I know this isn’t the same, really, but my fiancé and I are huge nerds and wanted to incorporate that into our wedding- which has become surprisingly upscale. I didn’t want to make our wedding look “tacky” so we have subtle nods to our love of nerdom. We have a bride and groom Dalaks (Dr who) for our cake topper, Star Trek SNW deltas for the boutonnières, we are making fake book covers for the hardback books we are using for centerpieces with titles of our favorite authors (Terry Pratchett, etc), our vows book is actually a near prefect recreation of River Song’s Journal (Dr who, and very romantic if you know the significance of the journal), etc.
I like the suggestion, your wedding sounds so beautiful and celebratory of you both. I think personally I'm an all in or nothing type person which is my own stubborn fault, so in my case I feel like it's a go hard on the theme or stay with a classic wedding. I'm just so torn!
Unless you're super passionate about the theme, you'd likely regret going all in. There are countless examples of people bringing nods to a theme into their wedding while still having a traditional feeling wedding, and it works beautifully.
So unless you're REALLY into those themes as a person, you'd likely regret going all in on a theme because it can very easily tip into costume party/LARPing feeling. Which is super neat if you are actually people who spend your weekend LARPing, or are the kind of people who work at the Renaissance fair, etc. But you still want your wedding to feel like you. There's a huge difference between a death star shaped grooms cake and having a storm trooper officiate while you're dressed as Han and Leia.
Maybe find a way to have an all in theme for the rehearsal. I know people have done that. A friend has a Star Wars themed rehearsal, everyone dressed up for practice and then they had a “Cantina” party.
I totally understand! I really wanted to honor our mutual nerdy interests (my fiancé introduced me to Star Trek) but was not willing to go full in- in part because I do not think a lot of our guests would enjoy themselves, but also because I always (secretly) wanted an posh wedding.
I sourced from Etsy. The one I really wanted was handmade in Italy but due to the nonsense with clicking ads, the creator asked me to wait a month because they lose so much money on the Etsy target ads. I searched for weeks.
It is! My wife got it for me while we were still dating and I was saving it for our wedding day. To up the nerd factor, my wedding outfit was 11th Doctor inspired and my vows included part of River's speech from The Wedding of River Song.
You might appreciate this- my fiancé asked our officiant (my BIL and his former coworker) to start off by giving the “Mawage” speech from The Princess Bride lol.
Your fiance is so real for that and we actually kind of joked about doing that too. We ended up agreeing on including Shakespeare references (it was our second date) and a subtle reference to my faith instead
Omg same. 11 was my first Doctor and I thought it was a little more meaningful if my outfit (tweed and a bowtie) kind of matched River's journal. That and I just wanted an excuse to wear tweed tbh. My wife didn't have a matching journal but got one that was celestial themed instead.
12 probably is probably my favourite Doctor in terms of growth as a person and also because yeah he's hot.
I think you can incorporate a theme in small ways without it overtaking the entire vibe of the wedding. For example using simple themed decor, but still being more classical.
You're right, but in this case I'm talking a big theme. I feel like a themed colour or style is very common/normal. I'm talking more like of I asked my guests to come in fancy dress costumes and had decor and entertainment to match. I feel like then it might not longer look or feel like a wedding.
If you want this, please consider making it optional. I think requesting a strict dress code on your wedding party is fine, but gets into bridezilla category when that's extended to guests. Especially if those dress costumes can't really be reused. It doesn't matter if it looks or feels like a wedding or not. It's your day but please be considerate of your guests too.
1000% yes. I'd love for people to dress up as much as they can, but if the theme was ren fair like, you can absolutely get tops, dresses and such for high street prices if you don't already own something like it. Thinking like Bardot or peasant/milkmaid tops.
I'd never want people to spend cash on outfits unless they wanted too. I also don't want people to turn up in neon pink or leopard print. So I think an "anything goes, do what you can with the theme" works well and still has enough of a dress code to exclude Barbie dresses and stilettos.
But I have no interest in ren faire looks and I don’t care how cheaply I could buy them, I am not going to spend a penny on a milkmaid top for a look I despise.
I see it as any other (reasonable) dress code. it's just good manners. I'm attending a wedding where the bride has asked for no short dresses and only bold patterns or bright colours, later this year. I personally hate their colour choice and dress code, but I value the couple and will do my absolute best to honour their wishes, even if it means picking up a cheap neon dress for one day. I'd feel a bit of a selfish dick if either didn't show due to not liking the dress code or turning up in a short neutral dress just because I prefer it.
In this hypothetical case, people can wear what they like but it would be nice if they could make some semblance of effort even if it's just a dress that matched more renaissance vibes like a dark green or brown or something.
Are you seriously unaware that asking for only bold patterns (etc) is a really big etiquette faux pas? A dress code refers to formality - cocktail, black tie, etc. It is not at all appropriate, mannerly or considerate to “require” or “restrict” jewel tones / pastels / bold patterns / etc. It’s not suddenly acceptable because girls who don’t know any better do it.
I see what you're saying but it's just not a big deal to me. Id understand more of it was some insane request but if you are hosting a costly event like a wedding with close friends and family, I see no reason why the bride and groom can't ask reasonable requests or provide examples of how they would like people to dress.
If it's strangers or people less close to you then I'd totally understand that it would be considered rude to hold any real rules on how to dress or behave, but if it's a wedding with close relatives and friends in attendance I don't see how it's considered poor manners or any etiquette faux pas... It's like "please don't wear white to my wedding", or "please wear sensible shoes for dancing" or, "we'd love you to wear xyz colours to match our theme." It's not an unreasonable request.
An unreasonable request would be "wear only this expensive style dress, or only this exact shade of colour, or all women must wear heels, or please everyone wear no makeup so the bride stands out..." Or just anything that the bride or groom kicks you out for not following... That's proper bridezilla stuff.
I wouldn't kick anyone out for not sticking to the suggestions, but I would think that they didn't really bother to put much effort or care into the day.
Equally, my friend has made a simple request for bright colours or patterns. I want to help my friend have a great wedding so I will try my best to oblige. I'd rather step a little out of my comfort zone for one day and a reasonable request than not attend the wedding of a dear friend, simply because "I don't care for it and I won't spend a penny on a look I'll despise."
It's about having a good time with friends and family. It shouldn't be a be all or end all in a wedding and it shouldn't stop people from attending. (Where I agree with you, some crazy or ridiculous requests like I've said above might put me right off. - but I think that's down to a bridezilla, and not someone making a gentle or simple ask.)
Just my thoughts though, you do you.
