Halloween / Medieval / Goth Wedding!

[Greymalka]

Hi everyone! =c)

I am new to this site. You all seem so wonderfully creative and helpful so I figured I'd see what kinds of fun stuff you can think up for this one...

My fiance and I are getting married on October 29, 2005. We wanted to be wed ON Halloween but that is a Monday this year and so there would be lots of problems for our guests. (We are both Halloween NUTS so we are making up by going to Mexico on Day of the Dead! hehe)

The main theme of our wedding is loosely medieval styled. We are both casual "goth" types and both love fantasy medieval type things ( dragons but not princesses!).

Since it is going to be close to Halloween we both want to incorporate a little of that theme in too. This is tricker than I had expected!

One thing...I do NOT want guests to dress up in Halloween costumes but they are invited to wear flowy fantasy medieval style clothes.

I would like to incorporate Halloween elements in without it looking too Halloween. The theme is more medieval / goth.

Some things that people have already suggested :

------Carved pumpkin centerpieces. --- This is SUCH a Yes! I absotutely love carved pun'kins. I know there are some sites that have some wonderful designs for lovey-dovers. (Hearts, wedding bells, etc.) Search Google for "wedding pumpkins"...I kid you not!

I think what I might do is have a tiny Halloween party a day or so before the wedding (can't help it!) and invite all the guests to carve the pumpkins for us. ;) At the reception, we will give them away to some "lucky" guests to take home!

------My mother-in-law is really sweet and keeps suggesting that I need to incorporate black cats. They are my favorite kitties and I collect anything that is associated with them. ( Yes, during Halloween my collection grows exponentionally!) ----- Any ideas for what to do with kitties?


------Lastly, a holiday that I am growing even more fond of than Halloween is the Mexican Day(s) of the Dead ( Dia De Los Muertos). If you are not familiar with this holiday, it is not a sad time or meant to be scary. On these days families clean and decorate the graves of passed loved ones. Altars are built with the loved ones' favorite things and foods. It is a happy time set aside to spend some time thinking about those who have passed and how they are always still a part of our lives.

I already have some ideas for how I'd like to incorporate this element in, but would love to hear some other creative ideas, especially if you know quite a bit about this holiday. ( I am not Mexican (I'm Italian), and not Catholic ( I'm pagan.)


Sorry for the very long post! Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Malka

[nle5]

Welcome to the forums!! I found this article at http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/motifs/medren.html

Medieval/Renaissance Gothic Weddings

The Bride

The Medieval women's fashions were usually long and flowing with somewhat fitted bodices that ended in trailing skirts and had long, draping sleeves.
Contrast this with the Renaissance style of full, round skirts and tight bodices with long, puffy sleeves.

Both styles often used similar fabrics -- heavy velvets, ****stry, brocade, heavy satins, wool, and heavily embroidered materials. Lace was not as common as in later years. Metallic elements and beading were popular.

These styles lend themselves very easily to a gothic Medieval/Renaissance bridal gown. The draping angel sleeves of the Medieval era are already found in gothic clothing, and the tight Renaissance bodices require corsets, which many goth gals are already familiar with. And the heavy fabrics look rich and elegant in dark fabrics.

The Groom

Medieval and Renaissance men's clothing could be very dramatic, and usually involved the gent wearing boots, hose, short breeches, and either a long, loose tunic or a shorter, fitted doublet. All would be in the same type of heavy velvets, ****stry, brocade, heavy satins, wool, and heavily embroidered materials as women's clothing.
Men's Medieval tunics might have long, draping sleeves, while Renaissance doublets could have similar long, puffed sleeves. All parts of the outfit could be elaborately decorated. Both Medieval and Renaissance men wore jewelry too, including heavy chain necklaces, large rings, and a single dangly earring. To top off the look, a well-dressed man might have a cape and a sword.

For a gothic Medieval/Renaissance wedding, a man can dress quite dramatically. Heavy, lush fabrics in dark colors, perhaps with metallic accents, would work beautifully in any of these styles.

Setting

If you can find one, an English Tudor style building is the ideal setting for this type of wedding. The next best setting is the local Renaissance Faire -- these can often be quite good deals because the Faire can provide the setting, food, drink, and entertainment for a package price.
Other appropriate settings are rustic homes, B&Bs, and buildings with lots of dark wood detailing (especially Arts & Crafts style buildings from the early 20th century) or outdoor locations such as a wooded glade.

Decorations

Greenery such as ivy and pine boughs add a Dark Ages flair. Bouquets of herbs are very period. Heraldic crests and banners have a royal touch. Heavy, ornate serving ware and candle holders set on ****stry table runners would look perfect too.

