Favor Feb: Old Fashion Halloween

I've just discovered the most AMAZING site. Old Fashion Halloween. They sell...well, EVERYTHING.

For favors, they've got lace crows, halloween samplers, cards, reissues of Victorian palmestry guides and illusionary pamphlets (perfect for steampunk and Victorian weddings), candles, beautiful halloween treat bags and boxes, fortune teller postcards, mini crystal balls...the list goes on.

Fortune Teller Reproduction Postcard, $2, from Old Fashion Halloween

If you're looking for decor ideas for a Halloween reception, Old Fashion Halloween have you totally covered. ghost, bat, spider and skull table runners, witchy teacups and candleholders, napkins, paper plates and table skirts are but a few of the delights awaiting you in their Halloween Table section.

Witch Teacup, $16, from Old Fashion Halloween

For invitations, Old Fashion Halloween have letterpress cards, Edward Gorey, reproduction Victorian delights, and fancy art cards.

Relax Spides, I keep house casually, Letterpress card $3

They also sell wonderful antique noisemakers, decor items, fabrics and paper ephemera. And probably a kitchen sink, if you asked nicely.

They also keep a Halloween Blog, and an articles archive of old magazine articles and Halloween craft projects. AND they operate DragonFly Design studios - vintage halloween pattern reproductions, for you DIY brides.

Did I mention that I'm in LOVE with Old Fashion Halloween?

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.

Favour February: Weird n' Witchy Gothic/Pagan soap

Welcome to Favour February, where I shall herewith post many ideas for wedding favours for the dark at heart.

While most of my readers come from the US and the UK, where favours are standard wedding faire, I thought I'd enlighten some of you who live in other parts of the world as to what exactly a wedding favour is. This is probably not necessary as any wedding magazine contains ample information about these delightful things. Exhibit A:

This delightfully bland chinese takeout box would be filled with jordan almonds, candies or chocolates carved with the bride and groom's initials or some other such thing. The favors are then placed at each guests setting, often with a nametag attached at a jaunty angle. Alternatively, they're arranged on a platter in the centre of the table as a centrepiece. The guests can either eat their candies while they wait for the bride and groom to finish mucking about with the photographer, or they can take the box home as a way to forever remember the happy wedding day - or at least as long as the chocolates last.

So where did this alien tradition come from? Well, we have the Europeans to thank. When a European aristocrat threw any kind of party, whether it be a wedding, birthday party or fraternity kegger, they'd send each guest home with a bomboneire - small boxes made from porcelain, metal, crystal or precious stones filled with delicious candy. It's easy to see how this tradion evolved into the wedding industry ploy for moneys that we see today.

Oops. Did that sound snarky? Forgive me.

While I think wedding favours (especially the ones you'll see this month) look FABULOUS, they're a totally unnecessary wedding purchuse. AND they can be expensive. Say you're inviting a hundred guests - at $1 a favour, that's $100 - and that $1 won't buy you the cute little boxes, let alone the chocolates or jordan almonds to fill them. More than likely, you're looking at $3-$5 per person - around $300-500 on favours alone. Who needs that in this shady economic climate?

But my skully brides are a special breed - they have all sorts of wonderful, quirky ideas for personal favours that guests love and that don't cost the earth. And I know many of you feel pressured by parents, relatives or society in general (not that you should necessarily listen to them) to include favours. Thus, the idea of Favour February was born.

I've had tons of emails from businesses, artists and DIY brides sharing their ideas and enthusiasm for cute little skully favours. I love you all - thank you for your enthusiasm. I've still got some gaps in the programme, so if you're in the business of favours or you're a Skully bride with some rad ideas, shoot me any email at steff_green AT hotmail DOT com and I shall hook you up with a guest feature.

And don't forget, for more favour ideas for Halloween weddings, pick up your copy of the Halloween Wedding Planner!

