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There are unique weddings and then there are Halloweddings.
A Hallowedding is a wedding that falls on or near October 31st, and involves a couple that loves Halloween and wants to create a spooktacular nuptial experience rather than a traditional wedding.
Why a Hallowedding?
When it came time for bride Ana Rodriguez to plan her wedding, she did not want to do what every other bride would do.
Ana decided on a Hallowedding because she loves Halloween and she is not a traditional bride. She wanted something different!
Johnny, her husband-to-be was up for the challenge and was all for the unique theme.
And since Ana is also the owner of Enchanting Crafts by Ana, an online boutique dedicated to creating hand-crafting beautiful decor and gifts, there was no way her wedding was not going to be, well, enchanting.
A glam spooky theme
For inspiration, she turned to dark, mysterious colors. She knew she wanted to incorporate black and plum, and her fiance loved the color red. She wanted touches of bling and glam, glitter and gold.
Once she had her colors, she thought about the different decor pieces. Halloween is full of fun decor like skulls, pumpkins, and creepy, spooky, goth elements.
She then broke it down by all the elements she’d need for her celebration. She thought about how she was going to incorporate those colors and elements into the dessert table, centerpieces, sweetheart table, and more.
The joy of creating custom pieces
Ana knew right away she was going to make everything by hand. Even though her friends tried to talk her out of it, she loved the ritual of coming up with design concepts and bringing her vision to life. She worked on a few pieces throughout the year, but the bulk of the creations were done the month of the wedding. She took some time off of work to make sure she had extra time to get it all done.
To plan, she went old school – good ol’ pen and paper. She had a wedding notebook with all the details. She broke down her planning process by thinking about each element she needed, the details it would have, what to buy, and what she needed to do.
An enchanting bride
Her dress was another masterpiece. Of all the elements of the party, people commented on the dress the most. She knew she wanted a dark dress, and originally thought she might choose red or plum. When she walked out in her long elegant black dress, her new husband was speechless, and everything got silent. Guests were blown away by her spooky and glamorous look.
Another surprise was her beautiful accessories. Ana wore a black tulle train with twinkle lights embedded into the fabric, and a black crown, fit for the most alluring villainess. Her transformation into a beautiful Hallowedding bride was stunning.
Her wedding party wore shades of red, plum, and black. Her new husband Johnny chose a red vest while his best man wore a purple vest. Her maid of honor, Donna, wore a plum dress, and her daughter Angel wore a burgundy plum dress. Their floral bouquets and boutonnieres tied everyone’s unique attire altogether.
Treat your guests to something spooky and savory
For food, she went with family favorites – birria and tacos prepared by her good friend and caterer Chivitas catering.
Ana’s best friend Donna created a fabulous dessert table with fun elements like Spider web pretzels, venus fly trap cupcakes, and more. Her cake was made with a smooth black fondant adorned with red roses and topped with a corpse bride and groom.
Setting the final look
One of Ana’s favorite pieces of decor was her sweetheart table. She incorporated a ceremonial backdrop with spooky-glam elements, Mr. & Mrs. pumpkins, and lots of beautiful sparkly touches. The bold neon “Till Death” sign gave a new meaning to those traditional vows.
One of her most memorable moments was putting together her Dia de los Muertos alter. Going back and looking at pictures of loved ones who have passed was very emotional. Realizing that these beloved people who would have wanted to be there to celebrate her big day, and aren’t here anymore, was sad, but also connected her more with her whole wedding experience.
Thinking of hosting a Hallowedding?
Her advice for future brides is to enjoy every minute and lean into your creativeness. Many brides aren’t aware of the many options you have in creating your own unique look for your wedding.
It’s true what they say, your wedding flies by in a flash! She wishes she could go back and relive that day all over again. She also is so appreciative of everyone who helped make her wedding a success and said it wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of helping hands.
Special thanks to everyone who made this event possible:
Makeup and hair – @doneupbydonna and @cindyprostylist
Catering/rentals/day-of coordinator – @chivitaspartyrentals_catering
Rentals – @glamarispartyrentals
Photobooth – @modernglamphotobooth
Wedding cake – @margiescakes
Photographers @a11y_pr0venghi and @oohlala_photostudio
Chapel – @albertsonweddingchapel
Ceremony singer – @elmer.abapo
Custom light up skirt – @zealouzboutique
Candy Apples – @sweetsby_abbyxoxo
