Halloween Weddings

It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the New Year, but now it is already autumn. In October, our minds automatically start thinking of Halloween. For many people, Halloween is one of their most favorite holidays. They enjoy dressing up, creating spooky haunted houses, and eating a lot of candy. However, it's not usually a day when people think of getting married. In fact, it is worth noting that some people are put off by a Halloween wedding because there is such an emphasis on all things that are scary. This leads some people believe that Halloween is synonymous with thoughts of Satanism and other dark images. So is this an okay day to marry or are we doomed for a lifetime of misery?

Historically speaking, Halloween's origins can be traced back to an ancient Celtic Festival that celebrated November 1st as the Celtic New Year. It celebrated the end of the bright, long days of summer and the beginning of the dark, shorter, and much colder months of winter. It was on this day the boundaries between the living and the dead were said to be blurred. Meaning that on this day, the souls of the departed were able to walk among the living. In order to have a profitable spring, ancient Celts would create huge bonfires and sacrifice crops and animals. As Christianity developed in Ireland, Pope Boniface IV declared November 1st as All Saints' Day, which is a day to honor all Saints and Martyrs. This seems to be the beginning of a religious tone for Halloween.

After Pope Boniface stepped in, some of the traditions of Halloween that we celebrate today began to evolve from culture to culture. Typically, Halloween or October 31st kicks off the Festival of the Dead. For three days, people celebrate and remember deceased members of families and other members of the community. In these traditions, people would sometimes set a place at the dinner table for their deceased members or place treats and candles along the side of the road to help their loved ones get back to the spirit world. In England, poor people would beg for food in exchange for praying for a family's deceased members. One can easily see how these old traditions have created the Halloween traditions we currently practice.

With respect to other cultures, it must be noted that not everyone celebrates Halloween. In fact, in some parts of the world, October 31st is just another day. For many cultures that do celebrate Halloween, as previously mentioned, this is a day that many believe blends the living world with the spiritual world. So this just means that Halloween is a time for reflection and contemplation and by no means is this a Satanic or evil day.

So if Halloween if your favorite holiday, don't let nay Sayers talk you out of it. Own your day and create the wedding of your dreams!

So you are thinking about having a Halloween wedding but you aren't sure where to start. There are several different avenues you could take but the main thing with having a Halloween wedding is the idea of dressing up in costumes and doing something really fun and out of the ordinary. With that in mind, my first thought for a Halloween wedding theme is an elegant Gothic Wedding which incorporates a semi spooky mood.

It is true that a Gothic wedding could be really creepy and disturbing, but it can also be elegant and fun. To create a Gothic wedding, you would want to start by looking at items that are vintage or have a Victorian look to them. It must also be noted that the colors for a Gothic wedding tend to be red and black.

The way to immediately start creating the mood for your wedding is through the wedding invitations. This is crucial and great pains should be taken to create the right mood especially for this type of wedding. Having invitations with the Nightmare Before Christmas's Jack and Sally would certainly convey a Halloween theme but it lacks in the elegance department. I have seen several different types of invitations that were both elegant and conveyed the Halloween wedding theme. One example would be a picture of a bride and groom embracing in a graveyard or have an invitation to a simple but elegant Victorian wrought iron design. These styles would both describe the wedding as well as the elegance about the wedding.

Creating the desired mood for the wedding requires finding the right location. I think if you try to create a Gothic wedding in a fancy hotel it is not going to come off with the right feeling. When you try to create something for a space that it is not designed for, it then the end result may come off as cheesy or lame. So to create the Gothic ambiance in your setting, I recommend looking for a Victorian style Mansion or even a Victorian style bed and breakfast that will allow weddings. At night, these old buildings look like a haunted house which will fit into the semi spooky Gothic theme and will naturally create the intended mood.

