Fashion

Fall Season Wedding Ideas: Dark Romance Inspired

Fall Season Wedding Ideas: Dark Romance Inspired

Fall weddings are the perfect opportunity for couples to create a romantic atmosphere full of alluring colors, textures, and details. If you're planning a fall wedding, why not take inspiration from the season’s dark romance? From deep red and burgundy shades to moody lighting and luxurious fabrics, there are plenty of ideas to incorporate for a romantic and stylish autumnal look. Here are some of the best fall season wedding ideas for a dark romance-inspired celebration.

While most people prefer a solemn traditional white wedding, there’s still 3% in our population that prefers a unique, one-of-a-kind gothic theme. For the last 5 years, more and more couples are having these wedding themes. Some get excited by the idea of playing up on their big day and being as creative as possible. 

Though black signifies “death” for some, it also symbolizes elegance. Match it with another dark or brighter color and it will bring out the best of both. While most people will raise their eyebrows by the idea of a black wedding dress, we can’t deny the fact that dark colored dresses are really sexy and elegant. If asked, I would trade any traditional white wedding dress for a sexy gothic black one! Whether it’s gothabilly inspired, hardcore goth, or with a gothic-dark modern twist for that special day in your life, here are some dark wedding ideas that you and your fiancée can look into if your planning for a unique wedding.

 

Fall Wedding Ceremony
Image courtesy of Style Sizzle

 

The Theme/Concept

 

In every wedding there’s a specific theme or concept that the couple go for. They incorporate their personality, lifestyle, hobbie, interests and even their occupations. Even though some find the theme to be creepy, the creativity usually makes the chosen theme unforgettable if it is planned well. To prevent conflict, unwanted stress and disorganized planning, go for the help of a wedding coordinator. Tell him/her the particular theme you’re aiming for, and he/she will put it together. Brainstorm together with your partner and your coordinator and they’ll help you with decide which colors to use, decorations that might best fit your theme, the accessories and so on. Though it’s quite unusual for a wedding coordinator to plan a gothic wedding, I’m sure he/she will enjoy it.

 

Wedding Venue

 

The venue should complement the theme that you’ve chosen. You can go for an outdoor wedding in the meadows filled with lit candles, trees filled with lanterns and lights. A wedding outside a gothic Victorian house can be quite bad ass too. For indoor weddings, you can look for an old wedding hall in with antique interiors to complement your dark wedding theme like an old church. Some have chosen a wedding at the barn, and other odd creepy places like a haunted mansion.

 

The Bride

 

For the bride, go for a darker and bolder wedding dress. Choose from colors like burgundy, bright red, purple and black. Be glamorous as you walk down the aisle by wearing a dark Victorian gown or break all the rules with a short body hugging dress. Get creative with your choices when it comes to the fabric, cuts and detailing.

If you’re not into that, you can wear white or cream and add a few touches of black and other dark colors. Wearing a veil is optional, but a black veil will be glamorously evocative and definitely haunting.You can trade the veil for a fascinator, bird cage, hair vines with dark crystals, flower headbands and other gothic hair ornaments.

 

Hair - Add a soft curl, leave it straight or rock those timeless pin-up inspired pin curls, bangs and victory rolls.

 

Make-up - There’s no rule for your makeup. If the traditional white wedding dress isn’t your option then say goodbye to pinks and peaches and say hello to deep plums, bright red, purple and black hues for your eyelids and lips. The heavier the makeup, the edgier it will look in person and in pictures. You can paint your nails in darker shades like bordeaux, plum, bloody red and goth black. Say goodbye to the typical French tips.

 

DW_brides.jpg

 

Shoes -  Break the rules by wearing platform pumps, peep toes, stilettos or have them custom made with studs, spikes and skulls.

 

Accessories -  Wear dark gems and onyx. Earrings shouldn’t be big and chandelier-like as that would attract too much attention. Go for elegant gothic chokers instead if you’re baring your shoulders or collarbones. If you’ll go for a closed neck dress, then wear an elegant ear stud and hair dress instead.

 

The Bouquet - Aside from the wedding dress, the bride’s bouquet is one of the most essential and shouldn’t be neglected, because you’ll be holding it the whole time, especially when you walk down the long, dark aisle and it’ll only leave you once you throw it to your bridesmaids.You can choose the arrangement, designs and kinds of flower to use for your special bouquet.Go for the combination of dark roses, tulips, calla lily or black dahlia. Add some feathers, dark gems, and even black ribbons.

