The chilling stories, ambient music, darker colors, that exciting rush and nostalgic warm feeling–what’s not to love about Halloween. When it comes to themes, a Halloween theme is one that can be tricky but if done right it’ll certainly be a treat. Your clients might be Halloween fanatics or they might just share a special love for the holiday, whatever the reason is making a spooky-themed wedding or event while still keeping it beautiful and classy can be a challenge for us event creatives. The sweet spot to a perfectly spooktacular event rests in subtlety.
Set the Eerie Mood at the Right Location
Location is everything. It’s the setting of the entire narrative and is often the piece that carries a theme. If you choose the right location everything else will fall into place. So why not choose a venue that will fulfill all of your clients’ spooky needs? Vast doors and windows, winding hallways, creaking doors, looming trees. Think Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania. If you’re looking for the right venue, you’re in luck because there are so many Wickedly Haunted Wedding Venues Across America.
Having the wedding near/on Halloween in a region that experiences the Fall season will already enhance the spooky feels, so choosing one of the following oh-so-scary venues will take it to a whole new level:
- Gothic Abbey
- Ballroom
- Victorian Mansion
- Cottage
- Garden
- Forest/Mountains
- Historic Hotel
- Old Museum
- Ship
You can’t go wrong with any of them!
Spooky Décor but Make It Chic
Gone are the days of Halloween events meaning overt in-your-face décor. We now know that gothic and glam can coexist hand in hand. The line from a children’s Halloween party to a sophisticated wedding/event is real.
- Pumpkins: You can never go wrong with pumpkins. For more cozy, fall aesthetics, orange pumpkins will do, but for a more refined look, opt for white or other nontraditional colors like black, burgundy, or navy blue.
- Shadows & Flickering Lights: Crystal chandeliers, long candelabras, twinkling lights, and fireplaces will add the right amount of elegance while still evoking spooks.
- Florals: Big bouquets of seasonal flowers with hanging greenery and fern fronds. We want to strive for that dead or alive combination.
- Colors: A glamorous Halloween inspired fête calls for an amazing color palette.
- Neutral Fall: Cremes, whites, oranges, and browns
- Jewel Tones: Ruby red, deep purple, and emerald green
- Dark: Black and midnight blue
Keep every piece of décor classy. The Halloween elements are simply touches that enhance the already stunning wedding/event that your client wants.
Scream Worthy Food
A wicked entree is the way to the heart and the center to a theme. As the seasons change and it gets colder, comfort foods and earthy fall seasonal flavors will nicely complement the Halloween theme. Think squashes, butternut, yams. Rich flavors that can all be played up in a beautiful fall dish. For appetizers, you can even go for an easy comfort food favorite: tomato soup with grilled cheese bites. Even cheese and bread can be elevated and the tomato soup can be up to the imagination.
Have a “Pick Your Poison” spirits bar with Halloween signature cocktails. Pop in some dry ice for that extra supernatural element and have a ghoulishly fun time.
Dessert is where you can really go wild! Fancy cake pops are so in. Vampires, mummy’s, witches, and black cats. You can make a whole dessert bar with Halloween themed confections. Lay your eyes upon these Halloween Desserts That Are Frighteningly Delicious, if you dare.
Luckily cakes are so customizable and incredible to look at. Any theme can be designed into an elaborate and heart-stopping cake. You can go for a Nightmare Before Christmas cake to something even more elegant and subtle, sleek black on the outside and red velvet cake on the inside! Heads will surely roll.
Hauntingly Good Music
As humans, our auditory sense and memory is one of the strongest in experience building. Instantly transport your clients and their guests with a melodic score.
Choose an orchestra, a string quartet, an organ, a piano—really any instrument can play to well-known Halloween scores and music. Anything moody and haunting will do the trick. To get bodies moving, “Thriller” and “Monster Mash” will get everyone on the dance floor. A mixture of traditional and modern hits will be such a crowd-pleaser. When it comes to spooky, you never have to compromise beauty and a memorable experience!
Check out this real wedding for some inspo on how to achieve this Halloween glam: Elegant & Edgy Romance at The Greystone Estate.
Photos courtesy of Sarah Joy Photo
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