October 26, 2022

Witchy Salem engagement to Halloween wedding

Witchy Salem engagement to Halloween wedding
The Little photo company
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We have the perfect Halloween wedding, or Hallowedding if you will, to accompany your spooky season (and obligatory Hocus Pocus 2 viewing!)

This fun and magical light-hearted celebration of all things October featured 211 homegrown pumpkins, pretty rustic autumnal decor, a black wedding dress change, a moody photoshoot with dark smoke bombs and a firework finale.

So slip into your cosy socks, grab a steaming cup of something delicious and let's settle in for a whimsical wedding October extravaganza! 

gothic couple in magical photoshoot for witchy wedding inspired by halloween and hocus pocus
The Little photo company

How did you two meet?

Tom and I went to school together but we never really knew each other. We reconnected in our mid 20’s through the magic of tinder! 

Bride and groom sit on the steps of their unusual mansion house wedding venue surrounded by rustic autumnal decor for their halloween wedding
The Little photo company

A Hocus Pocus proposal

I’m a huge Halloween fan, so in October 2019 Tom took me to Salem, MA to experience Halloween American style.

I couldn't have wished for a better proposal location... Those who have watched the 1993 classic Disney film Hocus Pocus may know of it... Tom proposed in the grounds of Allison's mansion (where Max takes Dina trick or treating 'the Halloween party for rich people') with a personally designed diamond engagement ring from Blue Nile

Moody black and white photo of Bride and groom standing in front of spooky old mansion house on their Halloween wedding in England
The Little photo company

You needed an unusual wedding venue for your Halloween plans!

Yes we knew we wanted a wedding venue that was unique and out of the ordinary. We've been to lots of different wedding venues as guests so it was important to us that it was somewhere that was big enough that all our guests could be together rather than separated in various rooms. . .

I ended up googling unusual spooky wedding venues and Elmore popped up! As it was only about an hour from our home in Wiltshire we came to visit and were just blown away. We loved the history that the old manor had mixed with the fun rustic vibe of the gillyflower.

Elmore was the one and only wedding venue we saw and we booked it the same day as our viewing. 

White pumpkins and lanterns with candles decorate the aisle for this hocus pocus themed halloween wedding
The Little photo company

Your pumpkin wedding theme

Being a huge Autumn and Halloween fan I knew as soon as we got engaged that the wedding theme would have to involve pumpkins.

I'd seen a lot of weddings featuring orange pumpkins which looked amazing, but I was keen to do something different so we settled on white pumpkins. Luckily my parents have a farm in Wiltshire and were happy to allow us to dig up a large proportion of their garden to plant 4 different varieties of white pumpkins. 

We got lucky with the weather in the Summer and managed to Harvest 211 white pumpkins in preparation for the wedding, it took 4 car loads to get them all to Elmore!


With the pumpkins as the centrepiece, the rest of the wedding decor came together around this rustic autumnal theme with copper lanterns, fresh foliage and autumnal berry flowers - we also used WiredMama on etsy to create bespoke copper lettering to decorate the larger white pumpkins with fun phrases such as ‘boo’ and ‘I put a spell on you’ (another nod to Hocus Pocus!)

rich autumn wedding flowers in a white pumpkin for an autumn wedding theme
The Little photo company

You grew all those wedding pumpkins yourself?!

A lot of love went into those pumpkins! The seeds had to be shipped over from America and lovingly sown from May. Both sides of the family were actively involved in caring for them on the patch until they were ready to be harvested at the end of September.

