Ideas and Inspiration for an Elegant yet Spooky Halloween Elopement or Wedding

Having a Halloween Elopement or Wedding brings ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ to a whole new level.

What to think about when planning your Halloween elopement

Planning a Halloween themed wedding or elopement calls for many of the same planning elements as a more traditional celebration. You still have to think through your venue options, guest list, wedding attire, cake, and more. 

But because a Halloween wedding has such a strong theme to it, it does require a little extra planning. Usually this means buying extra decor or perhaps putting in a little more legwork if you’re doing DIY decorations. You want to make sure your theme comes through! This post has plenty of tips, ideas, and inspiration to help you along the way!

Tips for planning your Halloween elopement or wedding

Here are a few tips to think through as you’re planning your Halloween Wedding or Elopement:

• To keep your Halloween elopement elegant and romantic, but still spooky, consider whether you and your partner want to wear costumes or just Halloween themed attire, such as a black wedding dress.

• Consider whether you want your guests to dress up as well! This tends to be easier when you’re having a microwedding or elopement and therefore, fewer guests.

• Don’t be afraid to take inspiration from your favorite Halloween movies or TV shows, such as this epic Nightmare Before Christmas themed wedding.

• Find vendors (such as your photographer, cake baker, etc.) that love Halloween as much as you do! It’s not every year wedding vendors get hired to do Halloween weddings, so they’ll be as excited for your day as you are and better able to understand and execute your vision for your day!

• When it comes to your photos, spend some time creating a vision. Pinterest and Google Image Search are two great resources for this. Don’t forget that lighting is going to make a HUGE difference in achieving any photo results you want. Discuss options with your photographer for both indoor and outdoor lighting, including shooting at golden hour for your outdoor photos!

• Make sure to follow Leave No Trace principles, especially if you’re having your elopement on public lands. The jack-o-lanterns with the smoke effect looks cool, but isn’t necessarily Leave No Trace, so make sure to research options ahead of time!

• Take your time to find the right venue setting! You can add all the decorations you want, but if the venue doesn’t fit your theme, it’s going to be difficult to overcome that. Check out some ideas in a later section!

• Be true to yourself and your own vision! It can take time to figure out your budget and the most important things for your day, but that’s the whole point of having a Halloween wedding or elopement after all!

Halloween wedding dress ideas

As I talked about previously, you’ll want to consider whether you want to do costume attire or just Halloween themed attire for your elopement. Either is a great choice! 

You’ll also want to consider whether you want guests to dress up. Check out some of the inspiration options below for black and gothic themed wedding dresses!

More ideas for your Halloween wedding look

Dramatic hair and makeup

Having a dramatic look will really pull your outfit together. Finding the right hair and makeup artist will be key here! 

If you can find someone who has done a Halloween look previously that will be your best case scenario so you can have an idea of their work before hiring them. If not, make sure to do a hair and makeup trial run so you know that you’ll be happy on your big day!

Fall or Halloween themed bouquet

This is another important element to pulling your Halloween look together for your elopement day. Consider darker colors, such as deep reds or purples, or even a dried floral option like the one below!

Veils and Headpieces

Add the final touch with a themed veil or headpiece, like some of the ones below.

Halloween elopement and wedding venue ideas

As I mentioned above, finding the right setting for your Halloween elopement or wedding is so important. In my opinion, it’s difficult to overcome a setting that doesn’t fit your theme with decorations alone.

One thing to consider for outdoor Halloween elopements or weddings is that where you live will dictate the type of scenery you may get. In some areas of the country, late October is the prime time for fall foliage. While in other areas, this means that you are well past your peak. 

In Colorado, where I am based, it is extraordinarily rare to still have any fall colors on October 31st, so most likely your outdoor celebration will have dead leaves or bare trees, which may actually work to your advantage. 

Here are a few ideas for Halloween venue options:

• A backyard wedding
• A local or state park
• Ghost town
• Haunted Bed and Breakfast
• Old Manor/Estate that operates as a wedding venue
• Botanic gardens or greenhouse, which will have fall themed gardens at this time of year

As a Colorado Elopement Photographer, one of the things I help clients with is finding their perfect location. If you’re planning a Halloween Elopement in Colorado, I’d love to help you think through your location options!

Halloween elopement and wedding ideas

After your venue and attire, your decor and other themed items are the next most important thing in making sure your vision comes to life! 

I’ve included some of the most important categories to consider, as well as some inspiration and ideas for each!

Halloween wedding invitations

Creative invitations are a great opportunity to show your guests what you have in mind for your day, especially if you are wanting your guests to come in costume or dressed in theme. 

Halloween wedding cakes

Halloween wedding cakes are one of my favorite parts of the decor! I love the creativity and how they can really add something special to your day! Don’t forget about the cake stand, as this can really add to the effect!

Sinister cocktails and food 

What you choose to serve can really be a fun part of planning your Halloween wedding or elopement as well.

When it comes to cocktails, I love the idea of having red drinks, such as Bloody Marys, red wine, or a cranberry juice cocktail. 

And of course, there are plenty of ideas on Pinterest for spooky hors d’oeuvres for Halloween parties that you can also serve for elopements or microweddings.

Halloween wedding centerpieces

Having a great centerpiece decoration is the perfect way to start building your decor. Here are some ideas that I love!

Spooky lighting

Don’t forget lighting, which can be so important to set the mood! Consider whether you want to do something like candles or lanterns (faux flame is the safest option!), string lights, or even colored lighting such as purple or blue lights.

Other Halloween decor

Add on to your lighting and centerpieces with some smaller pieces to help bring everything together!

A final tip for Halloween weddings on a budget!

Just like with any wedding, things tend to add up and burst your budget quickly! A tip that I have to help keep decor affordable is to mix affordable and DIY options with the more expensive things like centerpieces.

Some great choices can be mini pumpkins, which you can easily spray paint, or faux flame candles, which you can buy in bulk! String lights are also a great choice. 

You can upcycle things such as barrels or Halloween decorations from family and friends. 

And if you’re planning your wedding well in advance, you can go to clearance sales in Halloween costume shops after the holiday to pick up items at a way cheaper price!

Are you planning a Halloween elopement or wedding?

Add your questions or comments below! I’d love to hear more about what you’re planning for your day!

Looking for a Halloween elopement photographer?

I’m more than just a photographer. Helping couples create their dream day is what I do best!

Get in touch and let’s chat about your vision!

Get more elopement and microwedding info here!

Or check out more elopement planning resources…

This post contains affiliate links. While I may receive a small amount through affiliate links, it is always at no cost to you and all opinions are entirely my own.