[nle5]

Gothing Up a Traditional Wedding

There are many reasons you may want a mostly traditional wedding. Perhaps your family insists on a church ceremony. Maybe your grandmother's vintage wedding gown would look really good on you. It could be that you've always dreamed of having an old-fashioned wedding.
Whatever the reason, there are many ways to incorporate gothic touches into your wedding without having a full-blown goth wedding. First of all, you should decide what aspects you want traditional and where you can get a little weird. For example, a proper church ceremony may be required by your family, but a reception with lots of spooky dancing would be fine. Once you've decided what areas of your wedding you can goth-up, use the ideas linked below.

Gothing Up Traditional Wedding Clothes

The Bride:
Traditional wedding gowns run the gamut from fluffy meringue concoctions to simple sheath dresses, but they all have one thing in common -- they're white. That, in itself, makes them seem less gothic, but with diligence, you can find a white gown with gothic style and detailing.

The following pages have pictures taken from ordinary bridal magazines, either from ads or fashion spreads. These are out-of-the-ordinary gowns that still proclaim to the world that the wearer is clearly a Bride. (These pages are all graphics intensive.)


Bell-sleeved ball gown styles (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/dress1.html)

Bell-sleeved sheath styles (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/dress2.html)

Corset ball gown styles (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/dress3.html)

Corset sheath styles (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/dress4.html)

Empire-waisted styles (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/dress5.html)

Very covered-up styles (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/dress6.html)

Medieval-influenced styles (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/dress7.html)

The Groom:

In this area, the groom actually has an easier time finding gothy garments in traditional men's formal wear. Black morning coats and tail coats are plentiful, and a few rental shops even have frock coats. Snazzy patterned silk waistcoats are common. You might even be able to find a lacy jabot or a top hat to complete the ensemble.

Bridesmaids:

Many traditional bridesmaid gowns are available in black and dark jewel tones, especially in fall and winter. Velvet gowns are not uncommon.

Another alternative is to look for pretty dresses at department stores (Macy's, Bloomingdales), mall boutiques (Contempo Casuals, Lane Bryant, Casual Corner), and even discount stores (Ross, Marshall's, TJ Maxx). These stores will have a wider selection than bridal stores, and you have a better chance of finding a dress the bridesmaids can actually wear again. In fall and winter, you'll find a lot more dresses in black, jewel tones, and dressy fabrics like velvet.

Groomsmen:

If the groom is renting a tux/tail coat/mourning coat ensemble, the groomsmen can rent the same style and just wear a less fancy waistcoat or accessories.

Found at http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/clothes.html

[nle5]

Gothing Up a Traditional Wedding Ceremony

Religious Ceremony:

If you're getting married in a church or other house of worship, talk to your officiant and find out what is allowed in the sanctuary and what is negotiable. Some houses of worship will not let you play secular music/poetry or light a unity candle or have a handfasting, but some might.

Secular Ceremony:

If you're getting married in a garden, hotel, historic building, or other non-religious site, you have a lot more leeway in what you can include in your ceremony. If you have a religious officiant, you'll need to talk with him/her beforehand.

For the ultimate in a personalized ceremony, have a good friend or relative become a Universal Life Church minister (you can do it online even). The you can have that person read a ceremony that you write. ULC ministers can legally perform weddings throughout the US (a few states may have additional requirements).

Decorations:

Candlelight ceremonies are incredibly beautiful and look quite gothic. Make sure to check the fire codes of your wedding site first tho'!

Dark colored roses (such as a deep red) can make lovely decorations for any ceremony site. Dark ivy is another lovely touch. Calla lilies make a dramatic show (and they're sometimes associated with funerals too).

If you're getting married in a Jewish ceremony, you can make a rather gothic chuppah. Use black or dark colored velvet and trim it with dark fringe or braid. If you or someone you know is handy with a needle, you can decorate the chuppah with embroidery or quilting too.

Music:

Consider swirly, moody gothic music for your ceremony, or stick with dramatic classical works. Danny Elfman movie soundtracks (esp. Edward Scissorhands) can be very lovely too.

Photography:

The photo-journalistic style of wedding photography would probably be best to capture a gothic wedding on film. This style concentrates on telling the story of your day, instead of trying to force your wedding into a tired, traditional format.

If there are interesting historical buildings nearby (or your wedding location is historic), make sure to get pictures there. Marble columns, elaborate carved fireplaces, dramatic doorways, and the like can frame your wedding photos to great effect.

Definitely get some of your wedding pictures taken on black and white film. Black and white can add drama and depth to photos.

Found athttp://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/ceremony.html

[nle5]

Gothing Up a Traditional Wedding Reception

Decorations:

Candlelight is just as lovely at a reception as at a ceremony. Candle arrangements, perhaps circled by dark flowers or ivy, make beautiful centerpieces.

