Maybe it’s the chilly weather, but fall always makes me think of staying indoors and making elaborate crafts. Therefore, to me, it seems like the perfect time of the year to host a primarily handmade or do it yourself wedding. A handmade wedding conjures up images of an intimate wedding held at your childhood home or in a particularly meaningful location like an old barn, or a field with only your closest friends and family.

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To decorate your gorgeous setting, gather jugs and china from your family members and use them as centerpieces with fresh cut flowers. You could even bring some of your own furniture outdoors and create intricate pieces, such as gathering dresser drawers and filling them with bunches of flowers. Antique keys make great escort cards, especially when hung from an old chalkboard and vintage books help to spruce up your centerpieces. Bring out some family pictures to place on different tables, and light up the night with some twinkle lights and plenty of candles.

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To round out your whimsical decorations, hang some chandeliers outdoors, bring out a vintage typewriter instead of a guest book, and create your own photo booth with a sheet or even a wall of picture frames. Make your own edible wedding favors and carefully wrap them in some lovely favor packaging. Then, give your guest some sparklers to see you off on your matching vintage bikes.

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For the food, encourage your guests to bring their favorite dish for a potluck style buffet. For dessert let your guests feast on a variety of sweets and treats served in pretty glass jars. Bake your own cupcakes and set out some ingredients for hot cocoa to ward off the chill.

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For your attire, be sure to include some personal touches, such as your favorite colorful cardigan, or a pretty headband. Have your bridesmaids come in their favorite colorful gown, and make a tutu and flower garland for your beautiful flower girl. Finally, encourage your groom to show off his own personal style by wearing his favorite pair of jeans.

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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it’s the only holiday where you can bring out your inner movie star and transform into someone entirely different. To create the perfect Halloween wedding all you need is a dash of theatricality, a hint of Victorian mystique, and some majorly glam makeup!

To set the mood, host your wedding in a Victorian mansion, a Gothic Cathedral (or castle), or even outdoors in some ruins overlooking the misty forest. Don’t forget to make your grand entrance atop a spiraling staircase and pack a few umbrellas.

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The best part of Halloween is wearing a costume, and you can totally do so at your wedding, while still being a traditional bride. The best way to do this is by wearing a dramatic headpiece paired with a birdcage veil or you could even wear a mask and ask your guests to partake in a masquerade ball theme. For the more dramatic, have your makeup artist apply some dramatic false eyelashes or even purchase a Victorian styled colored gown for a more goth feel.

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Evoke a Halloween mood by choosing red, black, and white as your wedding colors, hang creepy chandeliers, and light plenty of candles. For your costume party, you can even deck the place with white balloons and pillars.

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Complement your decor with some scary cake toppers, plenty of candles, miniature ghosts as place cards or even as Halloween wedding favors, scary jack-o-lanterns and skull accents. Set up a spooky photo backdrop for a homemade photo booth and invite a tarot card reader to tell your guests fortunes. Then set off in a vintage car or black carriage.

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Finally, for the refreshments, you can’t go wrong with serving all kinds of treats, from individually sized servings of candy, caramel apples, elaborate cupcakes, and thick punch. For the main menu, trick your guests by hiding the fondue in pumpkins and you should of course use pumpkin in your other entrees.

{Images from: Lucky Orchid, Hostess Blog, BV Weddings, Jo My Goodness, Divine Party Concepts, Social Couture}