As the nights draw in and the air turns chill, the spooky Halloween season is right around the corner. For some daring couples, this eerie atmosphere is the perfect backdrop for an unusual and unforgettable wedding celebration.
“Halloween isn’t a traditional date for a wedding, and that’s what makes Halloween weddings so memorable,” says Chris Bajda from Groomsday, a one-stop online shop for wedding party gifts. If you’re looking to add a dash of the macabre to your matrimony, Chris has conjured up a cauldron full of bewitching wedding themes that are sure to leave your guests spellbound!
A Frightful Night At The Haunted Mansion
A haunted mansion is a classic venue for horror! Bring out all your vintage and Victorian clothes and decor for this theme. Use elegant colors like dark blues and rich burgundies, have vintage candelabras and old books as decor, and make cobwebbed vases of wilted roses your centerpieces.
You could wear a Victorian-style gown with lace and of course, the venue needs to be a haunted mansion, or at least dressed up to look like one. The focus should be on a multi-course dinner, perhaps with Victorian or older dishes, and an extravagant cake with multiple layers and black lace decorations.
Love At First Bite
Whether you’re more into Twilight or Dracula, vampires have always been the creatures of the night that best mix horror and romance. A vampire-themed wedding can go for a lot of beautiful deep red decor, with accents of black and flashes of silver. Vampires are traditionally elegant and sophisticated, so choose a menu and music to match and the bride can channel a ‘Bride of Dracula’ theme in a long white dress with flowing hair. Whether or not you wear fangs as well is up to you.
Embrace Gothic Elegance
Made famous by literary classics written by the Brontë sisters, Mary Shelley and Edgar Allen Poe, the gothic is all about restrained, subtle horror. Gothic literature is packed full of crumbling old mansions and brooding heroes and that’s why an old church, cathedral, or large mansion could be an amazing setting for a gothic wedding. Having the bride in a long white flowing dress with her hair undone is essential. And you could have each centerpiece be themed after a different Gothic literary classic, like Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre.
Whispers In The Woods
Forests have been the setting for horror since time immemorial, from Hansel & Gretel all the way to The Blair Witch Project. A haunted forest-themed wedding could be held out in nature at night, with fairy lights and lanterns lighting the venue to create a mysterious mood. An old ruin or secluded clearing could be the perfect place.
Painted Faces On Parade… Masquerade!
Imagine the glittering parade of the masquerade ball, where every mask hides a secret… Masquerades are a natural venue for spookiness, from the uncannily human-but-not-quite masks to the killer lurking in the crowd. Ask everyone to wear masks, and have some to hand in case someone forgets and go big on everything, from decorations to music. Bright, jewel tones like deep purple and emerald green, a stunning cake with edible gold, and a live string quartet come together to perfectly set the scene.
Love Beyond The Grave
Zombies might not be the first thing you think when you think ‘romance,’ but they are great for a horror-themed wedding. Tattered wedding gowns, faux blood stains, a dark veil for the bride, and a distressed or artfully torn suit for the groom. To further the theme, you could have an illusion cake that looks like a tombstone or even something gross like body parts. For favors, you could make up little ‘zombie apocalypse survival kits’ with candy as ‘emergency snacks’ and hand sanitizer ‘anti-zombie’ spray.
Ever After In The Twilight Zone
If you want a horror theme without asking everyone to dress up, you could make your wedding a homage to classic horror movies. Decorate the venue with vintage horror movie posters, add signs with classic horror quotes, and stick to a strict black, white, and red color scheme. You can add props from classic horror movies to your photo booth, like Freddy Kreuger’s clawed glove or the killer’s mask from Scream.
Welcome To The Phantom Carnival
Pennywise from Stephen King’s classic novel It put a lot of people off clowns for life, but there’s a lot more to a carnival-themed wedding. You can make vintage carnival games the centerpiece, whether you go as small as Hoopla or as big as hiring fairground rides. You can continue the theme with cotton candy cocktails and popcorn boxes as favors, or maybe a fairground organ playing creepy tunes for everyone to shuffle their feet to.
Eternity Under The Sea
The mystery and terror of being lost forever at sea and spooky tales of sirens and Kraken are perfect for a Halloween wedding. Pick colors like deep blues and greens with accents of shimmering silver to remind guests of the deep ocean. You could have seashell jewelry, or make each centerpiece a treasure chest full of gold and pearls.
An ocean-side venue or even a wedding on board a ship would be perfect for this wedding. You could even go a step further and incorporate a swim partway through the day! Shimmering makeup the color of a mermaid’s scales and a mermaid cut dress will complete the theme.
Realm Of The Spirits
Perhaps the most classic spooky theme of all is ghosts and spirits and draping your venue in flowing fabrics and lighting it all with a dim, soft glow will set the scene. Keep everything ethereal with colors like white and silver. You could make a special wedding cocktail filled with edible silver glitter or hire a harpist to provide mystical music as you walk down the aisle.
You can also set up lanterns around the venue to add to the spooky vibe, making them look like they’re being carried by invisible ghosts. Additionally, consider having a time set aside for telling ghost stories, or set up a scavenger hunt to track down cute ghost figurines around the venue.
So now you’ve picked your theme, how do you achieve it? First of all, I recommend making a vision board. This is where you can throw together all the ideas you like, regardless of whether they’re practical or all fit together. This is the gathering inspiration stage, so don’t be limited by anything.
Next, get the main elements sorted. Book the venue, photographer, and catering, sort out the licenses and officiant, and buy your outfits. Once all the essentials are covered, you can start on the themed decor and extra elements. If you’re asking guests to dress up, I’d recommend sending out your invitation as soon as possible so people have time to plan their outfits.
For more information and ideas for your spooky wedding, please visit the GroomsDay website