Watching them grow knowing the wedding was getting closer and closer was really exciting, plus we told our guests to take them home as favours when they left so they were the perfect sustainable wedding decor and also dual-purpose!

hundreds of White pumpkins were home grown by the bride for this halloween wedding and decorated with wedding signs in copper wire
The Little photo company
White wedding pumpkin with I put a spell on you sign for a Hocus Pocus inspired Halloween wedding at a mansion house in UK
The Little photo company
Wedding pumpkins decorated with Mr and Mrs signs in copper wire for a halloween wedding at manor house wedding venue elmore court
The Little photo company
Pumpkin wedding aisle with candles and greenery for a homegrown halloween wedding in an old manor house in england
The Little photo company
White pumpkins home grown by the halloween obsessed bride for her autumn wedding with magical hocus pocus theme
The Little photo company
Hey there pumpkin wedding sign for a pumpkin themed wedding in october
The Little photo company
Mini white pumpkins greenery and lanterns decorate the steps to stately home halloween wedding venue
The Little photo company

Your autumnal wedding flowers

As soon as we got engaged there was only one choice of florist, it had to be Jody from Rosy Lea.

The woman is a florist wizard (or witch!) and really took the time to understand my thoughts and turn them into a reality. I was clear that I wanted a deep autumn berry theme and that the homegrown pumpkins were featured as much as possible.

A few days before the wedding Jody came to collect some of the miniature pumpkins to get to work on the larger floral arrangements, and she got us so excited about the wedding, it was at that point after 3 wedding dates that we realised the wedding was actually finally happening.

Jody managed to incorporate the miniature baby boo pumpkins into the tall centrepieces and the wedding bouquets, the moment she came and found us in the smoking room and handed over the bouquets was one of the highlights of the day. 

Florist brings dark autumn wedding flowers to the bride getting ready for her halloween wedding
The Little photo company
Bright autumn wedding flowers decorating the outside of mansion house wedding venue in October
The Little photo company
Autumnal wedding floral centerpieces with white pumpkins decorating eco reception venue in gloucestershire
The Little photo company
Bright autumn wedding flowers close up details for a fun halloween themed hocus pocus wedding in the cotswolds
The Little photo company
Autumn wedding crown for a witchy bride on her halloween wedding in an old stately home in the UK
The Little photo company
Autumn wedding flower details
The Little photo company
Bride holds dark bouquet for her autumn wedding at stately home venue elmore court
The Little photo company
Mini white pumpkins greenery and lanterns decorate the steps to stately home halloween wedding venue
The Little photo company

Was covid wedding planning a nightmare?

I loved planning my wedding theme. I think before I even got engaged, I had a Pinterest board of all of my wedding ideas! I really enjoyed the process of sourcing suppliers and thinking about all the small details. 

But being engaged during Covid was a bit of a nightmare, we were originally due to get married on the 30th October 2020, then 26th February 2021 and we finally tied the knot on 18th October 2021.

Covid made the wedding planning process quite challenging but thankfully Elmore and our suppliers were brilliant at accommodating all the date changes.

The wedding was well and truly worth the wait! 

autumn berry coloured wedding flowers
The Little photo company

What was the most important aspect of wedding planning for you?

For us, it was really important that our wedding felt unique and fun.

Everyone told us that what people mostly remember from weddings is the food and the entertainment, so we booked Skyknights band for the evening music and Mairi Therese Deigan for the cocktail reception - both acts were fully briefed on the pumpkin theme and happily incorporated Halloween songs into their performances. 

Tom owns a rum company called Loaded Spirits so we were able to serve our own alcohol as welcome drinks and even sold it to Elmore so our guests could order it from behind the bar in the evening which felt really lovely and personal. 

Autumn bride holding deep berry coloured bouquet for her october halloween inspired wedding
The Little photo company

We loved your black wedding dress!

I actually really struggled to find my wedding dress - I think I over-shopped as I had previously been a part-time bridal consultant so had the opportunity to try on lots of different dresses before I even got engaged!

I actually ended up buying 2 wedding dresses before I finally settled on an Ivory Lace dress from Morilee - I added a 3 tiered back necklace and plain veil to complete the look. 

I had always wanted an alternative evening outfit that was a bit different to the bridal norm, with it being an autumn wedding and my love for Halloween I thought it would be fun to go for a black gothic theme wedding dress.

It was really important for me to have two very different looks, so my evening dress was the complete opposite of my day dress - a black, long sleeved ball gown tailor-made from Etsy.

