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Friday, February 20, 2009

Favor Feb: Shadow Manor interview

To honor the fact that tonight I shall be seeing Iron Maiden for the third time, and that Favor Feb has been a smashing success, I've got a very special post for y'all. Jenna from Shadow Manor and the Art of Darkness blog has agreed to answer a few questions about favors, weddings, and her embarrassing taste in music.
Skull bath bombs, $1.10, from Shadow Manor
Who is Shadow Manor and what do you do?
Shadow Manor is a small company which focuses on customers who have integrated "goth" into their lifestyle as a whole. Instead of clothing and jewelry, which is pretty widely available, we carry items for bridal, home décor, crafts, etc.
In honor of Favor Feb, tell us what you have in the way of weddingfavors for the Wedding Skulls Wedding?
We offer prepackaged items like "Death Mints" and absinthe-flavored candies, plus personal items like miniature tins of bath salts and voodoo doll sachets. The blog also offers lots of DIY suggestions for favors: I'm a huge fan of the dark-yet-somehow-mainstream, so things like Dia de los Muertos-inspired sugar skulls, Medieval-themed bottles of mead, miniature corn dollies, bat-shaped chocolates, etc. etc. etc. are all good choices. Something inexpensive that's been carefully chosen (or even handmade) to fit your personality and wedding theme is a much more meaningful favor than a costlier "traditional" item.
Death Mints, $2.25, from Shadow Manor
What is goth to you?
To *me*, goth is embracing and seeing the beauty in dark things. Itake my inspiration from Morticia Addams...she was certainly dark by mainstream standards, but she was actually a very optimistic individual.
What drew you to the culture/style initially?
I don't know if I can specify any one thing, because my tendencies have always been a little on the morbid side. I was always that weird kid who was fascinated by old cemeteries and dilapidated mansions.
Voodoo kit, from Shadow Manor
How did you incorporate gothic features into your wedding?
I devoted an entire site to my gothic wedding: http://www.halloweddings.com/ Essentially, I had a Halloween party with a wedding in the middle of it. Everyone came in costume. The flower girl strewed plastic spiders instead of rose petals. I wore black velvet and my husband was in Victorian garb. It was informal, unique, and enormous fun.
Tell us a little about your design process - how do you choose materials/motifs/inspiration for your pieces?
Skully ring pillow, from Shadow Manor
I don't do "art" as much as "craft," and I like to choose motifs that are subtle enough to work in a mainstream setting but are perfectly gothy when you look closely. I love rich fabrics like velvet and brocade, and Victorian-inspired detailing.
Why do you think Shadow Manor appeals to so many people?
I think it's got a different vibe than the sites that appeal to "clubkids." The items that I tend to focus on are more in line with long-term lifestyle and decorating choices, so I guess you could say that I mainly appeal to the "settled" goth. I also try to be very inclusive and welcoming, so people who are just dipping their toes in the goth pool don't feel as though they're intruding in some kind of clique.
Name a couple of bands/songs that are on your stereo at the moment?
I have very embarrassing taste in music. David Bowie, Jonathan Coulton, and The Kinks are the three that came up first when I hit shuffle. (Believe me, it could have been much, much worse.)
What's coming up for Shadow Manor?
We're planning to significantly expand our "Doom it Yourself"selection to feature items like unusual buttons, charms, and fabrics.
Any advice you could offer to Wedding Skulls?
As far as weddings go, my biggest piece of advice is what Nike suggested: Just do it. Choose a theme that makes YOU happy, and unless your relatives are paying for it, ignore any tsks of disapproval. (If they *are* paying for it, you have a choice: Either scale back to a budget you can manage without help, or choose a more mainstream theme and try to incorporate subtle details of the theme you wanted. I'd advise the former.) If you do it tastefully, your guests might be surprised at how well an offbeat theme works, and it's *so* much more personal (and fun!) than a cookie-cutter wedding.

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