Hello goblins, ghouls, witches, and warlocks! As we approach Halloween, what better time to explore ways of incorporating spooky and eerie Halloween elements into your wedding? In this week’s post, we’ll cover 31 ways to spook-up your ambiance, attire, décor, florals, food, and themes!
🖤🧡🍬🦇🎃👻🕷️🍭🧡🖤
1. Bat Napkin Fold
If you planned for black napkins, don’t miss the opportunity to fold into a simple bat design. This is a free way to take what you already have and infuse your theme into the small details.
2. Bonfire
Hubby and I did a bonfire with s’mores bar at our rehearsal dinner, and it was one of my favorite parts of the wedding weekend. I’ve been seeing more photos online recently of couples that did a bonfire on their actual wedding night. Just magical.
3. Bottle of “Boos”
If your wedding is going to have family-style wine bottles on each table, you could print “Bottle of Boos” (read: “Booze”) labels and glue them over the existing labels on the bottles. Or you could think of another clever saying, one for red and one for white wine (perhaps “blood” and “bile”).
4. Candelabras
Nothing is more romantic than candlelight. Candelabras allow you to have several candles in each stand, providing more light than traditional singular candles. Imagine dimming the lights even more and dining by candelabra candlelight.
5. Candle Sticks
I recently discovered dripless candlesticks, which are great for your home parties to maintain a clean look, but for a spooky look you should 100% go with the drip kind – and opt for something with colors. For example, if your uplighting is purple, then go for a purple candlestick. Pull your colors through every small detail.
6. Candy Apple Bar
You won’t be bobbing for apples at this wedding! Set up a dessert bar with apples that guests can dip in red candy, chocolate, caramel, or even marshmallow fluff. Then have bowls with an assortment of toppings such as nuts, chocolates, sea salt, etc. This is a fresh take on a candy favor, while being interactive, custom, and really freakin’ tasty!
7. Candy Bar Venetian Hour
I love a candy bar and feel edible favors are the best kind. Your guests will leave your wedding (or after-party) with a sweet tooth and be so thankful for the treats. Especially for a Halloween-themed wedding, you must have a sendoff that includes candy!
8. Dark Bridesmaid Dresses
I see the bridesmaids dresses in either a heavier material such as velvet, or in a lighter silky material with a little shine to it. Keep to dark shades of black, purple, red, green, or blue for just the moody look your girls need.
9. Day of the Dead Cake Topper
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that begins on October 31st. The purpose is to meet with family and friends to remember those that have departed our realm. You could plan your very own Día de los Muertos for your October 31st wedding. Instead of having a dark and moody event, it would rather be more colorful, and the fun exception could be a face painting bar.
10. Deep Red, Purple, and Black Hues
As mentioned above in the bridesmaid dress section, dark hues are the way to go for a moody spooky Halloween wedding, but don’t stop with the dresses – think about tablecloth linens, napkins, and florals.
11. Dry Ice Signature Drink
Similar to the fog machine for the room (#14 below), dry ice added to your signature drink will add an eerie element and elevate your bar. Also consider picking a drink that is tinted dark red. It will look like boiling blood!
12. Dyed Red White Chocolate Fountain
And while we’re on the blood train, just add some red dye to your white chocolate fountain, and everything you dip in will be blood covered. How terrifyingly on theme! Try to go for natural dye options instead of food coloring, and if you wanted to avoid artificial dyes altogether then you could opt to use ruby chocolate with a bit of natural dye to make it red instead of pink.
13. Floral Branches
Instead of fresh lively florals, you could opt for a chic bare dead branches look. Light florals could be attached to the branches, or hanging candles can dangle, or they can be totally bare and painted.
14. Fog Machine
Fog can either look like angelic heavenly clouds, or a creepy graveyard. If the rest of your aesthetic was light and bright, then you are in heaven, but if the rest of your aesthetic is dark and moody, then you will get your eerie look.
15. Halloween Costumes
You could take an October 31st wedding very literally and ask all guests to come in costume. You could put a theme on it, like an 80’s wedding, or it can be everyone coming in something unique and different.