As soon as I tried the black wedding dress on it was love at first sight, unveiling it as a surprise to my wedding guests during the first dance was so much fun!

Halloween bride with two wedding dresses, one white and one black
The Little photo company
Bride in black wedding dress and autumn flower crown in candlelight on the steps of old mansion house wedding venue for her Halloween wedding
The Little photo company
Gothic bride in black wedding dress by candlelight on the steps of her old mansion house wedding venue in england
The Little photo company

Tell us about your bridal hair and makeup

My lovely friend is also a hairdresser so did my hair and the bridesmaids as my wedding gift.

Hair-wise I went for loose curls with a pearl clip in the day and a gothic fresh flower crown from Rosy Lea florist in the evening. 

I picked Holly Andersen for my make up who patiently watched me go through no less than 8 different lipstick colours before I finally settled on Charlotte Tilbury ‘duchess’ - unfortunately for me the colour was discontinued but Holly kindly gave me hers so that I could top up throughout the day.

My make up brief was vintage bridal so there was a lot of emphasis on eyes.

Autumn bride having makeup applied on wedding morning at stately home venue
The Little photo company
Autumn wedding flowers being delivered by florist for October wedding with halloween theme at stately home venue
The Little photo company

Autumn bridesmaids in forest green

I had 3 bridesmaids and one of my nieces as a flower girl.

The bridesmaids wore Wed2b full length dresses in Forest green and were able to mix and match the style to suit their preference.

The bridesmaids also wore copper jewellery to match the copper lantern theme. 

Autumn bridesmaids in green at stately home wedding venue for halloween wedding
The Little photo company

Pre-wedding pamper party with The Tattooed beauticians

The night before the wedding we had the Tattooed Beauticians over to the coach house to do the bridal party's nails, and then we watched the 1991 classic father of the bride. 

We woke at around 6am and were full of excitement for the day, it felt like we had hours to get ready but actually, it all went in a blur and before I knew it - it was time to walk down the aisle.

Walking down the aisle it was so amazing to see so many faces and finally be having our wedding ceremony after so many postponements. 

autumnal wedding ceremony bride and groom walking down aisle with confetti
The Little photo company
autumnal wedding ceremony with green foliage in beautiful stately home hall
The Little photo company
groom getting ready for autumnal wedding in a stately home
The Little photo company
autumnal wedding morning bride getting ready
The Little photo company
october bride walking down stairs of stately home wedding venue at her autumnal wedding
The Little photo company
autumn bride ready to wed
The Little photo company
autumnal wedding ceremony bride and groom exchanging rings
The Little photo company

Eat, Drink and be scary.

During the cocktail reception, we had a rum punch and pineapple mojito made with rum from Tom's company Loaded Spirits as canapes circled the guests. 

For the autumn wedding feast we had:

  • Starter - Rosemary & garlic baked camembert in its wooden box, mini baguette & beetroot relish (v)
  • Main - Pavé of braised beef, shallot, smoked butter pomme purée, green beans, crispy onions & red wine sauce
  • Dessert - Sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch sauce & Cornish clotted cream (Tom’s favourite!) 

During the evening pizza was provided by Paddy at the Cotswold Pizza Co

You even had a Halloween themed first dance!

Yes, Skyknights were amazing at performing a mash-up of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Witchcraft’ and Nina Simone's ‘I put a spell on you’ in the upbeat style of Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus!

Halloween themed first dance to mash up of I put a spell on you and Bewitched in the style of Hocus Pocus with bride in black wedding dress
The Little photo company

Who made your pumpkin wedding cake?

Hannah Culley created an amazing 4 tier wedding cake decorated with handmade fondant white pumpkins - the tier flavours were white chocolate, Nutella, carrot and of course pumpkin spice!

The perfect autumnal wedding cake for our Halloween theme.