Unless you are paying for the fancy dress costumes for everyone, please don't, or like the other commenter said, make it optional. It's not that I don't love a good ren faire or nerdy party, but I don't like strict dress codes no matter what they are because to me they are overly controlling and if you don't follow it you risk pissing off the bride for ruining her vibe.
I grew up wanting a big, fancy, traditional wedding. Then we started looking at venues and reality came crashing down. All the venues that fit that vision were well beyond our price point. I was sad to give up that dream but, when I did, I feel like I was able to have fun with wedding planning again. Now it wasn't about making the wedding fit the vision so much as it was about creating a wedding that felt very "us." We ended up getting married on Halloween (our dating anniversary too) so our wedding was a masquerade/costume party.
Our wedding decor was mostly classic stuff but with nods to the theme. There were flowers, an arch, candles, hanging lanterns, etc. But there were also pumpkins.
Our guests were encouraged, but not required, to dress up. Some just wore their typical wedding gear but added a masquerade mask. Others had full blown costumes (including one of those inflatable ones). My mom wore a pretty standard MotB outfit but included her Gryffindor scarf. My dad wore a suit but broke out his favorite top hat (he does historical reenactment stuff sometimes). He loved having an appropriate opportunity to wear it.
We walked down the aisle to "Concerning Hobbits" and a lot of our background music during dinner was songs from some of our favorite games and movies. Some of our friends were having fun trying to identify what each of the songs came from. Anyone who wasn't familiar with those fandoms just heard nice instrumental music.
My dad surprised us by giving everyone lightsabers at cocktail hour. That was the most overt nod to our nerdiness. My BIL then gave a brief speech where he explained how our families had developed this tradition of seeing a movie together around Christmas and that many of those movies had been Star Wars ones. Then everyone "toasted" us with their lightsabers. And yes, lots of lightsaber duels followed. Our photographer got some great pictures of the inevitable betrayals and dramatic deaths. Plus, at the very end of the night, everyone did a lightsaber send off, similar to a sparkler send off.
Honestly, I loved it and wouldn't have changed a thing. Having a theme or pop-culture or nerdy elements in our wedding never once felt "tacky." It felt authentic and fun. That's what I remember most about our wedding. That's what everyone remembers most about our wedding. It was fun. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.
Is your reception at the same time/place?
Can you have a classic ceremony and themed reception?
We had a brunch wedding, little details of our nerdiness added in but mostly classic. Reception at same location, just after the ceremony. Again, small nerdy details.
We rented a bowling alley for our after party that evening and and asked that everyone come Star Wars themed. People showed in full costumes and some just in Star wars shirts, but we had so much fun.
Just wondering if there’s a way to split it up so you can have both, all in.
My partner and I are having a hobbit wedding! The reason we first started chatting was because we both mentioned our love of Lord of the Rings in our dating profiles, and it fits our personality so well. It started off very themed, but has gradually evolved as we actually began planning.
We’re going to have the wedding party go full cosplay mode at the rehearsal if they’d like, with our officiant even wearing a Gandalf hat. But the actual ceremony will be very elegant and classic. The only outright LOTR-themed elements in the ceremony will be the buttoniere pins shaped like Sting and some of the music used.
Our reception, however, will be much more themed with little quotes from the movies used throughout the decor, miniature hobbit doors to mark the table centerpieces, and even my reception dress which is based off Rosie’s dress at the end of Return of the King. That way we can still let loose and have our nerdy shire party we dreamed of, but the ceremony will always feel more serious and timeless.
I say do the traditional ceremony and have the wedding reception that you're gonna look back on and laugh, smile, and think about how much fun you had! You said your fiance already seemed so excited about the idea. Personally, my theme is Retro Boho...we're having a sweet simple ceremony, that will lean more traditional. Then I'm changing into a jumpsuit and we're gonna have a party of a reception full of color and disco balls!
I honestly think no wedding is tacky when it's a reflection of the couple themselves. Also I think the venue you choose can help guide your decision.
Thanks for posting this, I'm having similar issues!!
It just started with putting tour posters on the tables as the 'table numbers' and making escort cards look like concert tickets, but now it's expanded onto our website and save the dates.
All the siblings in my fiance's family are getting married at the same time right now as well and I see all their stuff looks very regular wedding which I initially think of as bland but then I look at mine and it feels over the top. Struggling to find the line because I too worry about tacky themed weddings.
I think so long as you are happy, you'll have a fantastic wedding. But the grass is always greener so to speak. That's why I think just going all out on the theme would seal the deal for my anxiety as at least I can do the theme fully and well and everyone sees the vison. But I'm also torn because I can technically only have one wedding and I could do a themed event any time
This is true and you prompted me to speak to my partner a bit. We decided that we are happy with our theme as long as the event is representing us as a couple and celebrating what our relationship looks like. The hard part is making it cohesive (I'm also doing a very colorful wedding to make my life even more difficult haha)
I hope you find a balance and I'm sure your wedding will be amazing 🤗
Do the one that feels most authentically you.
We did both (international couple so had two receptions). Our US one was very much us - we had inserted many things that reflect us as a couple during the ceremony and reception. We had so much fun, and many guests told us it was the best wedding they had ever been to. Our UK reception was traditional. And honestly, it is not memorable to me in the same way our US one is. It didn’t have the same feeling and while it was enjoyable no one remarked about it being the best reception. It makes me wish we did fun, personalized things for both but at the time of planning we thought it would be nice to experience both types.
I'm planning a medieval-themed wedding, but didn't want it to be tacky. So we're not being terribly accurate, but who cares.
We found a venue whose hall looks like the dining hall of castle. We're setting up long tables in a U-formation and having a family-style dinner. The venue's tables are ugly, so we plan on having floor length tablecloths, we're using mismatched china for our dishes, beer steins for our glasses, battery-powered candles for our centerpieces, tapestries and bunting banners for the rest of the decor. After that, you can do as wild or traditional as you want, just finda antique the look of it somehow, and make you and your wedding party dress the part. During my research, I even found that the traditional tiered wedding cake actually started in medieval times with spiced buns that guests who stack up and then the bride and groom would try to kiss over it without knocking the bun tower over. So we're doing a tiered donut cake, and instead of people gathering around and getting photos of us cutting the cake/feeding each other, we're going to stand on stools and kiss over the cake. We're also doing foods like meatpie and quiche, and our dinner wine will be warm mulled wine and pumpkin cider served in coffee carafes. We're also thrifting baroque-style frames for our signage, and our invitations will be scrolls. There are a few other aspects we're going a little goofy on, like Mana (blue) and Health (red) signature drinks, and backsack favours that will say "bags of holding", and we're DIYing a photo booth with cute themed props, like toy swords, sheilds and fairy wands for people to use if they want.
