# Halloween Wedding 2005...ideas needed



## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

Halloween Wedding 2005
We're getting married on Halloween of this year (2005) We're having our wedding outside after dark with a Halloween theme , so far this is about all we have as far as plans..Lol sad i know. So i could use any and all ideas silly or not. Also , by random chance if any of You have any suggestions on places in southern IL that'd be great. Thanks! Oh and our colors are crimson and black.


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

How about having the minister/rabbi/justice of the peace/etc. dressed as Dr. Frankenstien, the bride to be dresses the part of the bride of Frankenstein, the groom as the Monster. Table decorations can be small windmills, have the wedding cake done to look like the castle Frankenstein. If you are going to use cloth napkins, have them made from multiple pieces of cloth, different colors and textures and stitched together with big heavy stitches (ala the monster), if they are going to be paper napkins they can be printed to look like they are stitched together. 
Because it is at night, you can use candles for light sources at tables, use the big round ones, preferably light green, use large metal push pins, and stick two in each candle, place them on opposite sides at the base, if you want something more Gothic, you can use plastic skulls with an electric candle mounted to the top (hot glue them on), use the hot glue gun to add "Melted wax" down the side of the candle and around the base of the candle where it meets the rest of the skull, after you are satisfied with the look, mask off the skull so that only the candle and the "wax" are showing, make sure that you also mask off the opening at the top of the candle where the bulb screws in. Once you have it masked off, spray paint the candle and wax black, the black really stands out against the color of the skull, make it a semi-gloss or satin finish, too shiny and it looks like plastic, to dull and it looks like bad plastic. After you have applied the paint and are happy with the appearance, peel away the mask and let the paint dry. You should peel the mask off as soon as you can so that it doesn't get to bonded with the paint.
For other lights you can use tiki torches or something of that sort, If you want some theme music, how about the violin piece written for "Young Frankenstein"?
Beautiful piece that can be done as a solo or with accompanyment. If you just want to use the recording, it is used for the opening and closing of the movie. Make your invitations out as they were a notice to be posted to the villagers, do it on a parchment stock and in a German fraktur lettering style, or, do them like the poster in Young Frankenstein, when Frederic Frankenstein was introducing the monster on stage. The DVD has a good shot of the poster in that scene.
If you can have thunder and lightning effects at the conclusion of the nuptials, it would be a great topper to the event. You can even have the minister/etc. conclude his part by saying something like "Give this creation life".
You can ask the guests to come in costume, either traditional Halloween style, or as a villager in peasant clothes.
Just thoughts from the cheap seats.
FontGeek


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

*Wow..*

Wow...i love all of those ideas im sitting here pen in hand writing them down thinking "wow im glad i posted this" lol... thank You!


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

Any suggestions on wedding favors?


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

Well.....
You can cut painters mixing sticks into one or two boards and use twist ties (as used on loaves of bread) to tie the silver down like the monster on the bench.
For favors themselves, it depend upon the direction you want to go, humorous or classic Universal Pictures Frankenstein.
If you want to go the Young Frankenstein route, you could do mugs of the type that Gene Hackman used in the "Blind Man" scene, or cigars, maybe tiny violins and French horns (the instruments used by Chloris Leachman, Gene Wilder, and Marty Feldman), maybe small torches or pitchforks like the villagers carried in both Young Frankenstein and the Universal pictures. Tiny candelabras with no candles lit, small wood canes of the kind that Igor used, small shrunken heads in jars, small plastic brains with the label "Abnormal brain. DO NOT USE!", plastic surgical tool sets.
Another thought for invitations along the Young Frankenstein theme is to make the invitations like train tickets, Transylvania station, track 29. Put the location and time of the event(s) on the tickets as though they were the departure times and destinations or stops along the way. If you are going to make them yourself, you can use a rotary paper cutter with a perferation blade on it to give you tear off stubs like a real ticket would have, if you are doing placed seating, you can put that on the invite/ticket as well. If you wanted to do a drawing or raffle, you can put the number on both halves of the ticket, and have the small portion of the ticket torn off when they enter the wedding or reception. For a sign in/guest book, get a book of the desired type and put the "How I did it, by Victor Frankenstein" This is in the opening scene of the movie, I would also suggest that you make requests for copies of all photos taken at the events, give people an email address they can send the images to.
If this is going to be catered, see if you can have the service people dressed as "Igor", let the hump change from side to side.
FontGeek


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

*You should be a wedding planner.*

You should do this for a living...You're great at it. My FH was wanting to go for more of a gothic theme , skulls... etc. Im not sure how the frankenstien thing fits in with all of that.. but definetly good ideas You've really got my creative juices flowing.. Thank You. (Did You have a Halloween wedding? Cause if not , You should..lol You have awesome ideas)


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## CatMean (Jul 5, 2004)

x-- Here are a few links that might help you, if you haven't seen "Gothic Martha Stewart's" website before she's great, you'll spend hours looking.. this one is specifically for weddings

http://www.trystancraft.com/martha/weddings/index.html

and this one is for generic decorating with tips on sourcing and shopping.

http://www.trystancraft.com/martha/

Don't worry, it's not like REALLY goth, don't let the name fool you. It's more about adding a touch of "different" to your home and wedding.


