Holiday Weddings: How Much Halloween??

For the post about our day for this month I decided to bring up the ONE thing we keep getting asked....."Are you having people wear costumes?". We love the excitement our friends and family have for our Halloween nuptials but this question we never know quite how to answer. For those of you who do not know, or maybe I haven't mentioned it till now...our wedding date is 10.31.2020.  YUP Halloween..... 
Now Jesus and I did not plan it this way, when we went to our venue and looked at the dates available this was the LAST date in October open. Makes sense, most people are going to hesitate to book a Halloween wedding; however, for Jesus and I we didn't care. What better day to have a fall wedding than on the most FALL holiday of the year?

So this brings me to the conversation about how much Halloween? 

Halloween is one of both of our favorite holidays but not one enough to focus our big day completely around....However, I think it would be silly to not take this holiday into account at all in planning some of our little details. 

While just like all of " Our Story" posts I am not going to give it all away,  but let's talk about what our options are...

The Colors:

When we talk about the color story for our big day there are a few things that come into play: venue, time of year, our color preferences, and lastly..how much Halloween?
 I wanted to work through what relates to Halloween but does not scream it ( scream get it ). We are avoiding the orange and black that is typical of the holiday.
Moody...Moody is the term I am using to describe the feeling our color story will give our guests. I want the space to feel moody in relation to Halloween, but not literally be interpreted as such. Moody can be hundreds of different color options. To further explain we have decided on a color story similar to the image you see on the right. We are tweaking the shade of green from this olive to a emerald so that it is a perfect compliment to the venue. 

---

The Decor:

Playing off color story how can our decor relate to Halloween and how much of it should? 
Again continuing with this word MOODY,,, When I think of MOODY I think of darker colors ( hence the choices made above), I think of low candle light, texture, a distressed or aged finish, a feeling that the decor has is made for its environment. When I think of MOODY I think of decor that lends itself to the story the venue is telling. 
This type of decor is best used in older, or more unique types of venues. Luckily we have that with the Casino on Belle Isle. While some decor is used to grab your attention moody decor tends to be a bit more simple in nature but detailed in its amounts ( a feeling of being collected) and detailed in its composition. For example: a Moody tablescape is going to have multiple simple items that look like they have been collected over time, most will have a distressed or age finish and when placed in the scape will be set to be clustered and will play with levels. Again it should feel like the pieces have always been there. On the flip side something more modern will have a very even symmetry to its placement in a scape and will consist of less pieces that will be clean in form and finish. 
So what kind of items are we using to create this MOODY atmosphere? In summary: Candlesticks ( brass to be specific ) all different in form because they have been collected over time, LOTS of candles, brass/ gold finished trinkets, combination of linens and fabrics to bring textures to the design/ apothecary bottles ( small play off of the idea of potion bottles without actually being labeled as such), and the right type of florals/greenery to contribute to this concept. Now, I cannot give it all away but I think this gives you a pretty good idea of what we are looking at here. 
There will be some small added details that do not literally say Halloween but play off it: small white pumpkins, black candle sticks and potentially a few other little surprises! 

---

The Music:

It is not in our plan to include Halloween themed music. But who knows..Maybe we will toss one or two in....Some of the classics!

Kiddo Activities:

We are having a kid friendly wedding. Being that it's Halloween, and the kiddos are missing the chance to Trick-Or-Treat, we want to make sure we include candy bags pre-filled or incorporate Trick-Or-Treat stations. 

The Favors

Choosing a Halloween favor may be too much into the holiday for us. We are thinking we will end up with a Fall favor like the caramel apples. While not a direct link to Halloween its a happy medium screaming Fall wedding! PLUS THEY ARE DELICIOUS! 

---

The Dress Code

As mentioned in my intro this is THE question we are asked. While Jesus and I both love the idea of having our guests dress up in some type of costume, coordinated or individually, we struggle with the idea of how much of a " Halloween" party is this versus the fact that it is a wedding? 
Do we want costumes in the photos?
Do we want to be wearing any type of costume? NOT me..I already paid for a beautiful dress, hair and for the makeup I will be wearing that day. I do not want to distract away from those things with a costume.
If we did allow costumes should they all match? OR be of a similar consistent theme?
Could we ask guests to all wear Black? 
Do we provide some type of mask or prop for guests to wear once the party starts? 

There are two different concepts that come to mind that would fit our wedding style and still play off the idea of the wedding being on Halloween..
1. Gatsby Theme / Roaring 20s'
​2. Masquerade Ball 

The Gatsby Wedding- Roaring 20's

Masquerade Ball

While we still have plenty of time to make this decision I am eager to decide for good as soon as possible. The amount of influence the idea of Halloween and the coordinating concepts will play a large role in many of the small details!

Till next Month! Cheers! Slainte!Salud!

https://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2015/08/25/elegant-masquerade-wedding-inspiration/https://www.etsy.com/listing/268459393/gatsby-wedding-welcome-sign-gold-and?source=aw&awc=6091_1508470481_563602e180cc2ff19b6653fbe14c9caf&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=uk_location_buyer&utm_content=171089
https://www.elegantwedding.ca/an-old-hollywood-meets-great-gatsby-wedding/
https://oosile.com/18-gorgeous-great-gatsby-wedding-theme-decoration-ideas-for-perfect-wedding-29233
​https://www.tidewaterandtulle.com/2018/08/vintage-gatsby-glam-hampton-virginia-wedding.html
http://cosmowomanz.wikihoo.ru/962740-wedding-themes-ideas-masquerade-57-ideas-for-2019.html