all of your guests to dress up, be sure to include wording on your invitations or in an insert indicating that guests can dress up. For those who feel uncomfortable wearing costumes to your wedding have cheap hats, masks or any funny props available for them to wear if they choose to at the wedding itself.
Now, how should you go about decorating the venue? If you decide to have a Halloween themed wedding a year prior to your wedding, you’re in luck! You’ll be able to select a number of discounted decorations a year prior to the wedding. The day after Halloween is when all of the Halloween decorations are heavily discounted and luckily for you, you’ll be able to score some great deals. You will be happy with all of the money you save and so will your budget. Before you start purchasing any items though you should check with your fiancé and ensure that they are on board with the theme you are going for.
If you are not going to go all out for your wedding and would prefer subtle Halloween decorations perhaps have pumpkin centerpieces or place cards. Candles can also be used throughout both the ceremony site and reception venue. You could have black, orange, red and purple tapered candles and put them throughout your venue(s).
Another great yet subtle Halloween centerpiece is having a candelabrum at each table surrounded by leaves and gourds. You could decorate your alter with colored tulle to accentuate the ceremony area. Great flowers for a Halloween themed wedding are black magic roses or orange daffodils. Not only are these ideas elegant but they also clearly mark the Halloween season without delving too much into the theme.
If you plan to get married at a religious location such as a church there may be rules for decorations for Halloween weddings. You will want to check if your venue has any rules prior to purchasing anything.
For the menu, you could have spaghetti and “eyeballs” for dinner and blood-red punch as your beverage. A tasty Halloween appetizer would be pumpkin soup served inside hollowed out pumpkins. You could also utilize our Halloween menu that we created. To more subtly incorporate Halloween into your wedding menu your main dish or dessert could include pumpkin.
Have a Halloween signature drink to continue on with the theme. You could have pumpkin martinis, apple cider sangria, or pumpkin spice punch. Have fun choosing spooky drinks that your guests are sure to love.
The cake is typically the highlight of dessert time. To incorporate the Halloween theme on your wedding cake you could have a cake topper that features fall leaves, miniature pumpkins or Jack Skellington and Sally. The flavor of your wedding cake could be pumpkin spice or red velvet. Whatever you choose will be enjoyed by all at your wedding.
Some great favor ideas include individually wrapped cookies, in the shape of pumpkins, leaves, or ghosts, a packet of pumpkin seeds to be planted the following spring, cookie cutters in Halloween shapes, a trick-or-treat bag filled with candy, wax fangs and lips, or Halloween candles in caramel, apple or other seasonal scents.
An unexpected piece that you could include during your reception would be to hire a fortune teller to give readings to your guests. You could also hire a creepy magician to entertain the crowd if there will be kids or if you are forgoing dancing.
The end of October tends to get chilly. Keep your guests and yourself warm by offering pashminas, throw blankets, or a hot cocoa, coffee or warm apple cider station. Also, following the ceremony make sure there is a warm space for your guests to gather so that they can escape the chilly weather. Guests may not stay as long if they are uncomfortably chilly. Your guests will be happy and so will you as you won’t freeze outside on the big day. It may be chilly during October but the scenery is gorgeous. Take advantage of the beautiful scenery and get some gorgeous photos of you, your new spouse, your family and your friends that will last forever.
Wedding planning can be a lot but no matter what you should try to have as much fun with it as possible. Having a Halloween themed wedding can be super fun and enjoyable for all involved. Plus, Halloween only comes once a year and many guests may have never experienced anything like it before. Your wedding will be unique and memorable. You wouldn’t want anything less for the day that celebrates you and the love of your life.
For more tips and wedding fun, make sure to check back every Wednesday at www.bctent.com/blog. Subscribe on the right to have our blog articles come straight to your inbox!
Got a suggestion for our next #WeddingWednesday blog? Share it with us and maybe we will write about it!