Wednesday, October 30, 2013

5 Ways To Have A Classy Halloween Wedding

Are you planning a Halloween wedding for next year?  No need to have to choose between your haunted Holiday and a classy event.  It’s definitely possible to incorporate elements of the spooky and mysterious day without pulling it down to the sophistication level of a haunted house.

1.  The general trick is Do not take it too literally and to carefully choose the areas that you integrate the spook-factor into your day!  That is a common denominator among all these tips!  There are ways to make it a little more Phantom-of-the-Opera and less Monster Mash, and we don’t mind sharing some with you:

2.  Choose A Venue That Sets The Tone For The Style You Want  
Whether you have a castles, mansions, old historic buildings, or cathedrals in the town of your wedding, go check them out!  This is a great example from a NYC wedding, where they chose a venue that created a Dracula’s castle theme; they kept it very old-world classy and still managed to sneak in many creepy details. 

As you can see, they chose a venue that did a lot of the work for them, creating the mood.  Dim lighting, colored lighting, and lots of candles set the ambiance!  We also love the shadows and reflections that are casted on the floor by all the candle light!  The venue creates a gothic mysterious aesthetic without anything too literal dragging it down!  We love it!

3.  Avoid Using The Halloween Orange and Black Duo.
Add in neutrals, or consider variations, like gold, dark purples, and browns.  It will work wonders for your wedding, bringing it from elementary school Halloween party to a beautiful event, just in reconsidering your palette!  Here are some inspiration we’ve found and loved:

Above flowers done by Karen Tran Florals
Flowers from LB Floral
See how well that works?  Again, it’s all about not taking Halloween too literally and finding ways to have less shtick and more beauty!  Furthermore, Tip #4 falls under the same set of rules.

4.  Don’t Fall Into The Halloween Decor Trap  
You know, the plastic ones that you’ll see everywhere on sale after tomorrow?  Resist the urge to bargain shop and remember that less is more.  Actually, none is most, in this case!  AND, the best way to do it probably won’t be found in a clearance bin of a party store on November 1st. 

ABOVE - linens: White Table // Heirlooms: Vintage Vows

As we said, choose strategically where you will capitalize on the extreme theme and limit yourself to a few places throughout your day.  Those things will be memorable, they just won’t be the ONLY thing people remember about your day!  Keeping on that topic, #5 is in this same category, but we think it’s great enough to be a tip of it’s own...

4.  Theme Your Signature Cocktail
The bar is one area that is okay to have a little more shtick.  Not only can your drink colors and garnish be bright colors, but the bar is the area its okay to have halloween candy.  Whether you go gory with eyeball and brains candy in a bowl, or a little more traditional with candy corn, this is one area of your wedding where you get a pass to feature Halloween details without being tacky!


5.  Carefully Consider Before Planning Anything Scary
Sure, maybe you think it would be a great idea to plan a scare sometime during the reception, but if you have elderly family and children in attendance, it might not lead to the laughs and memories you’re hoping.  It could end with very uncomfortable moments with inconsolably crying children... and that puts a real damper on the humor of it all.  Not to mention that it’s not a good idea to startle the elderly, you don’t want a situation on your hands.  Also worth considering, some people get angry when caught off guard, especially after a few drinks.  IF you still want to, just be thoughtful in finding ways around this, like providing something separate for children in that time or location of the reception.

Is there anything else you’re doing special for your Halloween Wedding?  We’d to hear about it!

No comments:

Post a Comment