Our culture has loosened up on the rules of weddings which allow each couple to express themselves in ways that reflect their values and personalities. With that in mind, think about having a black wedding. This means that everyone from the bride to the groomsmen is dressed in black. You could find an elegant, black, Victorian gown for the bride and the bridesmaids. The groom and groomsmen could be dressed in very elegant black tuxedos with the tails. If you are superstitious or completely turned off by the black for a wedding gown then a color alternative could be a red gown or a midnight blue gown. If you like the thought of everyone but the bride in black then wearing a white or off white Victorian gown would not look as Gothic but it would certainly look elegant.

With respect to the wedding flowers, my first choice would be black-red roses. These are very dark red roses with a hint of black around the edges. This dark look would greatly compliment the Halloween wedding theme. Other wedding flowers to consider would be burgundy Celosia, black calla lilies, and dark red tulips.

While a fog machine would add ambiance, it will also add a musty odor that may have guests coughing. So with that in mind, I would forgo to the fog. However, for decorating ideas for the reception think of have black table cloths with dark, red overlays. You could even do elegant red, velvet runners instead of the overlays for rectangular tables.

Wrought iron candelabras would make ideal centerpieces. The wrought iron look has that old Victorian look that many typically find in haunted houses. In fact, the more candles the merrier as it creates natural shadows which contributes to the spooky theme while adding soft romantic lighting.

Because everything has a dark look, then your natural choice for a wedding cake would have to be something chocolate. One idea is to have a white exterior cake decorated with spider webs and topped with a tombstone style figurine. Another idea is to have a white cake with some dark red flowers placed on top. While on the subject of chocolate, a fountain is a fun way to provide people with as many dark moments as possible.

Hopefully some of these ideas will help you create an elegant, Gothic wedding.

When I was growing up, the main reason I looked forward to Halloween was so I could dressing up in a costume. It was the one day of the year when I could be anything I wanted. Because I was feeling nice and sweet one year, I decided to be an angel and the next year I dressed up like a devil.

So, if you are thinking about having a Halloween wedding and don't like the Gothic look, then think about creating another type of theme where you can indulge in your fantasy and dress up but the atmosphere is playful and not scary. A good example of this would be to have a pirate wedding.

Since Pirates of the Caribbean skyrocketed to success, people have found renewed interest in pirates. In fact, pirate themed parties are one of the most popular themes. Having a pirate themed wedding is a fun way to tie in the spirit of dressing up for Halloween but in a different way.

When creating a theme, you have got to start with the invitations. That is going to set the stage for what's to come. The most popular invitation for this type of wedding is to create one that looks like a treasure map or at least is burned around the edges. Take note that burning the edges is something that must be done individually and can take a long time especially if you have a lot to do. The next step is to mail the invitation. You could opt to mail them the traditional way of using an envelope or you could try to stuff them into plastic bottles. Obviously, the second way looks more authentic, but it costs almost twice as much to send so you may be better off going the traditional route.

The setting of your wedding is important. If at all possible, try to have it on a ship. You could check out some Yacht companies for pricing. If that doesn't work then I have seen where the wedding is next to a body of water with some ships in the background to help create the ambiance. If you are unfortunate and don't live near water but are dying to have this type of wedding then you can peruse the party supply companies and order supplies to help you create the look. You can buy an 8' ship, masts, and other items to help create the appropriate atmosphere anywhere.

The great thing about these party supply stores is that they also carry a wide variety other items that you can use for decorating. For example, you can create treasure box centerpieces by buying the little treasure boxes and filling them with candy gold coins and plastic jewelry. You could even create a treasure chest cake topper for your wedding cake.

Colors for a pirate wedding would be red, white, and black as most pirate costumes tend to have these as their main colors.

You may have a tough time finding the right wedding attire as pirate costumes are not found in mainstream stores during the year. However, there are a lot of web sites that sell top quality costumes but make sure you contact them about their ordering and return policies. Also, I would choose a company that makes top quality, ornate costumes that will make you look attractive. Even though you are having a non traditional wedding you still want to look your best.