Without further yammering, I present your first favour idea of the month - Gothic, Wiccan and Pagan soaps from Weird n' Witchy

A Suffolk-based soap company, Weird n' Witchy create handcrafted soaps from natural ingredients. blood-red roses, celtic knots, bats, skulls, pentegrams, coffins, baby dragons...you name it, they've created it. They also carry a selection of bath bombs and other bathroom delights - and they specialise in wedding favour packages. They can even customise their soaps to your wedding colours. How rad is that?

Queen of Sheba, £3.80, from Weird n' Witchy

Now these beauties don't come cheap - around £2-4 poind per soap, so they're better if you're buying favours for a small wedding. They do, however, carry several soaps for under £1 - some as low as 40p!

Coffin soap, £2.25 from Weird n' Witchy

Check out Weird n' Witchy's website. They accept all major credit cards and paypal, and ship internationally. And return tomorrow for another wonderful favour idea.

Skull Jewellery from Voodoo King Designs

Voodoo King Designs incorporate skulls, hearts and gemstones into their sweet, dainty pieces. Designed by Scott Mitchell and Patrick Irla, some pieces are one-of-a-kind and some are limited editons, but all be skully and fabulous.

Delicate Skull Ring with Gemstone, $99, by Voodoo King Designs

Scott and Patrick hand carve the master moulds than use the hot wax method to cast their pieces, before hand-finishing the wonderful details.

Bone Ring, $75 from Voodoo King designs.

What I love about their skull rings (like the Skull with Gemstone and Bone Ring, above) is their petite bands and tiny skulls and bones, perfect for a woman's dainty finger. Most of the skull rings I've found are quite chunky - more suited to men than woman. But I could wear one of these rings to the office and not feel like I'm carrying a cemetary around on my hand.

And, on the other hand, hardcore heavy metal chicks like me LOVE this skull guitar pick pendant. Or how about this delicate peace symbol made of bones?

AND, they do custom work - whichever stones, sizes, metal choice or designs your wicked heart desires! Voodoo King Designs are certianly jewellers to watch out for. Check out their etsy shop.

DIY Halloween Wedding Cake Supplies

Black Skull cupcake cases, £1.50, from Make a Wish Cake Shop.

If your DIYing your gothic or Halloween wedding cake, take a look at the supplies available from Make a Wish Cake Shop in the UK. Even with the exchange rate the prices are pretty reasonable, and they've got a whole section on Halloween-themed cake decorating goodies.

Apart from the gorgeous skull cupcake cases above, they've got black, orange, purple, red, and metallic patty cases; pumpkin, ghost and cat sprinkles, red, orange, purple and hologramic edible glitters; and - my favourite - skeleton cupcake pricks to pop out of your cupcakes!

Cupcake towers are totally 'in' at weddings, and CDH fell in love with the idea the first time he saw one. These cute skully additions don't cost any more than normal cake decorating supplies, and they'll look so awesome all made up at your spooky reception. I kninda wish we'd seen the skully cupcake cases. *sadface*

And while we're on the topic of cupcake decoration, don't forget to pop over to Creepy Cupcakes awesome blog for heaps of culinary inspiration. She's planning her own Halloween Wedding this year, so she's full of dark and fun inspiration.

Interview: Art of Adornment Gothic Jewellery

As part of my ongoing efforts to make Wedding Skulls a well-rounded counter-culture blog, I'm searching for Skully businesses/wacky individuals to interview about weddings, subculture, and life. These interviews will be catelogued under 'Skully Chat'. I can't say how often I'll be doing them, as it all depends on who I stumble across who wants to be interviewed...any volunteers, contact me!

Our first victim...oops, I mean, interviewee, is Valerian, artisan extraordinaire of Art of Adornment. I've been positively dying to feature their exquisite accessories on the blog, so without further ado, I present Valerian!

Who are Art of Adornment and what do you do?

Art of Adornment is a Canadian-based online accessories store (although we ship world wide) which features professionally hand crafted costume jewelry, hats, wood box purses and other accessories for men and women. Our styles range from vintage Victorian, romantic Renaissance and dark 1920's to modern Gothic and steampunk.

