For most people, their wedding is one of the most important occasions of their entire life.
Some people want a big wedding, some people want a traditional wedding, but more and more, young couples are opting for theme weddings.
If you’ve never considered a theme wedding, consider how much fun it would be to organize your wedding around a central theme.
For instance, if you and your fiancé are both Star Wars fans,
you could have a Star Wars wedding.
After all, it’s your big day. Shouldn’t you have what you want?
Even if your theme seems frivolous or silly to others, who cares?
Do what makes you happy.
Even if it means that you’re throwing a nudist wedding, and you want to have all of your nudist friends there. Go for it!
Just remember that not all of your friends and family will be comfortable with a clothing-optional affair.
My personal opinion is that no one should be forced to attend an affair that makes him or her uncomfortable.
For instance, if you’re a pagan and want to have a pagan wedding, it’s your right, but just remember that some of your friends and family might not be comfortable with your chosen religion.
I think it’s a great idea to have the kind of ceremony that you and your fiancé want, and if it’s one that’s really out there,
like getting married at the Burning Man festival or naked beside a tropical waterfall in Hawaii, you might want to consider a second, more conventional ceremony for your more conventionally-oriented loved ones.
After all, the hallmark of the gracious host or hostess is making sure that all of your guests are as comfortable and happy as possible.
That said, it’s your wedding ceremony and you should feel free to stage it in whatever manner makes you happy, no matter how seemingly fantastic or whimsical.
Your wedding day is supposed to be magical, so why not add an extra layer of magic with costumes, colored theatrical lighting, fog machines, and lasers?
You’d be surprised at how much you can do with staging.
All it takes is a decent budget and a serious creative streak.
Of course the music you select will have a big effect on the mood you’re trying to create.
And speaking of music, I deplore the trend of having the music blasting so loud that you can’t talk with the people sitting around you.
If you’re having some kind of music, whether it’s a live band or a DJ spinning your favorite tracks, it’s nice to have it loud enough for dancing, but be sure that it’s not ear-splittingly loud.
Your older guests will thank you, and the younger guests will be spared unnecessary early hearing loss.
Setting the music at a reasonable volume is just another aspect of being a considerate host or hostess.
It’s just one of a myriad of details that need to be attended to when planning a wedding.
But that brings up another point as well.
Who says that you (or anyone for that matter) need to have a huge, splashy, complicated wedding?
Think about this: the simpler the wedding is, the less you have to plan for, and the more time you’ll have for your new mate and your friends and family.
Planning and staging a smaller wedding is not only better for your general sanity, it’s also less expensive, better for the environment, and simply easier to manage.
All it all, it’s just less stress.
In these hectic times I’m beginning to place a greater and greater value on simplicity.
Look, when you’re getting married, you have enough on your plate without adding layers of complexity to what is already a fairly major undertaking.
So, there is something to be said for having a modest simple wedding.
I know of one young couple that was offered 10,000 dollars by the future father-in-law to elope instead of having a wedding ceremony, because that was less expensive for him than staging the wedding his daughter had planned.
To the father’s chagrin, and the detriment of his wallet, his beloved daughter and her fiancé opted for the big wedding instead, but it’s certainly something to consider.
For many young couples it only makes sense to start their married life with a smaller ceremony and a healthy bank account.
Who knows, this idea might catch on and become a trend.
However, if you and your intended have your hearts set on a complicated (but fun!) theme wedding, you have every right to do it in whatever style you can afford.
And theme weddings are among those times when you can impose on your closest friends for their assistance, especially if they share in the special interest like a Harry Potter theme wedding, Star Wars, Steampunk culture, Renaissance style weddings, or… you fill in the blank.
These days, it seems like the sky’s the limit for theme weddings.
But just remember, if you’re doing something really extreme, think about the most conservative friends and family that you know, and try to adequately judge their comfort level with whatever it is that you’re planning.
There will definitely be creative ways to stage your theme wedding that you probably never even considered, but that will make any theme you decide upon just that much more special, original and vivid, sure to linger in your guests memories for decades to come.
For instance, I think it’s very important to integrate all of the sensory elements of your wedding to add to the overall effect.
Don’t simply think about what your wedding will look like, step back and think for a bit, or brainstorm with your intended mate, exactly what you want your wedding to sound like.
If you’re doing a period wedding, research what the music sounded like then and try to track down either live musicians who can play in that style, or find some recordings of songs and music from that era.
It’s certainly possible to find Renaissance music, or Restoration music, or just about any period.
In addition to music and decorations, think about what your wedding feast will taste like.
It may take a little extra work to track down those Renaissance recipes, or a Harry-Potter style feast, but paying attention to details is what makes theme weddings so darn special and so absolutely memorable.
