So You're EnGAYged, a LGBT wedding blog

So its already here, my three month wedding invite window has finally approached and its time to bring on the invitation projects. Where did all the time go?  When it came time to design the invites for Joey and I’s Halloween tinged Orange County beach Nuptials, I labored over what to do. My previous DIY, the Ouija Board Save the Dates, went over extremely well and they stemmed from a want for something classy but still fun and spooky. Whilst brainstorming ideas that were “Classy”, “Halloween”, “Spooky”, and “Orange County” in style. I had a revelation. Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion.

Located a mere ten miles from our ceremony site, Disneyland, has always been a favorite place of Joey and I’s, and The Haunted Mansion, one of our favorite attractions. The ride which premiered at Disneyland in 1969, takes guests through the corridors of a manor inhabited by 999 Happy Haunts (with room for one more of course).  The ride is spooky to the hilt, but not gorey or graphic in the way many more modern “haunted” attractions are. Its been the subject of songs, merchandise, and a critically-bashed film (which I couldn’t bring my self to hate, even though it is pretty bad) and now… wedding invites.

Various Invite Cards with Hidden Haunted Mansion Trinkets

To create the feel of the ride we hid trinkets, symbols, and images from the attraction throughout the design. Including:

• The 13 Hour Clock, with shadowy hand (artwork for the clock adapted from DoomBuggies)
• The Demon Wallpaper
• The Raven
• The Hitchhiking Ghosts (artwork design from decals created by Etsy seller IMakeNeatStuff)
• The Tight Roper Walker Painting (IMakeNeatStuff)
• 3 sayings from Madame Leota’s Speech and the Ghost Host:

1. On the Reception Card: “Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween
   awaken the spirits with your tambourine.”
2. On the RSVP Card: “Rap on a table, its time to respond,
   send us a message from somewhere beyond”
3. On The Directions Card: “Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts”

• The Haunted Mansion Font: Ravenscroft (Free for personal use at MickeyAvenue)

A7 Linear Enclosure With Various Event Cards and Vellum Top

We used “Linear A7 Enclosure” Cards from Paper Source in Poppy, and created 3 differently sized cards to sit tiered in the pocket, showing just the colorful headers for Reception, Directions, and RSVP. For the inner upper flap we printed the basic wedding invite info and printed them onto vellum and attached them with double sided tape.

Then to bind and close the folder together we layered 1″ x 12″ strips of  metallic Black Brocade Paper with 10 inch strips of 1/4″ Beet Satin Ribbon and then sealed it all with our 13 hour Clock Seals which we printed ourselves using full sized sticker sheets.

Sealed Envelopes

We stuck each mini folder into a Black A7 envelope and sealed them with yet another seal we printed on full size sticker sheets, this time incorporating the Demon Damask Wallpaper from the ride and our initials and wedding date.

Related Posts:

• DIY Carnival Invitations
• Reflections on our Semi-DIY Invitations
• Getting the invitations ready!
• DIY “Poison” Limoncello Favors
• International Country Kitsch Wedding Invitations