 

The Bridesmaids

 

The bridesmaids can wear a dark dress and carry a small bouquet of flowers and bright colored shoes. Their make-up should be dark and heavy, or they can tone it down by having nude lips and heavy smokey eyes, or cat eyes and dark lips. They can also wear fascinators and other simple hair ornaments or just a single flower worn on their ear.

 

The Groom

 

You can skip shaving and cutting your hair, especially if yours is long, you can tie it or just leave it down. It doesn’t matter if they’re too wavy and unruly, draw inspiration from Dracula movies. A nice coat, suit and tux of your choice will do, add a striking belt that will definitely rock your whole outfit. A cape is uber cool as well! Also, wear gothic platform boots, whether buckled or zipped up. You can add cool accessories like canes or hats. The boutonniere’s also there, it can be a flower that matches the bouquet of the bride or you can add skulls and black feathers to it.

 

The Groomsmen

 

The groomsmen should complement the groom’s chosen style in simpler form. They can wear vests, coat, suit or tux, with boutonniere similar to the groom and they can also add other accessory like hats.

 

The Ring

 

While most ordinary couples prefer eternity rings or just a simple gold wedding band, those who love gothic inspired jewelry often go for custom-made rings. Remember Deadmau45 who had a custom made skull engagement diamond ring for Kat Von D? You can have those at The Great Frog, or you can also pick anything you want, have a sketch and give it to your jeweller. 

 

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The Reception

 

After the ceremony, the reception is where the real party begins. The centerpiece, tables, chairs, the choice of food, music, candles and flowers will definitely set up the atmosphere for the couple’s chosen wedding concept, and everyone will be in a trance.

 

The Cake

 

Be it a simple cake with black lace, flowers, skulls or eerie ones with creepy toppers, the perfect wedding cake is very important for the reception. It can be in two layers or sky high, depending on your budget. Make it as outrageous as possible and one that the guests will forget any time soon. 

 

gothic wedding cake

 

The Program 

 

A good and lively host is very important to catch everyone’s attention and make the guests engrossed and amused ‘til the end of the program. Have quirky games about the bride and the groom and add a twist to the traditional throwing of bouquet and garter. You can have a prior arrangement with the host to have games and activities related to the theme, or related to your funny love story.

 

Souvenirs

 

This is the era of photo booths, a replacement for traditional souvenirs. Just have them customize the design of your photos for darker gothic backgrounds. If you’re not into photo booths you can still have unique and odd souvenirs depending on your preference. 

 

Photo and Video Coverage

 

Now is also the era of Videographers. If you feel like having your own short movie with the love of your life or your own romantically dark music video, it is now possible. They’ll also include the clips from the ceremony like the romantic exchange of vows and even bloopers on your big day.

Talk to your videographer on how you want it and what music to use. Having a good photographer can definitely capture not only the memorable ceremony itself,  they can also capture even those rare moment, be it good or bad, funny or not. For extra laughs and fun, tell the photographer to capture the after party drinking sessions for those inappropriate shenanigans will also be caught on cam.

Sometimes, weddings are all for show. You really don’t need to splurge over designer wedding dress or shoes, or spend thousands of dollars just to make it extravagant or memorable. Sometimes, the best ones happens to be risky and affordable.

Since Fall is one of the best season to get married, I’m sure more and more brides-to-be and bridezillas are now surfing the internet looking for wedding ideas. I hope these tips will be of good help.

If you have more tips to share or if you already have that offbeat and one of a kind gothic wedding, share your tips and pictures with us! We’ll be happy to know your story and see those amazing pictures you have.

 

Would you consider wearing a black wedding dress on your big day? How about darker dresses for the whole entourage? Comment below.  

 

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CM

About the Author

Cherish Marasigan

I enjoy anything dark, gothic, vampy and vintage. I love pin~ups, chola, rockabilly, psychobilly, horrorbilly, skulls, leathers, studs, leopard prints, piercings, tattoos, red roses, red lipsticks, sugar skulls, anything korean or japanese, tim burton's movies, anything glittery & sparkly. I dig smokey eyes and heavy eyeliners and plain black shirts. I wanna be a pin up girl or a drag queen for a day.