16. Horror Movie Photo Booth Cutouts
Who doesn’t love a good photo booth? Instead of using the typical props the booth comes with, go online and order a set of horror movie props and add them in. Guests who are into scary movies will absolutely love it!
17. Influence From Your Favorite Creepy Movie
Whether your favorite is Beetlejuice, The Addams Family, Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Halloweentown, or elsewise, you can add in elements of that movie into your especially spooky day.
18. Masquerade Ball
*gushes as I write* Is it just me, or does everyone also fantasize about going to a masquerade ball at least once in their life? I would LOVE to attend a ball where either we were informed in advance to bring our own unique masks, or the couple provided masks at the welcome table before entering the party.
19. Nighttime Ceremony
If you don’t mind partying til the wee hours of the morning, then bump your whole schedule back and start your day with an evening ceremony. Be sure to keep an eye on the full moon schedule, and light all the candles to complete the look.
20. Non-White Wedding Dress
Yes, the tradition is a pure white wedding dress. However, designers are starting to give us off-white, pink, purple, beige, blue, and ombre color effect dresses, and I am here for all these gorgeous options.
21. Officiant Spell Book
Your officiant will most likely hold some kind of book or binder so they can reference wording and not miss a beat. But why does that book or binder have to be hideous? Create a unique “spell” book to add an unexpected element of magic to the nuptials.
22. Pumpkin Florals
What’s more October or Halloween than pumpkins? There are literally hundreds of ways to incorporate pumpkins into your day. Think centerpieces, table numbers, lining the aisle or staircases, and so on.
23. Red Velvet Cake
Even if it’s your favorite flavor, red velvet is not a common wedding cake flavor because it is so dark and can show through certain icings if the icing is applied too thin. But for your Halloween wedding, it’s bloody perfect, so go for the red, and don’t forget that black velvet cake is also an option!
24. Skull Accents
Without getting too kitschy, and adding in too many props that look like fake bones, pick a few spots where you can place some bones. In my opinion, less is more here though. There are some great ideas online for bedazzling with gemstones or opening the top to fit a candle.
25. Smoke Bomb
The sole purpose for spoke bombs is for photography with a few people. I wouldn’t plan to give everyone at your wedding a smoke bomb, because the whole area will turn into a dark puff of color. Instead, pull yourself and your spouse or bridal party aside and take some small group shots. The smoke comes in literally every color.
26. Spider Napkin Rings
If you are opting for napkin rings instead of a fancy napkin fold, then consider purchasing fun napkin ring holders. These spiders are an option, or you could go for something else that matches your particular look.
27. “Til Death Do Us Part” Signage
You can go literal “til death do us part,” or you can have a little play on words and say “till death do us party.” I have seen both used on welcome signs, programs, bar signage, etc.
28. Topsy Turvy or Asymmetric Cake
This is an example of a topsy=turvy upside down wedding cake. You could also go with a traditional tower cake where the large tier is on the bottom and small on top, but ask for the tiers to be asymmetric and at unique angles. Your baker will have a field day with the cake.
29. Uplighting and Pin Lighting
Uplighting and pin lighting totally transform the look of your venue room with the flip of a switch. Shades of red and purple will provide the most Halloween feel to the space, and it is the most affordable way to change the room on a dime.
30. Wax Seal Stationary
You can order a whole slew of custom seals online or purchase prefab ones such as a skull or heart. You will pay for the stamp itself and the wax, then it’s your time to actually do this DIY project and seal the envelopes. But what a nice first impression it makes!
31. Wicked Affair Invitation
Don’t miss the opportunity to let guests know as soon as possible that your wedding will be the most fun wedding of the year. Begin teasing your spooky night right from the beginning with invitation wording.
🖤🧡🍬🦇🎃👻🕷️🍭🧡🖤
And there you have it, a comprehensive list of 31 things you could do to bring a little Halloween spook into your special day. And if you are possibly too far along in the planning process, already got married, or are not getting married and just LOVE HALLOWEEN, then feel free to plan a general Halloween Bash using the tips above. Most (except wedding dress) are transferable to non-marital parties. I hope you enjoyed this list – and have the most fun planning!
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