Halloween weddings are a little more mainstream than they used to be, so it’s getting somewhat easier to find commercial invitations like the spooky ones at Gothic Art Gallery or the elegant ones at Invitations by Dawn. If you’re on a tight budget or just have the DIY Nature, however, there are lots of ideas for making your own. Here are a few tutorial links I’ve picked up in my wanderings:

Marilyn’s Creative Inspirations – Pretty scrapbook-style invitations with spiderwebs (shown above).

Better Homes and Gardens – A tattered invitation with vellum overlay.

Associated Content – Instructions (but no photo) for making invitations with watercolor paper.

About.com – Making invitations with rubber stamps.

Instructables – This is for a more generic DIY invitation, but the blossoming tree clip art they use could easily be replaced with something a little drearier.

Halloweddings – My own little contribution.

Coolest Party Ideas – The spiderweb one at the bottom would be especially easy to pull off.

Charisma – This is for a Halloween party rather than a wedding, but I just love the clever theme idea.

A couple that aren’t really tutorials but still might serve as inspiration:

Suite 101 – I love the Ouija invitation idea at the bottom.

Two from MyExpression: Halloween and Black and White.

The links featured here already have a Halloween theme, but it’s not hard to turn any DIY invitation to the dark side (muwahahaha). Google “how to make wedding invitations” for more ideas than you can shake a scythe at. Choose a design that fits your style and budget, then look for ways to make it a little gothier: Trade clip-art doves for bats, use an eroded-looking font, and select spooky colors instead of pastels. For a restrained, just-a-hint-of-Halloween look, you might use harvest colors like russets and deep oranges, choose a font like Black Chancery, and decorate with chic pumpkins. For all-out-creepy, try black and blood red, a spiky font like Zombie Holocaust, and perhaps something like spider silhouettes.

Making your own invitations is a fun way to personalize your wedding and a great option for trimming your budget a bit. Allow yourself enough time so you don’t have to finish them in a frustrated rush, and you’ll be amazed at how easy and satisfying it is to make them.