Halloween Wedding - Decor, Flowers, Favors

Just as any other date of the year, you try to pick a date that means something to you. Whether commercialized or not, it exists as an ancient celebration and a great day to bring the WHOLE family together again. ;-)

My reason for Halloween is "what better day?" We missed our 7 year anniversary the beginning of September and it'll give us and both of our kids an extra reason to enjoy trick-or-treating every year after. Typically hand-fasting is good enough for Gothic couples, however circumstances and romantic reasons sometimes lead to something a little more...

So, we'll honor the dead who passed us life and rejoice in Summer's end, with New England Fall leaves, pumpkins, apples, and maple syrup to harvest us into the long snowy Winter.

For decorating theme ideas, I have a Halloween-based article here: Halloween Party Themes and Decor, so I'm going to lay off most of the decorating aspects. No reason to duplicate.

A traditional Halloween wedding would be based on the history of the holiday, with giving tribute to the dead and offering them a gift to bless crops that would be harvested before the long Winter storms in.

A Gothic Wedding is based on Ancient, Medieval, or Victorian eras with appropriate theme settings, attire, music, and catering. My Gothic Wedding ideas are located here: http://www.squidoo.com/GothicWeddings. Gothic weddings can be spooky, elegant, cultural, or a mix between the three. The most popular Gothic themes include Graveyard, Victorian, Whimsical/Fantasy, or Vampyric in some form with rich culture trends, but a dark twist. Most Goths are very creative and artistic, so you never know exactly what type of wedding it will be after handmade touches are included. Except of course, that it will be one you'll never forget and include romantic undertones in every aspect. :-)

Whimsical or Fantasy themes can make for a fun Halloween wedding. This is where you'll see character or creature based settings such as Fairies, Dracula, Pirates, Dragons, Alice in Wonderland, Circus, Fairy Tales, Phantom of the Opera, Addams Family, Wizards, etc.

Then there's spooky themes - straight from the graveyard with skulls, monsters, ghosts, werewolves, creepy and bloody things, corpses, mummies, witches, and so forth. A frightfully delightful wedding?

A modern Halloween wedding could be one big costume party with games, awards, prizes, music, and trick-or-treating. The benefits of a non-themed Halloween wedding is that favors and decorations are widely available, cost effective, and fun for all ages.

* Pass out gourmet candied apples, apple slices, fruits such as strawberries and bananas, or nuts drizzled with chocolate layers. A fondue pot comes in handy, unless you want to do the work yourself.

* Fill glass jars or potion bottles with sugared pumpkin candies, candy sticks, gourmet jelly beans, etc.

* Arrange trays with Halloween chocolates and truffles, cookies, and elegantly dressed cupcakes with frosting shaped as ghosts, black roses, spider webs, etc.

* Fill wine glasses with layered mousse.

* Use mini pumpkins as soup bowls.

Here's a few recipes I've found that look promising:
Bistro Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Spider Web Munch
Halloween Cocktails and Gory Garnishes
Caramel Apple Bars
Pumpkin Mousse
Mousse-filled Witches Hats

Almost Black (dark purple):
"Black Beauty" and "Night Watchman" Roses, Nemophila, "Queen of Night" tulips, "Paint it Black" Iris, "Bowles Black" Viola, "Black Barlow" Aquilegia, "Black Dragon" Coleus.

Blood Red:
"Black Forest" Calla Lillies (red and black), "Black Magic" and "Black Baccara" roses, Impatiens, Amaryllis. Also, "Fire 'n Ice" roses have red tips and are white inside.

Orange:
Tigerlilies, Snapdragons, "Hot Romance" Hybrid Tea Roses (orange/yellow), "Remember Me" roses (orange/tan), Bird of Paradise.

Yellow:
"Brandy" roses, "Oregold" roses, Calla lilies, Gerberas, Columbine, Iris, Trumpet Vine, Tulips.