Also, when hiring your officiant, be sure to tell him/her your intentions for having a pirate themed wedding. If your officiant will dress up as well your wedding will look that much more authentic. Sometimes, guests will be reluctant to dress up. You can coax even the most resistant members by having some hats, swords, eye patches, and shoulder parrots available at the ceremony for your guests use.

Finally, don't forget your vows. If you are going to go through the trouble to create a pirate wedding then you will at least want to sound like one. To do this, you will need to add some authentic sounding pirate lingo. There are some great websites devoted to pirate lingo to help you create vows that sound like you were sailing the seven seas.

Who said that Halloween meant you had to be scary? Who said it had to be dark? When children come to my house they all look a little different. There are some scary monsters and wicked witches but there are also sweet looking animals and fairies. There are no hard fast rules for dressing up for Halloween.

That is great news for someone who wants to have a Halloween wedding but doesn't want the gore. If you fall into this category, then a fairytale wedding may interest you. Fairytale weddings tend to appeal to those romantics who have always dreamed of being Cinderella. This theme screams innocence and purity. It is also the embodiment of all things good and chaste. With that thought in mind, there are a couple of ways to pull of a fairytale theme. You could either go the Cinderella route with the pumpkin coach and glass slipper or with a crystal castle.

Regardless of the route you choose, the popular colors for this theme are: white, silver, and pale blue (or any other pastel). These colors stem directly from Cinderella and are typically the colors most found to describe the purity and innocence of this theme.

For your invitations you can easily find a style that incorporates the castle, coach, and/ or glass slipper. These are pretty standard motifs for this theme. Any of these would set the appropriate mood

For the setting of your event, if you are lucky enough to find a castle close to where you want to have the wedding, then you have the best option. There are some bed and breakfasts that resemble castles in various parts of the country. You may even decide to marry at Cinderella's Castle in Disney Land. With this theme you are going to want your venue to be elegant and fitting for a princes, and really any venue that you find aesthetically pleasing would work nicely.

This theme is a reflection of royalty (Cinderella was marrying a prince), and therefore, if you decide to have this theme then you should create a formal or ultra formal event. With that in mind, the bride's wedding gown would probably be a ball gown with the full skirt. The groom could wear a white tuxedo. The Bridesmaids could wear any style that conveys the appropriate formality of the affair and the groomsmen could wear formal light gray tuxedos.

The wedding flowers could consist of virtually anything. White roses or calla lilies make excellent choices. Because of the innate femininity of this theme, I suggest that one area that is not skimped on is the wedding flowers. This includes flowers for the wedding venue and the reception. For this theme, the more flowers the better because wedding flowers create softness and elegance. The bride could carry an elegant, cascading, all white bouquet with silver ribbons and the bridesmaids bouquets could incorporate a little color.

When decorating for the reception, make sure you have key floral arrangements present. These arrangements would typically go on the buffet and cake tables as well as the gift and guest registry tables. If you wanted to make your centerpieces stand out, then you may want to opt for small lighted glass castles. This provides soft lighting while keeping with the fairytale motif. Another idea may be to find crystal coaches or small glass slippers for the centerpieces. Any of these items would serve to enhance the theme.

In my opinion, a fairy tale wedding requires a formal wedding with a full meal. In this case, I don't think an appetizer reception would look as nice and I think it could detract from the fairytale you are trying to create. Aside from that, any item selected for the menu would be a great choice.

For cake ideas, you have the option of a traditional cake with a cake topper, maybe one that matches your centerpieces. Or you could have the cake in the shape of a castle. Another elegant option would be to have an ice sculpture. This definitely looks classy and it helps develop the fairytale theme.

With this theme, there are so many different types of wedding favors that you could use. Some ideas include purchasing small castle candles, pumpkin-coach picture frames, or even small glass slippers.

In fairy tales, Cinderella type weddings happen to princes and princesses, which mean for them, money is no object. To fully create this theme, you will need to spend some money and items like wedding flowers do not come cheap. However, even if you don't have a huge budget you could still use many of the suggestions here and still have a gorgeous wedding.