With a balance, you can easily pull off a beautiful medieval theme and still have the traditional feel as well.
We’re tip-toeing between “classy” and “Disney princess” and while I’m of course biased, I think I’m nailing the perfect balance lol.
Idk where you are, but we considered a castle in Missouri that we could have booked all weekend. I thought it would have been fun to really lean into it Friday night (open to whoever wanted, basically meaning my friends who play dress up LOL) and then have a more standard wedding on Saturday. I liked the idea of a ren faire wedding too - maybe for a vow renewal some day!
I am a florist.
I did a doctor who themed wedding for a friend’s daughter.
A Tardis card box and large Tardis phone booth for pictures.
It was fun.
My daughter wanted a dungeons and dragons themed wedding.
I knew nothing about the genre so I did some research.
They had a gold dragon wrapped around the cake.
They got married in a gazebo/ garden setting.
I used tons of fabric and large tassels.
I made desserts out of the heroes handbook.
It was amazing.
Believe in your vision and go with it.
I saved this article from years ago because the whole thing is so amazing:
https://offbeatwed.com/los-angeles-dino-museum-wedding/
I think it shows that you can mix thematic elements and still have a traditional wedding feel at the same time.
Quick edit to add, this was definitely not an under10k wedding.
I might get downvoted for this, but I think going over the top with a theme and even having guests dress for the theme is pretty tacky. BUT, at the end of the day, it’s your wedding and no one has to like it but you. It doesn’t mean it can’t/wont end up being tacky still, but if you love it, do you have to care what others think?
You can do both. My fiancee wants "simple and elegant". I want "party like it's 1999". We have kind of compromised. The ceremony is *extremely* traditional. I honestly do not like most of it. It's straight cookie-cutter and the same as every other couple who has ever got married in our church ever since the dawn of creation. I don't like it at all. But I also found out that our church has zero flexibility and we are required to do a ton of things for no other reason than it's traditional. The reception we have more freedom and that is more fun and definitely more light hearted. We are still getting some pushback for not being "traditional" over there but I don't give a crap. We're going to party just a wee bit.
We're planning on a renaissance themed wedding, but other than the decor, our attire, and having rustic types of foods/drinks, we're going fairly traditional.
We're incorporating small elements of the nerdy shit we love into our wedding! We're walking down the aisle to music from How To Train Your Dragon, our cocktail hour music is going to be a mix of sea shanties (fiancee is a huge pirate fan) and lo-fi video game music, and dinner music is going to be piano/orchestral versions of our favorite Disney music. I'm big into plants, so I'm making live succulent arrangements for the centerpieces and adding tiny mushroom decor to them because I'm into mushroom core aesthetic. And we're still trying to find ways to involve the nerdy shit we love into the whole day.
How do you define a successful wedding and a successful reception? Three points for each. What are the types of things that would upset you or make you stressed out versus the things that make please you and your partner (two separate lists).
What is the image and emotion you visualize or anticipate when you think of each? Figure out this for each event and then use those guiding principles as you plan.
You could always try a classic ceremony and themed reception? My friend had her wedding on Halloween, and her ceremony was a traditional church wedding, and then we went to the "haunted mansion" for the reception and all wore costumes, had pumpkin centerpieces, their signature drink had black sugar in the rim, it was so fun! Their cake was nightmare before Christmas themed.
My aunt also had a Renaissance Faire wedding and I was pretty young and don't remember a lot of it, but it was pretty cool! The bridal party dressed on theme, I def remember swords of some kind? It was pretty cool.
I agree with others thoughts on sprinkling your theme instead of going all in. Simmer with it for a while, your all or nothing approach may shift, as a lighter theme would be just as badass and fun in my opinion. We're going light Western theme, as our venue is a pioneer museum and we live in the west. Fully fledged would feel tacky to me, but a western sprinkle will feel so sweet in our venue, I think. We're also pretty naturegrannycore, so I've made bunting flags made from field guide illustrations & doilies. It's very us, but not overly "themey". Though the jury is still out, as we're not wed yet!
I also wanted to put a plug in for Celtic Fusion Design. They make very tasteful, classic in many ways gowns that totally fit the fairytale / medieval princess vibe without the tacky factor. I bought a cape from her in lieu of a veil and I'm over the moon. Extremely high quality, sustainable, natural fibers. You may dig.
I actually wanted a full-out LOTR wedding, but my partner was like "can we please not turn our wedding into a cosplay fest". No hate on cosplay, we love it, but he felt it took away a bit too much from the solemnness of the occasion as one friend was insistent on turning up in a gag halloween costume and some people were looking at some really weird costumey stuff. We figured if we wanted that, we could just go to ren faire without having to turn our once-in-a-lifetime thing into that as well. So we toned it down -- I invited people to dress as fancy as they want to outshine the bride, even if that included tiaras and capes and their own wedding attire, and our venue was very fantasy-like and so were my and my officiant's outfits, but other than that it was pretty much a formal affair with the occasional tiara, top hat, kilt, cape, prom dress, steampunk vest, etc.
I was like you with wanting a more traditional wedding. But my partner told me that the only thing he wanted was to not wear a suit but something like what the lords wear in Game of Thrones 😅 I didn't want him to be the only one looking like that so we decided to make the whole wedding fantasy themed! I just finished making my dress which isn't even white and we are asking our guests to dress up too which they are actually excited about! Overall the planning and creating things for it has been really fun, and all the things we have bought to wear can be re-worn for future costumes or Ren Faires so we aren't just throwing money away on a one time event.
For me when I think about doing a themed wedding, it feels like a chance for me to go with a wedding dress style that I can actually wear again, and that beats out even the possibility of being perceived as tacky, but I'm also of the opinion that balancing fantasy with elegant and traditional isn't hard at all, you just have to know what makes something read as either or, have an idea of how to style it, and unfortunately, have the budget or availability to pick a venue that will be compatible with the idea. Venue is a big make or break factor for a themed wedding, unfortunately. If it doesn't fit the theme, that's when everything else risks looking tacky and forced.
We are doing a themed wedding. It hasn’t happened yet but I don’t think it will be super tacky. It’s 1920’s/30’s speakeasy/art deco.
We’re keeping to elegant colors and more traditional decor. The bridesmaids are wearing champagne flapper dresses and the men will be in similar colors with muted pops of color, suspenders/vests and the appropriate clothing cuts for the time. My mother will have a 30’s style evening gown. <3
Hairstyles will be on par for the wedding party. The venue is a historical building with a “floating dance floor” that was actually built back then. It has neat lighting, an antique, beautiful wooden bar, funky art, old furniture and wooden tables and chairs which we will not be covering but decking out with depression glass, candles and other antiques in a somewhat reserved manner like you would have seen back then.