Roses -- fresh or dried -- can be fashioned into a variety of centerpieces. Even a single dark blossom floating on water in a shallow glass dish can look stunning. Flower petals and confetti (maybe glitter!) add a pretty accent to dining tables.

The Wedding Cake:

Typical wedding cakes are predominently white, but most standard cake decorators can add colorful flowers. You could have rich red or purple roses (either frosting or real flowers) scattered around the cake, along with dark greenery. Or, if you find a more creative cake decorator, you can have spiderwebs and bats piped in frosting all over the cake.

For the cake topper, look for Nightmare Before Christmas figurines (Disney used to carry some; check eBay for second-hand figures) or Beetlejuice cartoon figures (these are no longer in production, but might be found on eBay as well). Other gothy figurines would be cats, bats, dragons, and fairies.

Or take traditional Bride and Groom caketop figures and give them a gothic makeover. Paint their clothes in dark colors, and paint on gothic makeup and hair. Or find two small dolls and sew gothic clothes for them. There are also many companies who will create custom portrait caketop figurines (altho' these are usually quite costly).

Music:

Dancing to DJed gothic music would be the perfect cap to a gothic wedding. If not all your guests are fans, you can mix the goth tunes with something a little more mainstream. A mix of gothic and 80s synthpop works well, as does gothic and 90s alternative rock.

Found at http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/reception.html

Miscellaneous Things to Goth Up a Traditional Wedding

Stationary:

For your invitations, response cards, thank-you notes, and programs, consider making them yourself. You could print them on parchment in elegant Olde English and Gothic fonts (widely available for free download). For an extra special touch, seal the inner envelopes of the invitations with wax seals.

Guest Book:

Use any bound, blank book that appeals to you. You could use it as-is or cover a plain it with dark velvet or brocade. Use a fancy ostrich feather topped pen in black or another dark color. Or use a calligraphy felt-tip pen in dark color or silver or gold.

Getaway Vehicle:

The most gothic wedding getaway vehicle would be a hearse. However, this could really freak out conservative family members. But even more important, there are no seats in a hearse (except for the driver), which makes getting in and out difficult for any passengers.

A terribly romantic option is a horse-drawn carriage. Check your local phone book for companies that provide this service. Some may let you decorate the carriage with ribbons and flowers in your wedding colors.

A very elegant option is renting a vintage car, with or without a chauffer. Cars from the 1920s and 1930s are incredibly opulent, but even cars of more recent makes can be quite stylish. Of for a more irreverent getaway, look for a classic 1950s roadster with tail-fins.

Found at http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/gothing/misc.html

[nle5]

Gothic Wedding "Good Things"

If you're even just a little bit crafty, you can make many special items that can goth up your wedding reception.

Votive Candle Favours (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/candles.html)

Candy Box Favours (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/candyboxes.html)

Seed Packet Favours (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/seeds.html)

Sachet Favours (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/sachets.html)

Fairy Dust Favours (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/fairydust.html)

Spooky Orb Favours (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/spookyorbs.html)

Easy Dried Rose Centerpieces (http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/roses.html)

This article was found at http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/projects/index.html

[Greymalka]

Hehe, thank you very much Nle5! This is so much information. =c)

[nle5]

These weddings are either by admitted goths or the events use classically gothic elements. Taking wedding photos in a cemetery is a popular goth thing. But you can also add rich, dark colors in your decor and wedding clothes to express your gothic style.

Trystan L. Bass & Thomas Dowrie (http://www.fishcat.com/wedding/)
My own gothic-Victorian wedding. Plenty of details and photos about how we made most of the wedding items ourselves, including our velvet outfits, ceremony music, favors, and programs.

Taking Veil (http://www.takingveil.com/pages/543276/index.htm)
Shane and Sandra's dramatic gothic wedding, includes their vows, poetry, and cemetery photo session.

When Goths Wed (http://www.velvet.net/~daednu/Wedding.html)
Illustrated story of Daednu and her boi's wedding. The clothes and setting are full of gothic touches.

The Wedding of Kate Grace Gewehr & Joshua Graves (http://members.tripod.com/~kate_and_josh/)
A lovely wedding that shows how you can incorperate goth-friendly accents into a traditional style.

Juliann & Timmie's Wedding (http://www.pixie.net/wedding/)
Pictures from both their traditional wedding and their fairy-gothic ceremony at Convergence V.

Don and Liz (http://www.donandliz.com/details/photos.shtml)
Not goth, but a great example of how to personalize a traditional wedding and give it gothic-romantic flair.

Gothic Weddings in Las Vegas (http://www.gothicweddings.com/)
Do it the easy way -- buy a complete gothic wedding package from this Vegas chapel!

