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Addams Family Wedding Inspiration | Birdhouse197
For couples who want their wedding to feel a little bit haunted.
I know the couple I am writing this for.
They have probably been planning a gothic wedding in their head since before they were engaged. They know the vibe. Deep colours, candlelight, something that feels romantic and a little bit sinister in equal measure. They are not trying to theme their wedding around a TV show. They just want the energy of it. That devotion. That darkness. That complete refusal to apologise for what they love.
Joshua and I have been designing gothic and alternative wedding stationery since 2020. This is the aesthetic that started Birdhouse197 and it runs through almost everything we make. Here is how to get it right.
Gothic Wedding Invitations That Set the Tone
The invitation arrives before anything else. Before the guests see the venue, the flowers, the dress. The envelope on their doormat is the first thing that tells them what kind of day they are walking into. It should feel like a signal.
Our Til Death Do Us Part collection is the most direct expression of this. Skeleton lovers, gothic illustration, deep jewel-toned colourways. It is the collection couples find when they search for gothic wedding invitations and immediately know that is the one. The kind of stationery that makes a guest stop and look before they have even read the wording.
The Bleeding Heart collection sits in darker romantic territory. Anatomical heart illustration, Victorian memento mori energy, rich dark colours. Joshua and I designed the original gatefold for our own wedding in October 2022. It is one of the collections I am most proud of.
Dark Romance Wedding Invitations
What makes the Addams Family aesthetic work is not the skulls. It is the sincerity. Gomez and Morticia are completely, unreservedly devoted to each other. There is nothing ironic about it.
That is what dark romance wedding invitations should feel like when they are done properly. Our Star-Crossed Lovers collection captures it best. Bleeding heart and crossed swords, Romeo and Juliet at its core, deeply romantic and deeply gothic without one undermining the other. The full foiled front save the date in this collection is one of the most dramatic single pieces we make.
For couples who want that atmosphere without going full skeleton, the celestial collections work beautifully in this space. Midnight blue gradients, gold foil sun and moon, something that feels genuinely otherworldly. The Celestial Sun and Moon collection is worth a look if that feels closer to your day.
Gothic Wedding Ideas Beyond the Stationery
The stationery does the heavy lifting but the details around it matter. A few things that consistently work well for this kind of wedding:
- Deep jewel toned florals. Dark burgundy roses, black dahlias, deep plum. Nothing pastel.
- Candlelight wherever the venue allows it. This aesthetic lives in low light.
- A welcome sign that sets the tone before guests even walk in. Our illustrated welcome signs are produced in any of our designs and any colourway. The Bleeding Heart and Til Death designs work especially well at that scale.
- Table settings that match the invitations. Menu cards, name place cards, table prints. A table where everything is considered is one of those things guests notice without being able to say exactly why.
- Vow books worth keeping. Our gothic skeleton vow books are pre-printed with your names and date. A small thing that means something on the day and after it.
Order Your Gothic Wedding Stationery
Every piece of stationery at Birdhouse197 is hand drawn by George and Joshua and made entirely to order. You work directly with us from start to finish. We send a full digital proof before anything goes to print and revise until it is exactly right.
If this is the kind of wedding you are planning, we would love to be part of it.
Browse gothic wedding invitations →
Love George & Joshua x