Currently we sell work by 5 different artists: Valerian (me! - women's hats, jewelry, handbags, wood boxes, hair clips, watch chains), Atratus (men's hats), Binary Soul (chainmail bracelets and wallet chains), Kitsune (wooden hair sticks) and Lady V (beaded necklaces).

A large portion of our stock is one-of-a-kind or limited edition, often with vintage beads, stones and cameos incorporated into the designs. In addition to handmade goods we also sell a selection of costume accessories such as gloves, hosiery and pocket watches - ideal for completing a decadent look.

What is goth to you? What drew you to the culture/style initially?

Goth is much more than just a style of clothing or type of music - it's a lifestyle. Goths tend to fear the unknown less than our mainstream counterparts: looking inward and confronting our own quirks, dreams and dark places, and experimenting with eclectic ideas and tastes. In summary, the Goth scene to me is simply the most recent incarnation of avant-garde bohemians; dark-clad eccentrics always on the cutting edge of art, music and fashion.

I discovered alternative fashion at age 14 back in 1983. Technically speaking, Goth hadn't been invented yet, but what drew me to this subculture was the strange New Romantic and dark post-punk mixture of period fashions with fetish attire, all done in a bleak and moody vein. It seemed a kind of romantic tragedy, like a Victorian garden party all gone horribly wrong - edgy, beautiful and melancholy all at the same time. My biggest influences were Lene Lovich, Nina Hagen, Danielle Dax and Siouxsie.

How would you/did you incorporate gothic features into weddings?

Accessories really can “make” an outfit whether you’re on a budget or not – don’t assume they’re just an afterthought. Take even the simplest gown, add the right accessories, and the look can be completely transformed from conservative chic to romantic elegance without spending a lot of money.

I think what many families are afraid of is that your Gothic wedding will look like Dracula's circus (although come to think of it, that might actually be quite cool!). They often fear that in years to come you will look back at your wedding with regret and wish you had done something more traditional.

But the best answer to this concern of theirs is elegance, and since Goths have a natural knack for it, use it! The kind of jewelry and accessories we sell are rather ornate, but not too "over the top" - a great way to make anything from traditional formalwear to outright costumes look totally in their place.

My fiancé and I will be getting married in October of this year and we spent a lot of time discussing what the best way would be for us to express our Gothness without being too "Halloweeny". So we decided to push the decadent side of Goth, rather than the spooky side.

Our venue is an Edwardian mansion converted to a restaurant/banquet facility (ceremony at dusk with full reception to follow). We're making our own decorations and using more candles than flowers to keep the cost down and the mood intimate. No pirates, no grim reapers, no vampires - but we’ll have lots of top hats and bustle gowns, plenty of shimmery black satin and velvet, rich red brocade, warm candlelight and hints of crisp white and silver for contrast. If you can picture it, a cross between “the Addams Family” and “Moulin Rouge”.

Gothic weddings don't have to be all creepy pipe organs and Elvira gowns, folks - open yourselves to the idea of playing with a vintage theme (whether it be 1920's, Victorian, Renaissance, Viking or Medieval), even if it's just touches here and there. Just remember to talk to us at least a couple of months in advance if you want several matching pieces for bridesmaids, etc. We can't always do full-on custom designs, but much of what we already have can be customized to your tastes and sizes.

Tell us a little about your design process - how do you choose materials/motifs/inspiration for your pieces?

Much of what I design is influenced by what I've seen in books, documentary films and art (ancient Egypt and Rome, and from the 16th century up to about 1935). Even so, very little of what I make actually resembles any of it. I see an antique design and think to myself, "that's lovely, but that should really have black stones instead of green, and a larger filigree, and velvet ribbon instead of satin..." and before you know it my imagination has completely run off with me. In fact I don't think I've ever actually finished something exactly the way I originally planned.

This is one of the reasons I won't do requests where a customer asks me to duplicate someone else's work. First, I’d feel like I'm stealing - second, I’d feel like I'm not really creating anything. Any kind of art or craft is still art to me, and copying is simply that, copying. It's not rewarding in any way.

