Ideas for a Horror Themed Wedding

Theme weddings are a popular trend among offbeat couples hoping to celebrate their vows in a less-traditional, fun way. People who love, live, and breathe the horror genre of movies and television might be interested in putting together a horror themed wedding based on their favorite horror movie or director's body of work. Here are some ideas for horror lovers interested in a Tim Burton themed wedding, a vampire themed wedding, or a zombie themed wedding.

Ideas for a Tim Burton Themed Wedding

Director Tim Burton spans many genres, and while some would argue that he isn't among the heaviest horror players; there is no denying that the gothic elements of many of his films fit well among the creepy and scary. Burton brought us Sweeney Todd, Beetlejuice, The Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, and many other screen gems (including Alice in Wonderland, which definitely doesn't fall into the horror genre but is worth mentioning). Incorporating elements from Burton's stylish films into a wedding could make for a romantically gothic event.

Announcements/Invitations: Some shops sell movie-specific invitations, such as these The Nightmare Before Christmas invitations on Ebay. Another idea is to choose invitations in colors often seen in Burton's work: gray, black, blue, red, purple, or stripes. Artist Katie Fischer, according to a post on Offbeat Bride, is interested in doing custom invitations for a Tim Burton themed wedding.

The Wedding Party: The bride in a Burton-themed wedding has several options, like this Corpse Bride inspired gown from Etsy seller Deconstructress. Also you may consider a blue and white wedding gown. For Victorian Era inspired gowns look for striped dresses, such as "The Sleepy Hollow" gown from Renaissance Dress. Dress the bridesmaids in black dresses with blue sashes or ribbons if the bride has blue accents on her dress. Whatever color dress the bride wears, a coordinating sash could be added to the bridesmaids' gowns. A black Victorian styled suit or a red suit (from Beetlejuice) would be appropriate for a Tim Burton themed wedding.

Flowers/Decorations: Decorate the aisles or the reception area with small topiaries and keep the color scheme similar to that of the wedding: dark colors, gray, and stripes. These colors can be represented with flowers, candles, dinnerware, napkins, and tablecloths.

Cake: For inspiration, look at Pink Cake Box's "Corpse Bride" wedding cake page. Other ideas include a cupcake tower of cupcakes decorated in white and black with a small "Jack Skellington" sheet cake on top. You'll want to consult a professional baker if you want to incorporate the oddly sized dimensions featured in Burton's work.

Music: The soundtracks to Tim Burton's movies have a number of songs that would be appropriate for this wedding and reception. Suggestions include "The Ice Dance," "Sally's Song," "Wedding," and "Jump in the Line." Also, there are some lovely instrumental songs on Danny Elfman's Serenada Schizophrana.

Ideas for a Vampire Themed Wedding
From Nosferatu to the The Twilight Saga, there are many ideas available for a vampire themed wedding. Incorporate plenty of red and black in the ceremony. You'll also want to embrace your inner goth and choose romantic, gothic themed decorations.

Announcements/Invitations: These fang invitations would be suitable for a vampire themed wedding, but if you're looking for something more subtle but still dark, choose invitations in black, white, and red.

The Wedding Party: The bride could wear a black dress and carry a bouquet of red roses or a red dress with a black bouquet. Dress the bridesmaids in either black or red dresses (whichever color the bride is not wearing). A bouquet of dark red roses would also compliment a white dress. Instead of a veil, try a birdcage veil or a small pillbox hat with a veil. The groom's attire is very similar to what was suggested for the Tim Burton wedding: a Victorian styled suit with a top hat. The groom could even get away with a cape in a vampire wedding.

Flowers/Decorations: Consider using orchids, dahlias, and roses. Because these flowers can be costly, you could make simple one-stem centerpieces in blood red or black colored vases. Ornate candelabras could take the place of floral centerpieces. Alchemy Gothic sells a variety of goblets from which red wine could be served, as well as gothic lighting and other decor that could be used in a vampire wedding.

Cake: Think: red, white, and black again. Red velvet cake with white icing and black nonpareils and "blood" dripping out of two fang marks is one idea. This Etsy seller's Vampire Cake Topper would fit the color scheme perfectly.
Music: Dark instrumentals would be ideal for music in a vampire wedding. Check out Scottish band Mogwai, Italy's "Goblin", and cello superstar Zoe Keating. You could also go with classical arrangements, such as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" or selections from Bach's "The Art of Fugue."

Ideas for a Zombie Wedding
For the more adventurous horror fan, a zombie themed wedding will be one that no one in attendance will soon forget. An interesting venue for a zombie themed wedding would be a cemetery, and there are many of those who allow rentals for weddings.

Announcements/Invitations: If having custom invitations is in your budget, hire a designer to create invitations in the style of an old school zombie movie poster (but smaller.) Other illustration suggestions are cute, cartoon bride and groom zombies (see the cake topper section below) or a cemetery scene.

The Wedding Party: If you're going for an authentic zombie feel, think deconstructed. The zombie wedding party will be dressed in tattered and perhaps even "blood-stained" clothing. Look for a white bridal gown and black bridesmaid dresses and suits in thrift stores. Here is a tutorial for a DIY zombie wedding dress. I have found that the best recipe for fake blood includes chocolate syrup, karo syrup, and red food coloring. There are many tutorials out there for zombie make-up, depending on how "zombie" you plan to go.

Flowers/Decorations: Shop around at Halloween time to stock up on ghoulish decorations, much like in the vampire wedding you could use ravens, cobwebs, dried (dead) flower centerpieces or candles, and dark colored tablecloths.
Cake: A simple tiered wedding cake could be zombified by using an interesting cake topper, like this adorable zombie cake topper by Etsy seller BellaSmiles. Use icing or fondant that matches those in the cake topper. Decorate with little tombstones along the tiers.

Music: To set the zombie mood, check out the soundtracks of some famous zombie movies, in particular tracks by the band Goblin. For lighter zombie movie music, the Shaun of the Dead soundtrack includes The Smiths, Queen, and Grandmaster Flash.

A horror themed wedding isn't for everyone, and while many people are going to find this decision to be weird, remember, it's your day and you can do whatever you want with it!

Sources:
Etsy
Offbeat Bride