[nle5]

Hehe, thank you very much Nle5! This is so much information. =c)

Your welcome. The gothic cake tops have bats on them. I do not think you really want that type of a cake top. Do you?

[Greymalka]

Nope, no battys. ( We are already "batty" to begin with!)

Our cake topper is from a wedding set called "Dragon Heart". It is pewter and consists of two dragons in a heart shape ( their heads nuzzling and their tails entertwined. They are winged and from far away it just looks like a heart with wings, but up close one sees they are very lovey-dovey dragons.

:p

[MoonChyld30]

My fiance's favorite holiday is Halloween and we are both pagan. We wanted to have an October wedding and to incorporate elements of the season, but without having a Halloweeny costume party. So, we have decided to have a Masquerade Ball. We thought that by using the terms "Masquerade Ball" instead of "costume party" or "Mardi Gras party" that it would help keep the classy and elegance factors up a bit. We didn't want anything too cheesy. So I think for our attendants' gifts, we are going to purchase the Venetian masks and ask all of our bridal party to wear them. I believe that as long as we get the whole wedding party to do it, that others will be more inclined to join in as well. I intend to put on the invitation that we are hosting a Masquerade Ball and that it will be Black Tie or Costume Optional. Our colors are dark red and black and we are having Black Magic roses for our flowers. For the favors, we are going to order masks for everyone in a variety of colors, and they are the nicer papier mache ones with ribbon ties, not the plastic ones with elastic cords. I have done lots of searching for ideas on having a Masquerade Ball wedding reception, but without much luck, so we have come up with most of the ideas on our own.

I would like to incorporate jesters and fire blowers and acrobats as well (for pre-reception entertainment), but I'm still trying to convince my fiance of that. :)

[Rev_Hansen]

I would like to incorporate jesters and fire blowers and acrobats as well (for pre-reception entertainment), but I'm still trying to convince my fiance of that. :)

I would recommend that you contact your local Renaissance Pleasure Fair for actors / entertainers in your area. They would be able to give you names, and phone numbers of those who've been to fair, and are moderate in price as well. Oct is a great time, because it's at the end of the Ren Season and you should be able to find someone rather easily. Let us know how it goes.

[Gothic Bride]

Hey Malka,

My husband and I are planning a renewal using the Gothic Theme. I've come across with some REALLY cool stuff! Where are you located? I might be able to help you out. Our favorite link you should check out!!! This is WAY TOO COOL!!!
www.gothiclimos.com
I'm wearing a vintage black lace long mourning gown! It's just incredible!!! I'm also looking for anyideas that will work for us!

Blessed Be,
Gothic Bride

[Marsha]

Here are some websites that might help you get started...

http://www.gothicweddings.com/

http://www.toreadors.com/martha/weddings/

http://www.leatherworks.com/weddingdress.htm



http://www.leatherworks.com/gothic_medieval_dresses.htm
http://www.gothiclace.com/

[Zachiel]

[Oh wow, this is soo weird, we are geting married too, and we thought of halloween this year but like u guys we rather have it on a saturday for our out of town guess, anyways, we set the date oct.29 but there is this huge parade infront of our reception hall, so the close the streets, and again it wont be good idea for us and the guess and everybody, so we changed it to nov 5th, i am mexican, and our idea was to make it Day of the Dead theme, and thats what were doing, and we also want to go mexico for it, but since we changed the date of the wedding so many times, we are gona wait for next year, we are into gothic, rockabilly, crazy stuff, we love nightmare before christmas, hehe, we are both artist, we have lot of body art, so our wedding is gona be little crazy. i love your ideas, if i can think of something ill let u know,. right now were working on the invitations, ill send u pic of them when there done,
take care and love your story,. wish u guys well and looking forward to hearing how the planing is going :o
ABRIL

[Marsha]

[Oh wow, this is soo weird, we are geting married too, and we thought of halloween this year but like u guys we rather have it on a saturday for our out of town guess, anyways, we set the date oct.29 but there is this huge parade infront of our reception hall, so the close the streets, and again it wont be good idea for us and the guess and everybody, so we changed it to nov 5th, i am mexican, and our idea was to make it Day of the Dead theme, and thats what were doing, and we also want to go mexico for it, but since we changed the date of the wedding so many times, we are gona wait for next year, we are into gothic, rockabilly, crazy stuff, we love nightmare before christmas, hehe, we are both artist, we have lot of body art, so our wedding is gona be little crazy. i love your ideas, if i can think of something ill let u know,. right now were working on the invitations, ill send u pic of them when there done,
take care and love your story,. wish u guys well and looking forward to hearing how the planing is going :o
ABRIL


our wedding has a little bit of goth theme to it! but its cool! Harry is a total goth nerd so im kinda doing a few fun things for him. I would love to see what ever stuff you come up with. expecially your invites!