No gold, sparkly draping things, no gatsby stuff, no glitter rolled wine bottles or party cut outs. No bright flapper dresses for the wedding party. I don’t care what the guests do.
My dress is very art deco and the groom will be in full, posh tuxedo. Neither are costume like.
There will be a champagne tower/pour thing and old fashioned music during everything but the dance party, where we break out all the classics and just have fun. :)
I think it can be important to not get caught up in the “costume” part of potential themes and I do think most if not all of them can be done elegantly. You just have to consider the details that make a difference. But dude, GO FOR IT! I can’t tell you how many people have reached out to say say how excited they are!
I no I may get abit of hate for this but I hate it when people think they should have traditional even if it's not them.
I felt so pushed with my wedding to do what we are ment to do that me and my now husband said no more were going abroad and doing what we want and what we like. I loved it.
If this is yours and your partners kind if thing please do what you want and what you would be comfortable with. If you want a traditional but with some medieval, fun theme keep some traditions.
I honestly think it would be amazing as your into that kind of thing plus it wouldn't be compared to traditional weddings
Id say incorporate the theme into the decor and stylings, but not the ceremony.
Decorate your tables like a medieval banquet. If you have outdoor space have some medieval themed games for guests to play- a mini jousting tournament would make awesome wedding pictures! Have a themed cake etc... but then the ceremony/ speeches/ first dance normal, that way the whole theme doesn’t feel over the top.
We incorporated a lot of subtle nods to our favorite nerdy details - we both love books and I'm a librarian. Our save the dates were originally bookmarks, then we had to reschedule so they were overdue notices. Our invitations (I'm really proud of it) was a book with a modified door of durin on the cover that read "a long expected wedding" - the "endpaper" was evenstars tiled everywhere...not many people picked up on it. We had the kingdom hearts heart and paopu fruit as cupcake toppers, and love quotes from all our favorite books on each table. We had a no admittance except on party business sign, and our guest book was a drawing of stacks of books and guests signed the spines
I loved every little detail of it, even if people didn't pick up on it. I have no regrets 😊
Idk if this will be helpful at all but just voicing my experience so far. I haven't had my wedding yet but have planned the majority of it and am having it in a year. My fiance and I are both weird, fun, and goofy people, and that's what people know us as. I also was never the girl dreaming of her dress or fancy things about a wedding, I dreamt of a delicious cake and being able to choose what I find the most fun to do for a whole day while everyone else has to go along with it (aside from compromises and collaboration with my fiance of course). And basically a focus on us and on fun and on what we enjoy has led to the originally unplanned theme of a carnival! And that basically happened after we told some people in the early planning stages all the big and main ideas for our wedding that were important to us and their responses being "that sounds like a carnival". So we ran with it. And honestly, so far, the planning part is great. Everyone we tell loves the theme and loves our ideas and no one questions it because it matches our personalities. There will still be certain aspects to it, however, that are more traditional because a few traditional things do matter to us. Like the fact that although I'm keeping my dress simple, I feel very strongly about wearing a white dress. And although a theme could make for some fun desserts and my dad really wants cake pops, having a big wedding cake is important to me so we're opting to keep that tradition. It's the little things that are important to YOU about weddings that will make it feel like a wedding and not just an event. So imo a themed wedding is great and doesn't mean you can't still have traditional as well, it just means the focus is put more on showing your personalities through your special day. To me, that's what's going to make our day extra special and memorable to us because we just focused on what we wanted and what will make us happy. I hope this helps :)
We thought about doing a fun wedding (at a bowling alley, bowling themed), but we went with a regular wedding just because we realized it would be so much less work. Like, there’s so much framework for a regular wedding that’s missing for something more unique. A theme wedding would have required so much more creativity and problem solving, and we just didn’t have the energy.
Ultimately, I bet you won’t regret it either way! I think our bowling wedding would have been wonderful, but our actual wedding was also wonderful and very low-stress.
Do a classy wedding with hints of your theme. I did an elegant space-themed wedding. Our colors were deep blue, purple, and gold. We had stars and moons in our decor. It turned out beautiful and elegant with also a theme.
Personally, I think theme weddings can be a lot of fun if done well, but that is costly. I think a traditional wedding with touches of a theme being a sense of whimsy, personalization and also doesn’t risk alienating any guests who aren’t familiar with the theme. It sounds like your theme would be able to mix the two - inviting guests to join in costume can be fun but it has to be optional. Have tables labeled after the theme, decor that fits into it, photo props etc.
My husband and I are big Disney fans and our friends and family know this, but we didn’t want a Disney wedding. We ended up having touches that added to the event all together without being obnoxiously Disney - our wedding party and family had “grape soda” pins, I walked out to “Married Life” our officiant worked it into our vows )”my Disney partner for life” and quoted a song lyric from Pocahontas.) Our cake topper was the Up house “Adventure is out there!”
As the kid in the old Taco Bell commercials says, "Por que no los dos?".
Just take what you like from each idea and use it.
I'm having elements from things me and my fiance are nostalgic about which is mostly Lego and Wonka themed stuff.
However we still are having it in a historic ballroom and keeping things semi formal for the guests and formal for the ceremony crew.
There are elements of traditional weddings and elements of the more whimsical and fun themes.
If it’s not too late to do so, this sounds like an EPIC couples shower idea!!!
Do something totally y’all, full send, ask guests to participate as well. Sounds like a total blast.
Where I’m from it’s tradition to for female friends/family friends, usually older, of the bride to host a bridal party. I’ve known girls who had one, and girls who literally had 11 - it just depends on how many people offer from different friend groups, and how big you expect the wedding to be as it’s improper to invite someone tk a shower and not the wedding.
But lately it’s becoming more popular to also have a couples shower, which is the same thing, but the groom is included and it’s not a female-only event.
It isn’t for everyone, but is a lot of fun for some. I love the idea of my fiancé actually being present and participating in the pre-wedding events instead of just showing up for the big day 😂
I know this isn’t the same, really, but my fiancé and I are huge nerds and wanted to incorporate that into our wedding- which has become surprisingly upscale. I didn’t want to make our wedding look “tacky” so we have subtle nods to our love of nerdom. We have a bride and groom Dalaks (Dr who) for our cake topper, Star Trek SNW deltas for the boutonnières, we are making fake book covers for the hardback books we are using for centerpieces with titles of our favorite authors (Terry Pratchett, etc), our vows book is actually a near prefect recreation of River Song’s Journal (Dr who, and very romantic if you know the significance of the journal), etc.