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

Thank You  We're going for a kind of elegant goth look....


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

I was just thinking , probably alittle late...Lol i wonder how hard it will be to find someone who is ordained to preform the ceremony...a gothic ceremony on halloween..lol


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## MrsMyers666 (Oct 19, 2004)

You should go to Vegas for this
http://www.gothicweddings.com/gothicwedding.html

I love the Frankenstein idea, you could also do that with a Dracula theme as well. Getting a little more gothic with vampires.

Promise you will post pictures.


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## LHALLOW (Aug 10, 2004)

For table centerpieces, use small pumpkins hallowed out. Using live flower foam, stick in a bunch of red flowers of your choice. Mums would be great in the fall and use black ribbon to accent. 
Or hobby stores sell flower foam in the shape of round topiaries (sp.) 
example: http://www.essiesweddingflowers.com/files/48rose_topiary_75.jpg
I would suggest dark red mums, a pewter container and use black ribbon as an accent tied in like on the the top of this pic:
http://www.wrights.com/class/11_thanksgiving/topiary/topiary.jpg

Just a couple ideas, hope they help.


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## Trinidee (Sep 28, 2004)

The vegas idea is great.

I also dig the Young frankenstein theme.

Hummm.........Brainstorming for idea's check back with ya later.


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## ghostship13 (Jul 16, 2005)

I was married on Halloween 2002, and had to settle for the courthouse. Everyone around here thinks this is the worst day for a marriage and we couldn't find anyone to perform the ceremony at a different location or for a themed wedding. I live in a small town tho, you might have better luck with this than we did. Darn holy rollers anyway!


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## Deathtouch (Nov 19, 2004)

Maybe do it like BeatleJuice. The Rev would have to be really short. Each table would have scary Figurines on it. Like the figures the mother of the film was making. Make different ones for different tables. Maybe have each table have different treats on it. Like the M&M table or the twix table. Have the bride and grome have to trick or treat each table. Ok, now I am off the edge. See what you did to me.

I have a lot of relatives in Christopher Illinois. Are you close by there? I think I spelled it right. When we visited, all we did is visit grave sites. Maybe that is why I like Halloween so much.


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

x_jlr_x, in answer to your question, no I didn't have a Halloween wedding. I'm not married.
As to your comment about doing this for a living, I kind of do that already. I am an illustrator/calligrapher/typesetter, I do everything from special effects work and lettering for the movie industry, to party and wedding invitations, heck, I even do some T-shirt graphics once in a while!
As far as doing it more on the gothic side, you can make it as gothic as you would like, you can add cob webs and candleabras. The sky's the limit (along with your budget and time). As far as finding someone who will do that kind of ceremony for you, get in the phone book and look in your area, or ask your local chuch, they may not do it, but they will probably know someone who does.
I will keep my thinking cap on for more ideas if you want them.

Wow, from no replies to two pages of them, looks like I created a monster (pun intended).
Fontgeek


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## ragdoll_sally (Jul 8, 2005)

I was married on Halloween 2002, and had to settle for the courthouse. Everyone around here thinks this is the worst day for a marriage and we couldn't find anyone to perform the ceremony at a different location or for a themed wedding. I live in a small town tho, you might have better luck with this than we did. Darn holy rollers anyway!
__________________
According to a wedding superstions link i have (yeah I'm a geek), There is absolutly nothing wrong with Halloween. All it says on the subject is "If in October you do marry, love will come, but riches tarry." So, marry for love, not money. Good philosophy there... Hmm... I'm usualy not this optomistic...


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

That would be so much fun...but we're kind of on a budget , vegas probably isnt the best idea for us.. Good idea for switching it around to Dracula thats much more what we were thinking 
Ofcourse i'll post pictures .. i plan on putting together a website , ill keep ya posted..lol


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

Thanks for all the ideas .. im trying to plan this all on my own and this has been a great help  Fontgeek , I love Your ideas definetly feel free to keep posting them.. 
GhostShip13 , Sorry to hear that... im affraid thats how it will be in my town i figure i will have to find someone who just wants the money and doesnt really care to preform it lol.
Deathtouch , Im about an hour from Christopher.. Im just south of Marion. 
I have heard that theres nothing wrong with getting married on Halloween from some other forums..but who knows Lol.
Thanks to everyone else for all Your suggestions


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## peeweepinson (Aug 18, 2003)

I don't have any good ideas but I think it's awesome to be having a Halloween wedding! Congrats and be sure and post pics!


