Bloody Horrendous Halloween Wedding Ideas

A themed wedding isn’t everyone’s cup of blood.

For those more traditionally minded, the dress will be white, the cake will be fruit and the seating plan will be handled with absolute sanctity. 

For others, however, a wedding is a great excuse to get creative and what better time of the year to do it in than Halloween.

The problem is that choosing a theme comes with its own set of problems. This isn't having a few people round for some drinks on Halloween; it's your wedding. Whether you believe in the walking dead or not there has to be authenticity to what you're doing. Having a themed wedding won't necessarily be any cheaper than going traditional: it's going to take more than a bag of jelly spiders, a Jason mask and some cobwebs to pull of a frightfully good event.

Here are a few tips to get you started if you’re looking for a truly gorygeous wedding:

Be frugal but don’t be cheap. For authenticity, you’ll have to shop clever. You may need to make some of the things yourself but don’t worry because Google is your friend. There are plenty of websites out there who’ll give you step-by-step instructions for creating pieces and props that will give your ceremony or reception real legitimacy.

Get your guests involved by asking them to dress up, too. Be sure to add a dress code to the invitation. If you think there will be people likely to be unsure about the theme, then keep in touch with them. Offer to help them find their costume in order to put them at ease.

Think about your centre pieces. For Halloween pumpkins are a must. Use matte paint and paint them black for a hugely effective decoration. They’ll help carry your theme throughout the venue and would look great on the buffet table, around the dance floor, on the stage, on the bar and in the toilets. Don’t be tempted by cheap plastic ones, because they won’t look as good.

Have fun with the table settings and favours. Over at Martha Stewart’s website, we found these fantastic graveyard place settings. We especially like how she's used brown M&Ms as pebbles around the headstone. Toffee apples would be another fantastic way of bringing the theme to the tables or you could use witches hats, mini-broomsticks and fake spiders. Use metallic permanent pens to write people’s names over the top for a great effect. Our personal favourite are these brilliant lint spiders.

For a real house of horrors trick use bell and apothecary jars throughout the venue: doll heads and limbs in each one filled with water.  If you prefer something a little less graphic, then autumn is the perfect season to collect nature's cast offs: twigs, pine cones, conkers etc will still add to the theme but in a gentler way. You could also mix black food dye with sugar to create something resembling ash or black sand. 

If you can afford to, then hiring performers at the reception would definitely enhance the theme. You could have them in costumes serving the food and mingling with guests. Perhaps have them give some kind of performance. 

We love the idea of having the lights shut off halfway through the speeches with the performers outside banging on the windows to get inside. If you have an outgoing wedding guest, get them in on it, too. Just remember to warm any parents of you children before the show begins. 

Another small but effective idea is to write spooky messages in red lipstick in the toilets. A well placed 'You're Next' on the bathroom mirror or behind a cubicle door will remind guests that there's no escape from your spooktecular evening. 

We've even seen one written under the toilet seat to give the men a few shivers, too. Make sure that you have the permission of the venue first however, and that whatever you use wipes off easily.

You could also:

Rename your menu to give it a scary twist: slabs of fresh flesh served in a bloody sauce with monster mash and gangrene (steak with bloody Mary sauce, mashed potato and greens).

Use alcohol shots as your wedding favours: blood vials filled with strawberry vodka shots.

Have your wedding flowers displayed like funeral flowers.

Hire a hearse for your wedding car

Ask guests to share a favourite scary story in your wedding book

There are plenty of ways to have a fantastic Halloween wedding; the only real barrier is your imagination!

However you decide to spend your Halloween (hopefully it's your wedding!) we hope you have an amazing time. We'd love to hear about your stories. Remember, you can use the contact form on your right, or you can message us via Facebook and Twitter.