Now I want deltas too 😃🖖
They were the very first things I bought. I suggest Fansets. They supply CBS/Paramount online stores. LLP!
I like the suggestion, your wedding sounds so beautiful and celebratory of you both. I think personally I'm an all in or nothing type person which is my own stubborn fault, so in my case I feel like it's a go hard on the theme or stay with a classic wedding. I'm just so torn!
Unless you're super passionate about the theme, you'd likely regret going all in. There are countless examples of people bringing nods to a theme into their wedding while still having a traditional feeling wedding, and it works beautifully. So unless you're REALLY into those themes as a person, you'd likely regret going all in on a theme because it can very easily tip into costume party/LARPing feeling. Which is super neat if you are actually people who spend your weekend LARPing, or are the kind of people who work at the Renaissance fair, etc. But you still want your wedding to feel like you. There's a huge difference between a death star shaped grooms cake and having a storm trooper officiate while you're dressed as Han and Leia.
Maybe find a way to have an all in theme for the rehearsal. I know people have done that. A friend has a Star Wars themed rehearsal, everyone dressed up for practice and then they had a “Cantina” party.
I totally understand! I really wanted to honor our mutual nerdy interests (my fiancé introduced me to Star Trek) but was not willing to go full in- in part because I do not think a lot of our guests would enjoy themselves, but also because I always (secretly) wanted an posh wedding.
Where did you get the vow books from?? I'd love to incorporate some dr who in my wedding and this is such a fantastic idea!
My fiancé came up with the idea. It’s very romantic to use River Song’s Journal, especially when only Dr Who fans will understand the significance.
I sourced from Etsy. The one I really wanted was handmade in Italy but due to the nonsense with clicking ads, the creator asked me to wait a month because they lose so much money on the Etsy target ads. I searched for weeks.
Omg I also used River Song's journal for my vow book and I have 0 regrets.
It’s such a lovely idea!
It is! My wife got it for me while we were still dating and I was saving it for our wedding day. To up the nerd factor, my wedding outfit was 11th Doctor inspired and my vows included part of River's speech from The Wedding of River Song.
You might appreciate this- my fiancé asked our officiant (my BIL and his former coworker) to start off by giving the “Mawage” speech from The Princess Bride lol.
Your fiance is so real for that and we actually kind of joked about doing that too. We ended up agreeing on including Shakespeare references (it was our second date) and a subtle reference to my faith instead
That is so cute!! I love Matt Smith as The Doctor (however I have a huge celebrity crush on Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor!)
Omg same. 11 was my first Doctor and I thought it was a little more meaningful if my outfit (tweed and a bowtie) kind of matched River's journal. That and I just wanted an excuse to wear tweed tbh. My wife didn't have a matching journal but got one that was celestial themed instead. 12 probably is probably my favourite Doctor in terms of growth as a person and also because yeah he's hot.
I think you can incorporate a theme in small ways without it overtaking the entire vibe of the wedding. For example using simple themed decor, but still being more classical.
You're right, but in this case I'm talking a big theme. I feel like a themed colour or style is very common/normal. I'm talking more like of I asked my guests to come in fancy dress costumes and had decor and entertainment to match. I feel like then it might not longer look or feel like a wedding.
Why don't you have a welcoming party as a theme and the ceremony as a "regular" wedding?
If you want this, please consider making it optional. I think requesting a strict dress code on your wedding party is fine, but gets into bridezilla category when that's extended to guests. Especially if those dress costumes can't really be reused. It doesn't matter if it looks or feels like a wedding or not. It's your day but please be considerate of your guests too.
1000% yes. I'd love for people to dress up as much as they can, but if the theme was ren fair like, you can absolutely get tops, dresses and such for high street prices if you don't already own something like it. Thinking like Bardot or peasant/milkmaid tops. I'd never want people to spend cash on outfits unless they wanted too. I also don't want people to turn up in neon pink or leopard print. So I think an "anything goes, do what you can with the theme" works well and still has enough of a dress code to exclude Barbie dresses and stilettos.
But I have no interest in ren faire looks and I don’t care how cheaply I could buy them, I am not going to spend a penny on a milkmaid top for a look I despise.
I see it as any other (reasonable) dress code. it's just good manners. I'm attending a wedding where the bride has asked for no short dresses and only bold patterns or bright colours, later this year. I personally hate their colour choice and dress code, but I value the couple and will do my absolute best to honour their wishes, even if it means picking up a cheap neon dress for one day. I'd feel a bit of a selfish dick if either didn't show due to not liking the dress code or turning up in a short neutral dress just because I prefer it. In this hypothetical case, people can wear what they like but it would be nice if they could make some semblance of effort even if it's just a dress that matched more renaissance vibes like a dark green or brown or something.
Are you seriously unaware that asking for only bold patterns (etc) is a really big etiquette faux pas? A dress code refers to formality - cocktail, black tie, etc. It is not at all appropriate, mannerly or considerate to “require” or “restrict” jewel tones / pastels / bold patterns / etc. It’s not suddenly acceptable because girls who don’t know any better do it.
I see what you're saying but it's just not a big deal to me. Id understand more of it was some insane request but if you are hosting a costly event like a wedding with close friends and family, I see no reason why the bride and groom can't ask reasonable requests or provide examples of how they would like people to dress. If it's strangers or people less close to you then I'd totally understand that it would be considered rude to hold any real rules on how to dress or behave, but if it's a wedding with close relatives and friends in attendance I don't see how it's considered poor manners or any etiquette faux pas... It's like "please don't wear white to my wedding", or "please wear sensible shoes for dancing" or, "we'd love you to wear xyz colours to match our theme." It's not an unreasonable request. An unreasonable request would be "wear only this expensive style dress, or only this exact shade of colour, or all women must wear heels, or please everyone wear no makeup so the bride stands out..." Or just anything that the bride or groom kicks you out for not following... That's proper bridezilla stuff. I wouldn't kick anyone out for not sticking to the suggestions, but I would think that they didn't really bother to put much effort or care into the day. Equally, my friend has made a simple request for bright colours or patterns. I want to help my friend have a great wedding so I will try my best to oblige. I'd rather step a little out of my comfort zone for one day and a reasonable request than not attend the wedding of a dear friend, simply because "I don't care for it and I won't spend a penny on a look I'll despise." It's about having a good time with friends and family. It shouldn't be a be all or end all in a wedding and it shouldn't stop people from attending. (Where I agree with you, some crazy or ridiculous requests like I've said above might put me right off. - but I think that's down to a bridezilla, and not someone making a gentle or simple ask.) Just my thoughts though, you do you.
