Next year, Halloween will fall on a Saturday – the traditional day to host a wedding. If you are thinking about having a non-traditional wedding, then maybe a Halloween theme is right for you and your fiancé. From pumpkins, fall colors and day of the dead traditions, you have lots to choose from when it comes to Halloween ideas for your wedding day. If you want a Halloween wedding, your wedding planner can work with you to come up with a Halloween wedding to fulfill your dreams – or nightmares!

Here are a few ideas to get you started for your Halloween wedding:

Remember, it’s Halloween. Give parents time to take their children trick or treating!

After all, Halloween is a kids’ holiday (even though many adults love it too!). If you invite children to a Halloween wedding consider a daytime wedding and reception so parents can take kids out trick-or-treating afterwards. Or, have an amazing candy bar set up at your wedding and give the kiddos a chance to get candy. Better still, have some time set aside at your reception to have the kids trick or treat at each table. Each table can have candy for the guests to give out to the children.

Stay classy, not tacky

Try to stay away from the plastic spiders and orange pumpkin buckets as your table centerpieces. Instead try to use some seasonal flowers like red spider lilies, mums, and witch hazel. Even the names scream Halloween! Adorable mini pumpkins can be used to hold your place cards and think about using ceramic pumpkins with tea lights inside them to set a romantic ambiance. Elaborate candelabras or lanterns with bare branches can add some elegant whimsy. Consider goblets and silver chargers as part of the table set-up to give a bit of an antique vibe.

Pick an antique venue or one rumored to be haunted

A great way to carry the Halloween theme through your wedding is to book a ‘haunted’ venue. In the D.C. area, the Omni Shoreham Hotel is rumored to be haunted; it even has a presidential suite called “the ghost suite” because of strange and spooky things happening in there. The Hay-Adams Hotel on 16th St. N.W. is said to be haunted by Marian Hooper Adams who wanders the halls whispering “What do you want?” As if that wasn’t creepy enough, the interior of The Off the Record bar is decorated with blood-red walls and wooden fixtures – a Halloween wedding here would be ideal!

Chose an autumnal color palette and lighting scheme

Fall colors can be absolutely beautiful as your bridesmaid dresses. Teal, peacock blue, gold, burnt orange and wine are just some autumnal colors to choose from. Dyed-to-match accessories like bird cages or boleros with jeweled spider broaches can round out the dresses.   Your wedding planner can help you design a lighting scheme to evoke a bit of a spooky feeling with purple and orange wall lighting. A projector over the dance floor can light up the floor with spooky Halloween images like spider webs. Work with your band or D.J. to have a fog machine on the dance floor and maybe play songs like The Monster Mash and Thriller.

Let your guests have some Halloween fun with costumes and a photo booth

Sure, photo booths are not a new concept, but they sure are fun! Take advantage of all the costume and accessories sales going on right now to save yourself some money for your wedding next year. Then, have a dress up box at your reception so your guests can take some great pictures and really get into the Halloween spirit.

 

Blogger:  Jennifer Armstrong, Perfect Planning Events

(photograph source:  thefhd.net)

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