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

Thanks...i definetly will


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

Evidently i have run everyone out of ideas?


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

Looking for ideas for invitations it seems to be drawing closer to that time.


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## saiynprincess (Aug 24, 2003)

Well, X...here's my 2 cents:

As far as getting someone to marry you:
My husband and I had a Renaissance wedding in October. (not Halloween, October 2nd) We don't belong to any organized religion, and didn't want to be hypocritical and be married by a minister. We could have had a Justice of the Peace come out and do the legal ceremony, but we couldn't find anyone who wanted to "dress the part" shall we say. So we had a really good friend and mentor "marry" us at the ceremony. A week later we went to a Justice of the Peace to make it "legal". Kind of a downer, but we had the wedding we really wanted, and all of our family and friends still talk about it to this day....6 years later. And we celebrate our anniversary as October 2nd anyway.

Now, for the fun stuff: Elegant Gothic/Dracula theme on Halloween - 
Invitations: How about a scroll, on parchment with the corners burnt (I did this one year with a lighter, by hand, for my Halloween party invites...looks GREAT!) Use blood red gothic lettering (or hand calligraphy if you're lucky enough to have the talent) and use a wax seal to close them. You can buy tube mailers at Staples, or an office supply store. They're not too pricey, especially if you make the invites yourself. (that's what we did for our wedding.). I printed labels for the tubes on my computer in the same lettering as the invite and added a picture. For mine it was a celtic knot, but for you it could be dracula's cross or bats, or a creepy candelabra. Whatever you like.

Decorations: LOTS and LOTS of candle light. Jack-o-Lanterns aren't really with the gothic theme, though. I would use tiki torches or even just candles set everywhere. Since it's outside though, you will need to find a way to keep the flames from blowing out if it's windy. Maybe those glass hurricane covers. Or make your own luminaries and cut out bats or a castle and line the area with them instead. 

Tables - cover in black plastic table cloths and then spread some of the cheepy $1 per bag spider webs over top of that. You could use those hand held old-style lanterns as centerpieces, so you have light, and place some skulls, spiders, rats, etc. around them. Also some dark red flowers around the base of the lanterns. (You can get lanters at Big Lots for $2.99 each and they use the same torch fuel as the tikis.) Or you could use glass bowls, with red-colored water, and floating candles. That way you could keep the candles below the edge of the bowl so they don't blow out. Plus you get the nice "bowl of blood" effect. 

Favor ideas - small coffins filled with candy, or plastic vampire teeth (that everyone has to wear for photos), or a pair of those small candles that are linked together by the wick, and you could print a label to go around them with names, dates, etc.

For Music you HAVE to have Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (it's the organ music that you almost always hear for scary stuff - you'll recognize it once you hear it) You can buy it on just about any classical CD or you can be download it off the net.

Ok, so that was more than 2 cents! Good luck planning! I just LOVE to plan parties...maybe I should be doing that instead of working in a law office...yuck!


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

If you want to go the Dracula route, how about doing invitations that are shaped like the old style coffins, the elongated hexagon. Put the coat of arms on the "Lid" along with your choice of requests. I mentioned this type of invitation in another thread, and someone said that they had done them and had added a velvet like contact paper to the inside of the invite, they then use a gold or silver gel pen to do the invite text, If you want something simpler, put the velvet on the inside of the lid half of the invite, and print the text for the invitation in it's "normal" location.
Use a good heavy cardstock, maybe a parchment style.
If you need a more visual version, PM me with your email and I will send you a JPG of a layout.
Just remember that making the theme and or decorations too cryptic for your guests to understand will kind of ruin the effect for both you and them.
Remember the old rule, K.I.S.S., keep it simple stupid.
You can do place markers as miniature tombstones that can be printed out from your computer, granite texture and all. If you want something different for the silverware/napkin ring, how about using pipe cleaners to create small skeletal hands that wrap around the silverware/napkin bundle.
As much as I like the Gothic stuff, I would NOT make the decorations or ceremony gory, it is neither the time or the place, and if people do end up wearing suits and dresses, having things that will easily cause stains will not endear you to anyone.
If you want to have the candles look like they are floating in a bowl or cup of blood, paint the inside of the bowl or cup red, then fill it with water, it will appear as though the liquid is red, but if it spills you will only have spilled plain water, no stains, no fuss.


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## deadmansprty (Aug 6, 2005)

Hi x

Years ago my husband and I wanted to get married on Halloween. We didn't, but these are some of the ideas we had at the time:

There is a company that does message in a bottle invitations. Your invitation is written on a scroll and then sent in a bottle. You can put things in the bottle with the invitation such as spider webs & spiders.