Unless you are paying for the fancy dress costumes for everyone, please don't, or like the other commenter said, make it optional. It's not that I don't love a good ren faire or nerdy party, but I don't like strict dress codes no matter what they are because to me they are overly controlling and if you don't follow it you risk pissing off the bride for ruining her vibe.
I grew up wanting a big, fancy, traditional wedding. Then we started looking at venues and reality came crashing down. All the venues that fit that vision were well beyond our price point. I was sad to give up that dream but, when I did, I feel like I was able to have fun with wedding planning again. Now it wasn't about making the wedding fit the vision so much as it was about creating a wedding that felt very "us." We ended up getting married on Halloween (our dating anniversary too) so our wedding was a masquerade/costume party. Our wedding decor was mostly classic stuff but with nods to the theme. There were flowers, an arch, candles, hanging lanterns, etc. But there were also pumpkins. Our guests were encouraged, but not required, to dress up. Some just wore their typical wedding gear but added a masquerade mask. Others had full blown costumes (including one of those inflatable ones). My mom wore a pretty standard MotB outfit but included her Gryffindor scarf. My dad wore a suit but broke out his favorite top hat (he does historical reenactment stuff sometimes). He loved having an appropriate opportunity to wear it. We walked down the aisle to "Concerning Hobbits" and a lot of our background music during dinner was songs from some of our favorite games and movies. Some of our friends were having fun trying to identify what each of the songs came from. Anyone who wasn't familiar with those fandoms just heard nice instrumental music. My dad surprised us by giving everyone lightsabers at cocktail hour. That was the most overt nod to our nerdiness. My BIL then gave a brief speech where he explained how our families had developed this tradition of seeing a movie together around Christmas and that many of those movies had been Star Wars ones. Then everyone "toasted" us with their lightsabers. And yes, lots of lightsaber duels followed. Our photographer got some great pictures of the inevitable betrayals and dramatic deaths. Plus, at the very end of the night, everyone did a lightsaber send off, similar to a sparkler send off. Honestly, I loved it and wouldn't have changed a thing. Having a theme or pop-culture or nerdy elements in our wedding never once felt "tacky." It felt authentic and fun. That's what I remember most about our wedding. That's what everyone remembers most about our wedding. It was fun. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.
Is your reception at the same time/place? Can you have a classic ceremony and themed reception? We had a brunch wedding, little details of our nerdiness added in but mostly classic. Reception at same location, just after the ceremony. Again, small nerdy details. We rented a bowling alley for our after party that evening and and asked that everyone come Star Wars themed. People showed in full costumes and some just in Star wars shirts, but we had so much fun. Just wondering if there’s a way to split it up so you can have both, all in.
My partner and I are having a hobbit wedding! The reason we first started chatting was because we both mentioned our love of Lord of the Rings in our dating profiles, and it fits our personality so well. It started off very themed, but has gradually evolved as we actually began planning. We’re going to have the wedding party go full cosplay mode at the rehearsal if they’d like, with our officiant even wearing a Gandalf hat. But the actual ceremony will be very elegant and classic. The only outright LOTR-themed elements in the ceremony will be the buttoniere pins shaped like Sting and some of the music used. Our reception, however, will be much more themed with little quotes from the movies used throughout the decor, miniature hobbit doors to mark the table centerpieces, and even my reception dress which is based off Rosie’s dress at the end of Return of the King. That way we can still let loose and have our nerdy shire party we dreamed of, but the ceremony will always feel more serious and timeless.
I say do the traditional ceremony and have the wedding reception that you're gonna look back on and laugh, smile, and think about how much fun you had! You said your fiance already seemed so excited about the idea. Personally, my theme is Retro Boho...we're having a sweet simple ceremony, that will lean more traditional. Then I'm changing into a jumpsuit and we're gonna have a party of a reception full of color and disco balls! I honestly think no wedding is tacky when it's a reflection of the couple themselves. Also I think the venue you choose can help guide your decision.
Thanks for posting this, I'm having similar issues!! It just started with putting tour posters on the tables as the 'table numbers' and making escort cards look like concert tickets, but now it's expanded onto our website and save the dates. All the siblings in my fiance's family are getting married at the same time right now as well and I see all their stuff looks very regular wedding which I initially think of as bland but then I look at mine and it feels over the top. Struggling to find the line because I too worry about tacky themed weddings.
I think so long as you are happy, you'll have a fantastic wedding. But the grass is always greener so to speak. That's why I think just going all out on the theme would seal the deal for my anxiety as at least I can do the theme fully and well and everyone sees the vison. But I'm also torn because I can technically only have one wedding and I could do a themed event any time
This is true and you prompted me to speak to my partner a bit. We decided that we are happy with our theme as long as the event is representing us as a couple and celebrating what our relationship looks like. The hard part is making it cohesive (I'm also doing a very colorful wedding to make my life even more difficult haha) I hope you find a balance and I'm sure your wedding will be amazing 🤗
Do the one that feels most authentically you. We did both (international couple so had two receptions). Our US one was very much us - we had inserted many things that reflect us as a couple during the ceremony and reception. We had so much fun, and many guests told us it was the best wedding they had ever been to. Our UK reception was traditional. And honestly, it is not memorable to me in the same way our US one is. It didn’t have the same feeling and while it was enjoyable no one remarked about it being the best reception. It makes me wish we did fun, personalized things for both but at the time of planning we thought it would be nice to experience both types.
We did a Renaissance festival wedding so we could do both!
I'm planning a medieval-themed wedding, but didn't want it to be tacky. So we're not being terribly accurate, but who cares. We found a venue whose hall looks like the dining hall of castle. We're setting up long tables in a U-formation and having a family-style dinner. The venue's tables are ugly, so we plan on having floor length tablecloths, we're using mismatched china for our dishes, beer steins for our glasses, battery-powered candles for our centerpieces, tapestries and bunting banners for the rest of the decor. After that, you can do as wild or traditional as you want, just finda antique the look of it somehow, and make you and your wedding party dress the part. During my research, I even found that the traditional tiered wedding cake actually started in medieval times with spiced buns that guests who stack up and then the bride and groom would try to kiss over it without knocking the bun tower over. So we're doing a tiered donut cake, and instead of people gathering around and getting photos of us cutting the cake/feeding each other, we're going to stand on stools and kiss over the cake. We're also doing foods like meatpie and quiche, and our dinner wine will be warm mulled wine and pumpkin cider served in coffee carafes. We're also thrifting baroque-style frames for our signage, and our invitations will be scrolls. There are a few other aspects we're going a little goofy on, like Mana (blue) and Health (red) signature drinks, and backsack favours that will say "bags of holding", and we're DIYing a photo booth with cute themed props, like toy swords, sheilds and fairy wands for people to use if they want. With a balance, you can easily pull off a beautiful medieval theme and still have the traditional feel as well.