This is also why I make a lot of limited edition and one-of-a-kind pieces. Even designs I've been making regularly for a couple of years I will deliberately retire after a while because I prefer to make newer and better things. I guess that's what I get for having a fine arts background (4 year program at the Emily Carr College of Art & Design, Vancouver Canada). Few painters want to paint the exact same image over and over again. So when I've finished making a piece I'm really happy with, I'll sign it (much like I would with a painting), engraving my signature on a metal necklace tag for example.

Why do you think Art of Adornment appeals to so many people?

We don't limit ourselves to just one specific type of product or one strict style genre. We have mothers buying chokers for their daughters' proms, brides shopping for cufflinks for their grooms, lawyers needing necklaces for their office Christmas parties, and burlesque performers buying chandelier earrings to match their sparkly new pasties – a really mixed clientele.

Also, our inventory is always changing. There's more than one artist represented so our individual styles are different enough, but not so different they couldn't be worn well together. And although our work is handmade (each artist makes each piece themselves, there is no "production line") we don't charge ridiculously high prices just to be pretentious - despite the fact I am extremely picky and insist on luxurious but durable materials and clean finishing. We feel that fashion is art (hence "Art of Adornment"), and that art should be accessible to ALL those who appreciate it.

Name a couple of bands/songs that are on your stereo at the moment?

Haha! Oh dear, I think my stone-tablet Goth Card is showing. "The Carny" (Nick Cave), "Swamp Thing" (Chameleons UK), "Monitor" (Siouxsie), "The Vampire Club" (Voltaire)

What's coming up for Art of Adornment?

We have a photo shoot coming up within the next month so we'll have lots of new images to share in the store's photo gallery, plus LOTS of new designs for spring: feather wrist cuffs, steampunk-influenced hair sticks, and antiqued silver skeleton hair clips just to name a few.

Any advice you could offer to Wedding Skulls?

Wear the things you like because you like them and because they flatter you, not because they're "cool" or "in" or just because they looked good on someone else. Everyone looks beautiful when they wear something that honestly reflects their own individual brand of style and grace, and your wedding is your chance to really shine some light on it (yes, even if it's black light!).

Thank you so much Valerian! Her wedding sounds awesome - I love elegant gothic affairs. What she says about loved ones worried about gothic weddings is spot on and what I talked about in this post; the people we love aren't trying to misunderstand us, they just don't want us to look back on our weddings and cringe (how anyone could cringe about Art of Adornment's accessories, I'll never know). I'll be keeping an eye out for those skeleton hair-clips, that's for sure :)

Nick Cave and Siouxie, FTW!

Silhouette Jewellery by Untamed Menagerie

If you brides are looking for jewellery to be the centrepiece of your ensemble, look no further than Untamed Menagerie! Created by mother-daughter team Penny and Nikki, these whimsical accessories are inspired by vintage patterns, nature and anatomy. Their jewellery is made of wood, metal, perspex and acrylic - the hard plastic used in by the automotive and aircraft industries. Don't let that put you off - this stuff is stunning!

I normally only put one or two photos up, but these pieces are just too awesome.

Jet Lustre earrings, $18, from Untamed Menagerie

Melancholy Lashes necklace, $25, from Untamed Menagerie. Currently Out Of Stock

Surmonter la Crise earrings, $20 by Untamed Menagerie

For you Skully Brides I present...Thoracic pendant, $18, from Untamed Menagerie. Love!

I don't know WHAT you're waiting for, get on over to their etsy page and support these wonderful crafty ladies.

Gothic and Steampunk Clothing from Black Orchid Designs

Black Orchid Designs was established in 2004 by Kerri L. Mercer to be create high quality gothic garments and accessories to cater for ALL body types. five years on, the company still features a beautiful collection of gothic and steampunk inspired clothing and accessories. They also do custom work - dreads, wigs, hats, and couture clothing, but their pre-made items are just as stunning!

For all you masquerade brides and grooms, she's got some amazing leather Freakshow masks for you to oogle - well priced for their high quality.

Psycho Stripe Torture Mask, $20 from Black Orchid Design.

I also saw some cute skull magnets for $3 each that would make adorable wedding favours.