For centerpieces you could do some of those martha stewart type jackolanterns that are drilled with different size holes or shapes. Quick and easy halloweenish but a little more elegant than jack o lantern faces.

We didn't want to have costumes but thought about doing more of a masquerade (sp?) type thing with mardi gras masks on sticks for people to hold. Those could also be your favors if you attach a little card with your names and the date written in gothic lettering.

That's all I can think of right now, but will post more if it comes to me.


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

saiynprincess said:


> Well, X...here's my 2 cents:
> 
> As far as getting someone to marry you:
> My husband and I had a Renaissance wedding in October. (not Halloween, October 2nd) We don't belong to any organized religion, and didn't want to be hypocritical and be married by a minister. We could have had a Justice of the Peace come out and do the legal ceremony, but we couldn't find anyone who wanted to "dress the part" shall we say. So we had a really good friend and mentor "marry" us at the ceremony. A week later we went to a Justice of the Peace to make it "legal". Kind of a downer, but we had the wedding we really wanted, and all of our family and friends still talk about it to this day....6 years later. And we celebrate our anniversary as October 2nd anyway.
> ...


Thanks for all the great ideas  The idea about having the wedding and then making it legal either before or after seems like a good plan , I will have to discuss it with my FH. You seem really good at this maybe Your law office will have a Halloween party and put You in charge..lol


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

FontGeek said:


> If you want to go the Dracula route, how about doing invitations that are shaped like the old style coffins, the elongated hexagon. Put the coat of arms on the "Lid" along with your choice of requests. I mentioned this type of invitation in another thread, and someone said that they had done them and had added a velvet like contact paper to the inside of the invite, they then use a gold or silver gel pen to do the invite text, If you want something simpler, put the velvet on the inside of the lid half of the invite, and print the text for the invitation in it's "normal" location.
> Use a good heavy cardstock, maybe a parchment style.
> If you need a more visual version, PM me with your email and I will send you a JPG of a layout.
> Just remember that making the theme and or decorations too cryptic for your guests to understand will kind of ruin the effect for both you and them.
> ...


I love the idea of the pipecleaner napkin rings..We will definetly be doing that. Also , i agree ..we dont want to go overboard and turn it into some kind of a side show just incorporate the theme within the wedding. Your ideas are great  feel free to keep em coming..Im trying to finish up my planning as Halloween slowly creeps up.


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## x_jlr_x (Aug 31, 2005)

deadmansprty said:


> Hi x
> 
> Years ago my husband and I wanted to get married on Halloween. We didn't, but these are some of the ideas we had at the time:
> 
> ...


I think we will probably go with the masquerade type thing aswell..We will probably have people dress in our colors and maybe allow the children to dress in costume if they want. I plan to have masks for the guests but had never thought of making them the favors..good tip  Love the pumpkin idea aswell...maybe paint them black that would make them pretty with the light shining through. o0 it seems like i never get ideas until someone else does then it gets my creative juices flowing. Definetly keep the ideas coming if You'd like


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## sisvicki (Jan 30, 2004)

Some neat centerpiece ideas here:

http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=46&id=145

Or Wrought Iron candle holders would look awesome.

Here is a whole bunch of creative ways to do pumpkins:

http://ww4.bhg.com/bhg/category.jht...data/bhg/category/data/Halloween_Pumpkins.xml

I bet those could help brainstorm some elegant designs of your own.

And Congratulations!


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## Vikeman (Oct 17, 2003)

x jrl x, We got married at our Halloween party 2 years ago. It was a surprise wedding, with only 10 or so people knowing it was going to happen. We had it outside on our deck. We found a non-denominational priestess. She agreed to dress up and go along with the surprise. We checked the local city pages on line and found her. Her is a link to the cake topper we had. My mother-in-law made our wedding cake. It was black and orange with bats and ghosts on it.

http://www.caketoppers.com/ppw798.htm

We found a really gothic sounding version of "Here Comes the Bride" on line. I don't have the link right now, but try goggle.


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## FontGeek (May 7, 2005)

If you want to make masks as favors, check out dazian.com. In their specialty items they have Wonderflex and Fosshape, these materials can be cut and sewn with the normal stuff, they can be painted and decorated til the cows come home, but what makes them so special is that they can be shaped and reshaped using a simple heat source, they will also bond to themselves using heat. They are fantastic for making props, masks, hats, etc.
Both materials are a blast to work with, if you would like to get samples and more info in writing email [email protected], he sent me a brochure and samples of the materials for free.
This can also be layered to itself for a more rigid prop or where a thicker wall is desired. You should also check out some of their other stuff, a truly amazing collection of materials and goods!


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