Happy Hallowedding!

When planning a Halloween wedding, one of the first decisions to make is the style. To different couples, the tradition of the Hallowedding can be either gothic, ghoulish, elegant, fully costumed, or somewhere in between. Halloween weddings are popular enough a photographer in Southern California is advertising his services free just for the opportunity to attend and capture the imagery. With that in mind, here are some ideas the Certified Wedding Planner can use, in our A-6 Event Planning Format, to plan a Halloween wedding.

Anticipation – Halloween wedding invitation themes can include scenes from The Bride of Frankenstein or other iconic horror movies; orange and black colors with images of pumpkins, bats, or ghosts; black or orange chiffon bows around somber dark grays, blacks, reds, oranges, browns, and golds; or smoky, haunted chandelier imagery. RSVP and Save the Date cards can utilize a personalized photo or video inviting guests to “Come Dressed to Kill”; or feature pumpkins and fall leaves. Depending on your style choice, virtually any traditional Halloween icons and images can adorn your pre-wedding communications.

Arrival – The bride and groom can arrive at the venue in a hearse, the back of a dark horse-drawn wagon, or a black stretch limousine. Guests should be greeted at a theme decorated entrance with refreshments by costumed ushers.

Atmosphere – Depending on whether you decide on a gothic, festive, or elegant Halloween interpretation, the ceremony and reception can be held at a haunted house, spooky castle, rundown motel, or gothic cathedral. Be sure the venue matches your chosen style of wedding theme. For a costume theme wedding, the bride and groom can dress in gothic formal, as a zombie couple, as Dracula and his Bride, or any number of historical or fictional character costumes. Wedding party attire is also limitless, beholden only to the wedding style and the whims of the betrothed. For a more elegant event, consider a dark, slim-fitting gown and a black tuxedo with tails. Wedding guests can be directed to attend in their costumed best.

To decorate the venue, supplement a lack of intrinsic scariness in an ordinary hall with plenty of dark colors, such as black, orange, brown, red, and gray, combined with props to match the wedding style. These can include commercialized or natural representations of pumpkins, dried flowers, fall leaves, gourds, and spider webs. For more dramatic decorations, use coffins, dead trees, tombstones, jack-o-lanterns, or cauldrons. Centerpiece options include hollowed out gourds or pumpkins with flowers or candles, horror-themed candle and flower holders, miniature tombstones, all manner of skulls, and orange and black pillar candles adorned with matching ribbon on circular mirrors.

Appetite – Halloween wedding cake creations can be influenced by Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, feature macabre and festive pumpkins, evoke a haunted castle or mansion, surrender to creepy cobwebs and scorpions, support a multi-tiered cemetery, and dabble in the occult. Cake topper bride and groom designs consist of various skeleton couples, Frankenstein and his Bride, cavorting bats, loving dragons, and custom made depictions of Dracula and his Bride.

Halloween candy dishes filled with roasted pumpkin seeds or candy corn can serve as tabletop snacks. Place dry ice in a punch bowl or cauldron filled with a favorite bewitching beverage mix to further combine refreshment with atmosphere. For a ghoulish touch, create the infamous Jell-o brain.

The side dish and dessert menu can generously feature any of dozens of pumpkin recipes in addition to a more traditional autumn wedding menu main course of roasted turkey, pork, fish, quail, or ribs. Other side dishes can consist of squash, corn, mashed or sweet potatoes, and whole grain rolls. For beverages, serve hot toddies, Irish coffees, brown liquors, red wines, merlots, and cabernets. Dessert choices can be pecan pie, banana nut bread, baked apple pie, pumpkin pie, or chocolate cake with marzipan fruit.

Amusement – If you hire a live band or DJ, be sure to have them dress to match your theme. Song selections should cover the bride and groom’s favorites, but traditional Halloween themes such as Devil Went Down to Georgia, Monster Mash, the Ghostbusters theme song, Thriller, Purple People Eater, I Put a Spell on You, Hells Bells, Super Freak, Bat Out of Hell, Psycho Killer, the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, and many Rob Zombie songs can be included. Other entertainment options are to hire a gypsy-clad fortune teller, a magician, a hypnotist, or a tarot card or palm reader.

Appreciation – For favors, consider Halloween trick or treat bags, engraved theme candles, pumpkin butter jars, packets of pumpkin seeds, scary key chains, homemade chocolates or cookies shaped as ghosts, tombstones, bats, witches, pumpkins, or skeletons, miniature pumpkin pies, or masquerade masks. Thank you notes can match the style of the pre-wedding stationery in color and content.