Check out their catelog or order through etsy.

Dedalo Jewellery: skull cufflinks

Skull Cuflinks, $80, from Dedalo, mounted on stirling silver bas. The enamel was hand-fired in a kiln.

Cufflinks from the Pirate Bay, $60, from Dedalo. Stirling Silver - oxidised, frosted and polished.

If you're groom needs a skully touch on his sombre suit, why not check out Dedalo's amazing skull cufflinks and Pirate Bay cufflinks. I've seen a few skull cufflinks around the internets, but none as swish as these.

A gifted jeweller, Matt from Dedalo creates these unique cufflinks including dragons, anchors and Fleur de Lys (these are SO Victorian Gothic!). He even does rings and other jewellery to match!

Check out Dedalo's etsy shop or follow Matt on Twitter.

Steampunk Trunk

Steampunk charm bracelet featuring skull, spooky hand and bullet, $40 from Steampunk Trunk.

I adore Steampunk Trunk jewellery! Just look at this awesome Steampunk Charm Bracelet and the Steampunk grunge earring and necklace set! They're a long-established etsy store with some remarkable custom jewellery.

Free shipping in the US, and Steampunk Trunk ships fast - usually the same day you order. All of their items are made from recycled, found objects - watch parts, vintage jewellery, etc. 95% of pieces are one-of-a-kind.

Stay tuned for an upcoming feature on Steampunk Trunk with a few special treats for Wedding Skulls Brides and Grooms!

Pyramid Collection

Embers Coat, $140 from Pyramid Collection

The Pyramid Collection is a pagan/new age shop selling clothing, jewellery, crystals, statues, tarot cards, candles, fantasy prints. They stock an extensive Gothic collection, and this stuff is well priced and Wicked! Look at this beautiful Legacy Brocaded Coat, this onyx and garnet ring, this Renaissance Poison Ring and this Purple Seduction Corset. You have to see this stuff to believe it!

Pyramid Collections operates with a money back guarantee and their shipping rates are reasonable. If you're looking for unique items to complement your gothic, steampunk or skully wedding or you want some dark aspects to your traditional ceremony, browse through their extensive website. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed.

Blue Tulip Designs - Skully Invites

Wedding Skulls invitations from Blue Tulip Designs.

I'm IN LOVE with Martha from Blue Tulip Designs! A self confessed fan of "happy" papers and fabrics, satin and crossgrain ribbons and vintage desgins, Martha creates cute, elegant and fun cards and invitations, including these awesome Wedding Skulls.

The prices she lists are per card, but she offer quantity discounts on both the products themselves and the shipping. If you like one of her designs but it's a bit out of your price range, she'll substitute different papers or details to make your invites more affordable.

Want a BadAss, Punked up Wedding Ring?

Skull Mask Ring from BadAss Jewellery

Calvin Munroe at Badass Jewellery creates a bold, edgy collection, including skull, horseshoe and bomber cat rings. For the punk who has everything, he's even got a toaster ring! Badass excel at custom work, so send Calvin your ideas and let him work his punkass magick!

BadAss products are stocked in several stores across the US, but you can also order online from their BadAss Storefront. You can even check out the Badass Jewellery blog for updates and randomness.

Boy of Blue: macabre photography

Warning: Not for the squeamish!

Although your wedding photographer might be your most important vendor at your wedding, seldom is the camera itself given any special attention. Ladies and Gentlemen, for your dark delights, I present Boy of Blue.

Wayne Martin Belger creates functional pin hole cameras made from steampunk pieces, real animal and human blood, bones and organs, 'Designed to study the Beauty of Decay'.

This camera is made from the 150 year old skull of a 13 year old girl.

He displays his photographic work alongside his grisly creations. When explaining his love for pinhole photography, Belger says "With pinhole photography, the same air that touches my subject can pass through the pinhole and touch the photo emulsion on the film...what you get is an unmanipulated true representation of a segment of light and time, a pure reflection of what is at that moment."

You can see Boy of Blue's designs here and even sign up for his mailing list!