I honestly think that the attention you pay to your menu is especially effective in making fantasy or fictional-themed weddings, such as a
wedding ceremony Star Trek style or a Robin Hood type of wedding come to life.
All of the work and time you put into realizing your fantasy wedding will pay when you see the delighted faces of your guests.
If that’s your goal, to create a beautiful, truly memorable wedding and reception, then you’ll accomplish that by hosting a unique theme wedding.
Weddings have traditionally been joyous occasions with feasting, music, dancing, and a celebration of both the newly minted married couple and the way that life continues.
But it’s my hope, anyway, that the articles I put up here will help you to think outside of the box when it comes to planning your own wedding.
Break the mold. Don’t be afraid to be bold and original in your planning, if you think it will give you a colorful, exciting wedding, or enable you to live out your green principles in all ways.
But as I said at the beginning of this article, always consider the comfort and happiness of your guests and loved ones.
That’s a mark of real class, and will ensure that everyone who attends your blessed affair will be especially loved and cared for.
Taking that extra care of your nearest and dearest is also like giving an extra gift to yourself on your special day. After all, what makes our loved ones happy will surely enable them to share your joy.
Everything in a wedding should work synergistically to create a harmonious whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
That’s a lot to shoot for, but weddings are too important to approach frivolously or to carry out in a half-hearted way.
As the old ad slogan says, “You only go around once in life, so go for the gusto!”
Live your life as though every moment is an occasion to be cherished and made special.
That should apply to your wedding as well.
No matter what kind of wedding and reception you ultimately choose, the end result should be peace and happiness for as many of the participants as possible.
I think that it’s ridiculous to go into a marriage totally frazzled from organizing the wedding ceremony and the reception.
You’ll spend the rest of your honeymoon recovering from that instead of enjoying what should be one of the most exciting and romantic periods in your life.
So take my advice, even if you’re planning a theme wedding with coordinated costumes, music, your menu and whatever, look for ways to simplify everything and streamline the process.
Planning ahead for this theme wedding as much as possible will ensure that everything runs smoothly on your most special of special days.
Another advantage of careful planning is that it can help you to keep costs down.
Face it folks, really extravagant weddings are passé.
It’s much more appropriate to the tenor of the times to stage a wedding that’s fun and original that isn’t staged on a gargantuan scale.
I think it’s fun to involve friends as much as possible, especially in theme weddings.
When you have people around you who are on the same creative wavelength and you enlist their help with something that’s obviously important to you, I think you may be amazed at just how much creative energy you can stir up and harness.
And I hate to keep harping on money, but if you can get your friends to help with some of the arrangements, whether it’s costumes, lights, or music, you can really save a considerable amount on your theme wedding.
If you have some friends who are culinarily gifted, either for catering the wedding reception dinner, or creating a fabulous fantasy wedding cake that goes with your theme wedding, then I see nothing wrong with asking that friend for a “friend price” on their services.
If they’re really good friends, they might even decide to do your wedding for free in lieu of a gift.
Now that’s something I’m all for.
Americans in general have too much stuff.
So unless you really need stuff to furnish your house or kitchen, why don’t you ask your guests to forego giving wedding gifts?
Instead, ask them to make donations to a few of you and your fiancé’s favorite charities.
Theme weddings are fun, and I think that if you and your intended really want one, you should go ahead and have the wedding of your dreams.
But, theme weddings require a great deal of careful planning if you don’t want your wedding to come off as tacky or hokey.
Start planning early enough that you can figure out any potential hurdles, stick to your budget, let your friends and family help where possible, and go out there and have the most wonderful, stupendous, magical wedding ever!
But nowadays we’re all starting to be aware of how much we consume, so let’s try to avoid any ridiculous excesses in our theme weddings.
Plan your theme weddings intelligently, and figure out ways to reuse or recycle as many of the things that you use as you can.
If you have food left over from your reception, why not give it to a local food pantry or somewhere else where it will go to hungry people instead of going to waste.
Knowing that you helped others like that is one way to get your marriage off to a wonderful start.
.
Inside this wedding website, there’s plenty of articles about how to get the most out of whatever theme you’ve chosen for yourself. If you’re in the early stages of planning or need ideas for a theme wedding, then you’ll definitely need to read the suggestions and ideas that are herein.
So, if you ever wondered how on earth someone could plan, say, a Steampunk style wedding, you’ll be able to find out by reading the article we have on this subject in the theme weddings category.
All types of articles are posted to help you explore different facets of staging any type of theme wedding imaginable. Go check them out NOW, then get to planning your own!
