A Very WebSpinstress Wedding
My Gothic Masquerade Halloween wedding of 2008 was inspired by my artwork and creative dark crafting skills. A mix of elegant, elaborate, and the unusual made for a no-stress and dramatic wedding that appealed to all of our friends and family...
Originally, our Gothic wedding wasn't supposed to be on Halloween. We had just celebrated 7 years together in September on my birthday, and made the decision to finally get married a few weeks later. A JP was the easiest route, but Halloween was creeping up and we thought we could at least tie the two together and throw a party. That gave me about 5 weeks to do it myself and pull everything together with a mere $200 budget.
Gothic Wedding Attire
Halloween Costumes with Wedding Inspiration
We invited our guests to an elegant Gothic Masquerade wedding on Halloween night. Although masks were not required, costumes were, and they needed to have dark appeal.Buying a dress and tuxedo wasn't an option because but we wanted original and unique attire that wouldn't look overdone. I also wasn't prepared to spend a lot of money on outfits with a one-time use (wedding or not! LOL). I came up with this dress design for myself and customized a jacket for my groom, and relied on my Mom's sewing machine skills to help create our elegant attire. We had never sewn a dress before but I assured my Mom that whatever we could create together would work fine for me, because it can always be modified.
The Wine-colored fabric for the dress, jacket, and hat made a dramatic statement in all the photos that were taken that night. I'm glad I didn't opt just for a plain black dress. My dress has a full black tulle netting skirt underneath, a corset styled top that laces up the front, and is in 3 separate pieces so I can wear them with other outfits day to day. My groom's top hat was plain black felt, but we created a mini corset slip on it to mimic my dress. His jacket was modified with bell shaped sleeves, strips of wine colored fabric that run along the outer lining, and large antique silver buttons. I combined old-school Gothic style, with modern textures and patterns, and vintage accents. I am thrilled that it pieced together so elegantly.
"We honor those who gave us life, who shared their lives with us, and who taught us how to live life to its fullest. We celebrate with the ones who could be here, those who could not, and others who are here in spirit...
Dark and Elegant Setting
Gothic Home Decorating
I thought the other weddings I had attended over the years were missing close interaction between friends and family. I wanted everyone to feel like they were equally part of our special day, and not just like they were watching another ceremony.Against initial shocked reactions, I decided to hold the whole thing inside our apartment. Granted, we do have a 2-bedroom, but it's about 1200 sq ft for our 20 guests. It ended up being the best decision I made because it took limited decorations to create a close and comfortable setting for everyone.
I hand painted a foam pumpkin with a diamond pattern and used black feathers and black roses as main accents to create a masquerade scene. We placed electric flame lanterns in two corners of our dining room to make it feel old and castle-like.
The masks I created a few years ago helped with the masquerade theme, but the raven in the branches with draping vines stole the show for a while...I even tilted my paintings (yes, it drove me nuts to see them angled on the wall), and I draped spider webbing over almost everything for spooky appeal. I did my best to make the webbing look real and not like balls of clouds. Here's the dragon going through our wall that I've mentioned in other lenses, with my "Tribal Origins" painting pictured here.
"They always have a little bit of Halloween in their home and a lot of Halloween in their hearts..."
A Gothic Ceremony
Modest, but Meaningful Gothic Wedding
Many of our guests had not been in costume for years, and I'm thrilled to have inspired them to celebrate in full attire. It was the first time many of our friends and family had met, and was a memorable and personal experience.We had simple appetizers, a coffin cooler in the bathtub, and decorated an alter for us to stand at for the ceremony. We held it in our bedroom where we have a turret, and I had everyone sit down comfortably together. I draped black lace spider web fabric from the ceiling bunched with faux black roses to make the turret appear as a separate room.
The ceremony was very nontraditional; based only on personal experiences, and both of us with our 2 young kids becoming a recognized family. As for us, well here we are married and we still look just as happy as our "before" pictures from all 7 years previous... LOL
"Every year, each Jack-o-lantern carved, trick-or-treater, and all celebrations held on October 31st shall be a reminder of two souls who shared their love with each other and all who witnessed it. Our kids will pass on our love with each costume worn on Halloween, and every costume created for their own kids thereafter. May every pumpkin be carved with love, whether toothless, grinning, or spilling it's guts out...
Some of our family that attended...
Gothic Halloween Invitations
More Lenses by WebSpinstress
Gothic Decorating, Halloween Themes & Decorations
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Alice in Wonderland Costumes for Halloween
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There's nothing more appropriate than an Alice in Wonderland costume this Halloween if you are excited for the release of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland Movie on March, 2010. Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter, Mia Wasikowska as Alice, and...
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Halloween Party Decorations, Themes, and Costumes
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Themed Halloween party decorations are an easy way to create a fun and authentic setting. For unique Halloween party ideas and decorations, you can choose a single theme or incorporate a few themes together to keep your spooky decorating original. H...
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Gothic Gifts for Christmas, Birthdays, Special Occasions
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There are a lot of cute Gothic gift ideas floating around, but someone forgot to send a memo somewhere. Gothic has elegance and style...funny t shirts, horror movies, and yet another Nightmare before Christmas figurine gets morbid - even for the morb...
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Horrifying Halloween Haunts for your Home
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If your goal is to count screams this year for a very haunted Halloween, you need a yard full of horrific haunts and scary Halloween decorations to create an authentic spooky setting. However, you can't just rely on spooky decorations and Hallow...
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Gothic Style Bedrooms - Themes, Ideas, Design, Decorating
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Almost any bedroom theme can be modified to include Gothic style elements and features. You can choose to make your bedroom design dark, elegant, romantic, cultural, artistic, spooky, or mix and match until they fit your own unique Gothic style. The...
Are you planning a Gothic Wedding?
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- j_barnhart4 j_barnhart4 Oct 28, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
- My wedding cost $40 at the county court house...yours was so much better - jealous. To celebrate the upcoming anniversary, here's an angel blessing for your lens :)
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- ChapelHillFiddler ChapelHillFiddler Oct 18, 2009 @ 6:54 am
- Very cute, and congrats to the happy family. My daughter's getting married next year, I'll send her this lens as inspiration... Thanks for sharing your family pictures!
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- susannaduffy susannaduffy Sep 30, 2009 @ 8:26 pm
- What a day to remember! Your (future) children will love this when they see the photos. Blessed by an Angel today (squidoo.com/october-blessings)
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- Winter52 Winter52 Aug 31, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
- Impressive... I even linked the lens to "So You Want to be a Writer"... not a Squidoo lens, but maybe I should think about it. Loved the idea of a Halloween wedding!
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- nightbear nightbear Aug 30, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
- it looks like you had so much fun. :) You seem to have a good life. I am happy for you.
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Gothic Wedding Accessories
Jewelry, Boots, Dress, Veil
Dark & Elegant Halloween Blog
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