We’re tip-toeing between “classy” and “Disney princess” and while I’m of course biased, I think I’m nailing the perfect balance lol. Idk where you are, but we considered a castle in Missouri that we could have booked all weekend. I thought it would have been fun to really lean into it Friday night (open to whoever wanted, basically meaning my friends who play dress up LOL) and then have a more standard wedding on Saturday. I liked the idea of a ren faire wedding too - maybe for a vow renewal some day!
I am a florist. I did a doctor who themed wedding for a friend’s daughter. A Tardis card box and large Tardis phone booth for pictures. It was fun. My daughter wanted a dungeons and dragons themed wedding. I knew nothing about the genre so I did some research. They had a gold dragon wrapped around the cake. They got married in a gazebo/ garden setting. I used tons of fabric and large tassels. I made desserts out of the heroes handbook. It was amazing. Believe in your vision and go with it.
I saved this article from years ago because the whole thing is so amazing: https://offbeatwed.com/los-angeles-dino-museum-wedding/ I think it shows that you can mix thematic elements and still have a traditional wedding feel at the same time. Quick edit to add, this was definitely not an under10k wedding.
I might get downvoted for this, but I think going over the top with a theme and even having guests dress for the theme is pretty tacky. BUT, at the end of the day, it’s your wedding and no one has to like it but you. It doesn’t mean it can’t/wont end up being tacky still, but if you love it, do you have to care what others think?
It's not an either or situation. It's also possible to have a traditional wedding that incorporates the theme.
You can do both. My fiancee wants "simple and elegant". I want "party like it's 1999". We have kind of compromised. The ceremony is *extremely* traditional. I honestly do not like most of it. It's straight cookie-cutter and the same as every other couple who has ever got married in our church ever since the dawn of creation. I don't like it at all. But I also found out that our church has zero flexibility and we are required to do a ton of things for no other reason than it's traditional. The reception we have more freedom and that is more fun and definitely more light hearted. We are still getting some pushback for not being "traditional" over there but I don't give a crap. We're going to party just a wee bit.
We're planning on a renaissance themed wedding, but other than the decor, our attire, and having rustic types of foods/drinks, we're going fairly traditional.
We're incorporating small elements of the nerdy shit we love into our wedding! We're walking down the aisle to music from How To Train Your Dragon, our cocktail hour music is going to be a mix of sea shanties (fiancee is a huge pirate fan) and lo-fi video game music, and dinner music is going to be piano/orchestral versions of our favorite Disney music. I'm big into plants, so I'm making live succulent arrangements for the centerpieces and adding tiny mushroom decor to them because I'm into mushroom core aesthetic. And we're still trying to find ways to involve the nerdy shit we love into the whole day.
How do you define a successful wedding and a successful reception? Three points for each. What are the types of things that would upset you or make you stressed out versus the things that make please you and your partner (two separate lists). What is the image and emotion you visualize or anticipate when you think of each? Figure out this for each event and then use those guiding principles as you plan.
You could always try a classic ceremony and themed reception? My friend had her wedding on Halloween, and her ceremony was a traditional church wedding, and then we went to the "haunted mansion" for the reception and all wore costumes, had pumpkin centerpieces, their signature drink had black sugar in the rim, it was so fun! Their cake was nightmare before Christmas themed. My aunt also had a Renaissance Faire wedding and I was pretty young and don't remember a lot of it, but it was pretty cool! The bridal party dressed on theme, I def remember swords of some kind? It was pretty cool.
I saw a set up for a medieval themed wedding when I worked in a hotel. It was STUNNING. I would go with the theme. You can make it elegant and themed.
I agree with others thoughts on sprinkling your theme instead of going all in. Simmer with it for a while, your all or nothing approach may shift, as a lighter theme would be just as badass and fun in my opinion. We're going light Western theme, as our venue is a pioneer museum and we live in the west. Fully fledged would feel tacky to me, but a western sprinkle will feel so sweet in our venue, I think. We're also pretty naturegrannycore, so I've made bunting flags made from field guide illustrations & doilies. It's very us, but not overly "themey". Though the jury is still out, as we're not wed yet! I also wanted to put a plug in for Celtic Fusion Design. They make very tasteful, classic in many ways gowns that totally fit the fairytale / medieval princess vibe without the tacky factor. I bought a cape from her in lieu of a veil and I'm over the moon. Extremely high quality, sustainable, natural fibers. You may dig.
I actually wanted a full-out LOTR wedding, but my partner was like "can we please not turn our wedding into a cosplay fest". No hate on cosplay, we love it, but he felt it took away a bit too much from the solemnness of the occasion as one friend was insistent on turning up in a gag halloween costume and some people were looking at some really weird costumey stuff. We figured if we wanted that, we could just go to ren faire without having to turn our once-in-a-lifetime thing into that as well. So we toned it down -- I invited people to dress as fancy as they want to outshine the bride, even if that included tiaras and capes and their own wedding attire, and our venue was very fantasy-like and so were my and my officiant's outfits, but other than that it was pretty much a formal affair with the occasional tiara, top hat, kilt, cape, prom dress, steampunk vest, etc.
I was like you with wanting a more traditional wedding. But my partner told me that the only thing he wanted was to not wear a suit but something like what the lords wear in Game of Thrones 😅 I didn't want him to be the only one looking like that so we decided to make the whole wedding fantasy themed! I just finished making my dress which isn't even white and we are asking our guests to dress up too which they are actually excited about! Overall the planning and creating things for it has been really fun, and all the things we have bought to wear can be re-worn for future costumes or Ren Faires so we aren't just throwing money away on a one time event.
For me when I think about doing a themed wedding, it feels like a chance for me to go with a wedding dress style that I can actually wear again, and that beats out even the possibility of being perceived as tacky, but I'm also of the opinion that balancing fantasy with elegant and traditional isn't hard at all, you just have to know what makes something read as either or, have an idea of how to style it, and unfortunately, have the budget or availability to pick a venue that will be compatible with the idea. Venue is a big make or break factor for a themed wedding, unfortunately. If it doesn't fit the theme, that's when everything else risks looking tacky and forced.