Pumpkin wedding cake with 4 tiers of flavours including pumpkin spice decorated with autumnal foliage and mini fondant pumpkins for an October wedding
The Little photo company
Pumpkin wedding cake decorated with mini fondant pumpkins and autumnal foliage for an october wedding
The Little photo company
4 tier autumnal wedding cake with 4 flavours including pumpkin spice and decorated with mini fondant pumpkins for an october wedding
The Little photo company

Your Hocus Pocus cocktails and magical photoshoot looked epic

During the evening Skyknights band performed, Belle Studio also came with their silver photobooth caravan, and Shockwaves pyrotechnics put on a beautiful firework show with sparklers to keep guests entertained. 

We also arranged signature Halloween wedding cocktails in the style of the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus.

Once I was in my black wedding dress we took the opportunity to have a moody photoshoot with smoke bombs near the willow tree and the large Cedar tree that was decorated with hanging lanterns by every event hire. 

Steve got some really magical and atmospheric gothic style wedding photos!

autumn wedding flowers in deep berry tones for a halloween wedding at stately home elmore court
The Little photo company

So your black wedding dress change was a big highlight?

Other than actually finally getting married after multiple postponements, my highlight has to be the black wedding dress.

It was amazing to have a quick outfit change surrounded by my bridesmaids. My wedding coordinator, Alex was in on the outfit change (saying she had never had a bride in black before!) and arranged for me to be sneaked through the kitchen and onto the dancefloor for a surprise unveil during our first dance. 

Moody photos of bride in black wedding dress with smoke bombs for halloween wedding
The Little photo company
Bride in black wedding dress and autumn flower crown kisses husband in moody photoshoot with smoke bombs at their halloween wedding
The Little photo company
Spooky wedding photos with bride in black lace wedding dress with smoke bomb for halloween
The Little photo company
moody photoshoot with bride in black wedding dress and magical lanterns on trees
The Little photo company
gothic couple in magical photoshoot for witchy wedding inspired by halloween and hocus pocus
The Little photo company
Gothic bride and groom on halloween wedding photoshoot with black wedding dress
The Little photo company
Magical photoshoot of Halloween wedding with bride in black lace wedding dress
The Little photo company
Magical wedding photoshoot with bride in black dress and autumn flower crown and lanterns on trees for halloween wedding
The Little photo company

What is your top tip as a newlywed for brides-to-be?

My number one tip is when working out how long you need to get ready, add another 30 minutes on! 

Halloween wedding with fireworks finale
The Little photo company
Pumpkin themed wedding for halloween at an old mansion house in Gloucestershire UK
The Little photo company

Who created this Halloween wedding?

Shout out to all the magical wedding suppliers who made this fun autumnal wedding dream come true.

Photography by The Little Photo Company

Autumn wedding flowers by Rosy Lea

Magical outdoor lighting by Every Event Hire

Bridal hair by Hair by Lauren

Wedding makeup by Holly Andersen

Pumpkin wedding cake by Hannah Culley

Registrar by Gloucestershire registry 

Cocktail reception singer Mairi Deighan

Photobooth caravan by Belle Studio

Wedding band Skyknights

Wedding pizza by Cotswolds pizza co

Fireworks and smoke bombs by Shockwave Pyrotechnics

Sparklers for wedding guests with I Put a spell on you tags for a hocus pocus Halloween themed wedding
The Little photo company
Magical sparkler exit for a halloween loving bride in black wedding dress
The Little photo company
Bride in black wedding dress and groom with sparklers at their autumn themed wedding
The Little photo company
Halloween loving Bride in black wedding dress surrounded by guests with sparklers in front of unusual photo booth at autumn wedding
The Little photo company

Thank you so much Beccy and Tom for sharing your whimsical Halloween wedding with us, it was such fun and we will ever be in awe of your pumpkin growing skills!

If you've found yourself spellbound by the idea of a darker kind of wedding idea after reading this, be sure to check out this magical & moody October wedding with black wedding cake, and browse our dark wedding aesthetic journal for more inspiration.

 

Enjoy spooky season everyone.

Forevermore,

Team E 

xxx

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