WebSpinstress - My Gothic Halloween Wedding

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 for us to achieve an original and unique style that wouldn't appear overdone or out of place. 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, relying 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...

To me, the other weddings I have attended over the years have been 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 the wedding was complete after watching the 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..."

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 that many of our friends and family had ever met each other, and was a very 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...