Non-tacky gothic ideas

Invade other countries and topple the Roman Empire.

Your venue looks beautiful! Instead of a black dress, you could do a black sash on your dress. Actually, I saw on "Say Yes to The Dress" yesterday that a bride had a beautiful white dress but wore a black veil. Sounds strange but looked really beautiful.

I think you may want to go with more traditional wedding music for your guests to dance to. You know your audience best, but I would be uneasy/unsure how to handle myself at a wedding with music as your describe.

I think black table cloths would look really nice! As long as there was some contrast...white napkins or red napkins, perhaps?

You definitely seem like you are on the right track. I wouldn't stress too much about it! None of your ideas seem tacky.

I think you can easily get your theme across with tasteful decor. Chase Court should fit that theme well, I looked into them for my wedding but I didn't like the parking situation. I say just don't go overboard. Less is more with themes in weddings. Stained glass was a big thing for gothic architecture so maybe look into stained glass lanterns for centerpieces? Just an idea.

Do you mean maybe something more like steampunk? I don't have any ideas but it would be a good start to search steam punk wedding.

There was a bride who said recently she was having a gothic wedding. I cannot remember her user name. She made her own bouquet with deep reds and black and it was very pretty!

I like the candelabra idea.

Is 2023 a real date or just a place marker? Curious.

There is a bride here that recently wore a black dress that was absolutely stunning and there was another that wore a red and black gown that looked beautiful as well. My wedding was not goth-inspired at all but, my dress was grey.

I like the stained glass idea. Do that.

You can do a silver and black damask table cloths with the black Candelabras, with deep red roses..

Maybe your bouquet something like this..

Like this...

Do you mean Gothic as in dour monolithic domes, and curves? Or Victorian?

I'm addressing everyone in this one comment. Names are capped so you can find your reply more easily.

KATIE, I think I will do more traditional/classical music, and advise my guests to take ballroom dance classes. I am a little worried, because most of my friends, being the age group we are in, might not know how to dance to it. It's not a peer-pressure thing, it's an I-want-to-make-sure-no-one-feels-left-out thing. I'm sure most of them could figure out something so they're not completely clueless though. Also, though a white dress/black veil idea sounds interesting, I think it'll come across more as modern than traditional. And I think you're right that contrasting napkins, among other things, could make it work.

CHRISTINA, though I don't mind the idea of steampunk, it isn't quite up my alley. I'm sure looking at steampunk wedding pics can give me ideas though

TARYN, I'll see if I can find the bride you speak of.

SAM, I like the stained glass lantern idea. It could also bring in a little pop of color.

BETH, the 2023 was just some random date because the website required it for registration lol it's not that I'm against colored wedding dresses, but I feel inclined to wear a white or near-white dress. Nothing to do with the "v" card or anything like that, it's what I'm comfortable with.

Y&F, I was considering a black/silver damask table cloth (couldn't say it because character limit). Not sure about black candelabras because they just feel very high school goth to me, but at the same time, I feel like it could work.

Jessie JV, because Victorian architecture is pretty much a revamped version of Gothic architecture, I suppose some of both. It's not meant to be historically accurate, but classy with a dark twist.

Y&F the bouquet looks beautiful and like what I envisioned. Thank you

Holly, that's the best idea yet xD

Why not have a red dress with a black lace overlay? Blue would be more traditional for the Victorian period (before the lower-middle classes followed Queen Victoria).

Have oil lamps as centrepieces. Either a birdcage or fascinator as a veil. There are lots of touches. There should be lots of stores that cater to this. I can think of 3 in Toronto off the top of my head.

Not sure about the idea of advising your guests to take ballroom dance lessons. Are you offering to pay for the lessons? It might come across as implying your guests don't know how to dance. and it's kind of like telling your guests what to wear.

I would advise against doing an exclusive classical music move.

My friends were married a few years back and the biggest thing I remember from her wedding reception (besides being happy she was married) was the exclusive Contra-Renfaire dancing. This took place inside a banquet facility, and she wore a white dress, so it wasn't at King Richard Faire or what have ye. They just had a DJ they knew through the circuit who played nothing before Year of our Lord 1450. I just remember jumping into the hora so I had some kind of activity to do outside of chatting with friends and poking at eh food.

Angela, you do make a solid point that it would seem condescending. But I also feel like it would be in poor taste to not tell guests what's to be expected at the wedding. Personally, I think if I went to a wedding while expecting regular dance music, but learned it's all classical music, I would feel very awkward. Not everyone likes to dance or knows how to dance, but everyone should at least be on the same page. I'll definitely need to figure out a way to word it so that they know what to expect and plan for it however they feel best.

Elphaba, thank you for the suggestions. A gray dress is something to consider, I'll give it that. The bouquet is beautiful, though I don't think I would want to do a bouquet like that. Feels too Tim Burton--who is certainly king at displaying a Goth Victorian fantasy society in movies, but it doesn't quite have the refinement I would want.

Jessie JV, the thing is I'm not sure a black or red/black dress is something I would appreciate in the long run. Maybe at the time of my wedding, but I don't wanna look back in 10 years and think "why did I do that". I get people's tastes change and life is full of regrets, but that doesn't mean I can't sort through what will always make me happy and what will just be a fad.