I’m obsessed with Halloween. I immerse myself in spooky music all October and most of all, I make a point to dress to the nines as much as I can every year.

And this year was pretty special. This is my first year as a married woman. In fact, even though I knew Max this time last year, we were over a thousand miles apart from each other, so there was no couple’s costume to speak of.

So we decided to go all out this year (budget considered of course). Our costumes were inspired by the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The characters of Cal Kestis and Merrin (the Nightsister) were what we chose to base our costumes off of. We wanted pick pick characters who at least looked a bit similar to us (more for my husband’s sake than for mine).

For those of you, unfamiliar with the game …

Cal Kestis

And Merrin.

So on a budget, there’s no way to make these costume exact. Let’s just be real. But there’s always a way to compile a costume together, making it recognizable as the character without breaking the bank. It does help that I’m a seamstress and could sew some of the pieces we couldn’t buy. But honestly, thrift stores can help with this if you’re not a seamstress or don’t know one. Your best bet is to make your base costume out of normal clothes. Either ones you already own or cheap ones from a thrift store.

We spent about $15-$20 on my husband Max’s costume. The low end doesn’t include the threat I already had lying around. The most important aspect of the Cal’s look is honestly the poncho, so that’s what I focused on.

I really only had to buy some accessories for mine (since I already had some spare fabric), so the total cost was pretty low in reality. I spent most on makeup and once accessory – total probably $30. If you count the fabric I already had stored away, the total is still under $40, even estimating high for the price per yard.

Again, keep in mind, this is cheaper than basically any Halloween costumes you could buy ready-made anywhere or on Etsy for that matter. Seriously, if you check Etsy for Halloween costumes, especially Star Wars ones, you’re lucky to find any single item less than $50, much less a whole costume for less than that.

We managed to do this so cheaply mainly because the base for each costume is actually just ordinary clothes. We are planning to reuse these and continue adding onto them and make them more authentic-looking, so perhaps in a year or more, we’ll look so much more like the real thing.

We color coordinated Max’s clothes to match Cal’s as closely as we could. A men’s sweater with a collar and zipper as the top, a gray shade of khaki type pants, and regular men’s boots. And topped off with the poncho I made for him.

Mine was a black skirt and shirt I already had, incorporating multiple textures that coordinated. I paired it with black tights and my regular boots. I made her red vest piece myself and put over it a belt I already had as well.

With all that said, here’s the costumes!

And mine!

Together!!

I’ll make another post talking about what I used to make my look. I could have gone a bit more crazy with a paler shade on my face, but that wasn’t something I was ready to spend that much extra money on this year. Also, I’m no expert at all on makeup and it would have taken more skill than I currently possess. I’m very inexperienced and have mainly just done basic makeup in the past, mostly natural looks. So I wanted something to make me look pale, but not frighteningly so. Again, I’ll probably try and amp things up the next time we wear these costumes.

Needless to say, I love Halloween and I few things make me happier than creating a fun look to have for the day! I’m glad I to share a few tricks about being able to put together good costumes without breaking the bank. Going all out for Halloween every year can get expensive, if you aren’t careful, but there’s plenty of ways to dress to the nines for Halloween without spending a ton of money.

Pro Tip for Star Wars Costumes, mix textures. You’ll find that makes what you’ve put together look more authentic.

I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween! I know I did!