A Spooky Hallowedding

October 29, 2012 in
Real Weddings
Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Amy Lynn Harvey
Amy Lynn Harvey

Amy Harvey resides in Seattle and works as a hairstylist at Robert Leonard Salon and Spa.

For Torry and me, our favorite holiday is Halloween, so we wanted to have a Halloween-themed wedding from the very beginning. Our engagement lasted a year and a half, which meant we had plenty of time to plan and search for decorations.

We started by looking for the perfect venue to house our celebration, and we found a ballroom in a historic Masonic building that was just the right fit. Next, we scoured thrift stores for creepy vintage dolls and candelabras, and we hit every costume and party store in town hunting for Halloween decorations. We also sourced décor on Etsy, finding miniature coffins to hold our rings. We reached out to friends and family about using their personal Halloween collections as well.

What we couldn’t buy, we created. We made trees to place throughout the ballroom by putting tall branches in burlap-covered buckets. Using purple lights to illuminate the trees, we created the haunting atmosphere we had in mind. Our friends and family carved and painted pumpkins to line the aisle and stage. On the day of our wedding, we bought tons of pumpkins to use as decorations and placed them throughout the venue.

We transformed the venue into a haunted house for our ceremony. Torry’s brother built the arbor we were married under, which fit our theme perfectly, as it was made with twisted, moss-covered branches. We topped our cake with a skeleton bride and groom and adorned the tables with candelabras and custom-made centerpieces of spiders and masks. To get inside the venue, guests walked down a staircase lined with pumpkins and leaves and passed a graveyard scene. They were greeted with fog, lights, and creepy music.

Torry’s father married us, which was truly an amazing experience: he spoke from the heart and delivered a wonderful ceremony. Afterward, our guests hit the open bar while we went to sign the paperwork. We returned wearing masks that friends from Paris gave us as an early wedding gift.

We asked our guests to come dressed in costume, and the majority of them did. People dressed as pirates, Batman and Robin, and even ‘80s rockers. Those who didn’t wear full costumes came in masks. It was an amazing experience to stand on stage and look out into a costumed crowd.

After dinner, a local ‘80s cover band called Rewind performed in full costume on our Halloween-themed stage. We projected the movie Beetlejuice on a screen as they performed. When they opened with “Thriller,” the crowd went crazy. The dance floor was packed for the rest of the night, and they played favorites like “Monster Mash,” “Ghostbusters,” and “You’re the Best” from Karate Kid. Our guests danced and celebrated into the wee hours of the morning, and the open bar definitely helped create the wild and fun Halloween party we’d envisioned.

Overall, our wedding surpassed our expectations, and the celebration was as unique as we are as a couple. We could not have done it without the help of our friends and family, who contributed so much time and energy. We are so lucky to have such caring and talented people in our lives!

Torry and Amy want to give a special thank you to Torry’s aunt Maggie, who owns Down to Earth, for her amazing work on the flowers and centerpieces.

All photographs by Kristen Marie.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods
Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

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