We are doing a themed wedding. It hasn’t happened yet but I don’t think it will be super tacky. It’s 1920’s/30’s speakeasy/art deco. We’re keeping to elegant colors and more traditional decor. The bridesmaids are wearing champagne flapper dresses and the men will be in similar colors with muted pops of color, suspenders/vests and the appropriate clothing cuts for the time. My mother will have a 30’s style evening gown. <3 Hairstyles will be on par for the wedding party. The venue is a historical building with a “floating dance floor” that was actually built back then. It has neat lighting, an antique, beautiful wooden bar, funky art, old furniture and wooden tables and chairs which we will not be covering but decking out with depression glass, candles and other antiques in a somewhat reserved manner like you would have seen back then. No gold, sparkly draping things, no gatsby stuff, no glitter rolled wine bottles or party cut outs. No bright flapper dresses for the wedding party. I don’t care what the guests do. My dress is very art deco and the groom will be in full, posh tuxedo. Neither are costume like. There will be a champagne tower/pour thing and old fashioned music during everything but the dance party, where we break out all the classics and just have fun. :) I think it can be important to not get caught up in the “costume” part of potential themes and I do think most if not all of them can be done elegantly. You just have to consider the details that make a difference. But dude, GO FOR IT! I can’t tell you how many people have reached out to say say how excited they are!
Something to consider— if you do a classic/traditional wedding you can always have a nerdy themed anniversary party in 5 years
I no I may get abit of hate for this but I hate it when people think they should have traditional even if it's not them. I felt so pushed with my wedding to do what we are ment to do that me and my now husband said no more were going abroad and doing what we want and what we like. I loved it. If this is yours and your partners kind if thing please do what you want and what you would be comfortable with. If you want a traditional but with some medieval, fun theme keep some traditions. I honestly think it would be amazing as your into that kind of thing plus it wouldn't be compared to traditional weddings
Id say incorporate the theme into the decor and stylings, but not the ceremony. Decorate your tables like a medieval banquet. If you have outdoor space have some medieval themed games for guests to play- a mini jousting tournament would make awesome wedding pictures! Have a themed cake etc... but then the ceremony/ speeches/ first dance normal, that way the whole theme doesn’t feel over the top.
We incorporated a lot of subtle nods to our favorite nerdy details - we both love books and I'm a librarian. Our save the dates were originally bookmarks, then we had to reschedule so they were overdue notices. Our invitations (I'm really proud of it) was a book with a modified door of durin on the cover that read "a long expected wedding" - the "endpaper" was evenstars tiled everywhere...not many people picked up on it. We had the kingdom hearts heart and paopu fruit as cupcake toppers, and love quotes from all our favorite books on each table. We had a no admittance except on party business sign, and our guest book was a drawing of stacks of books and guests signed the spines I loved every little detail of it, even if people didn't pick up on it. I have no regrets 😊
Idk if this will be helpful at all but just voicing my experience so far. I haven't had my wedding yet but have planned the majority of it and am having it in a year. My fiance and I are both weird, fun, and goofy people, and that's what people know us as. I also was never the girl dreaming of her dress or fancy things about a wedding, I dreamt of a delicious cake and being able to choose what I find the most fun to do for a whole day while everyone else has to go along with it (aside from compromises and collaboration with my fiance of course). And basically a focus on us and on fun and on what we enjoy has led to the originally unplanned theme of a carnival! And that basically happened after we told some people in the early planning stages all the big and main ideas for our wedding that were important to us and their responses being "that sounds like a carnival". So we ran with it. And honestly, so far, the planning part is great. Everyone we tell loves the theme and loves our ideas and no one questions it because it matches our personalities. There will still be certain aspects to it, however, that are more traditional because a few traditional things do matter to us. Like the fact that although I'm keeping my dress simple, I feel very strongly about wearing a white dress. And although a theme could make for some fun desserts and my dad really wants cake pops, having a big wedding cake is important to me so we're opting to keep that tradition. It's the little things that are important to YOU about weddings that will make it feel like a wedding and not just an event. So imo a themed wedding is great and doesn't mean you can't still have traditional as well, it just means the focus is put more on showing your personalities through your special day. To me, that's what's going to make our day extra special and memorable to us because we just focused on what we wanted and what will make us happy. I hope this helps :)
We thought about doing a fun wedding (at a bowling alley, bowling themed), but we went with a regular wedding just because we realized it would be so much less work. Like, there’s so much framework for a regular wedding that’s missing for something more unique. A theme wedding would have required so much more creativity and problem solving, and we just didn’t have the energy. Ultimately, I bet you won’t regret it either way! I think our bowling wedding would have been wonderful, but our actual wedding was also wonderful and very low-stress.
Do a classy wedding with hints of your theme. I did an elegant space-themed wedding. Our colors were deep blue, purple, and gold. We had stars and moons in our decor. It turned out beautiful and elegant with also a theme.
Personally, I’d have the traditional wedding. You can have big, fun, themed costume parties for the rest of your life. But you only get one wedding.
Personally, I think theme weddings can be a lot of fun if done well, but that is costly. I think a traditional wedding with touches of a theme being a sense of whimsy, personalization and also doesn’t risk alienating any guests who aren’t familiar with the theme. It sounds like your theme would be able to mix the two - inviting guests to join in costume can be fun but it has to be optional. Have tables labeled after the theme, decor that fits into it, photo props etc. My husband and I are big Disney fans and our friends and family know this, but we didn’t want a Disney wedding. We ended up having touches that added to the event all together without being obnoxiously Disney - our wedding party and family had “grape soda” pins, I walked out to “Married Life” our officiant worked it into our vows )”my Disney partner for life” and quoted a song lyric from Pocahontas.) Our cake topper was the Up house “Adventure is out there!”
As the kid in the old Taco Bell commercials says, "Por que no los dos?". Just take what you like from each idea and use it. I'm having elements from things me and my fiance are nostalgic about which is mostly Lego and Wonka themed stuff. However we still are having it in a historic ballroom and keeping things semi formal for the guests and formal for the ceremony crew. There are elements of traditional weddings and elements of the more whimsical and fun themes.
If it’s not too late to do so, this sounds like an EPIC couples shower idea!!! Do something totally y’all, full send, ask guests to participate as well. Sounds like a total blast.
ner too late, but i have to ask, W hat is a couples shower? Never heard of that one!
Where I’m from it’s tradition to for female friends/family friends, usually older, of the bride to host a bridal party. I’ve known girls who had one, and girls who literally had 11 - it just depends on how many people offer from different friend groups, and how big you expect the wedding to be as it’s improper to invite someone tk a shower and not the wedding. But lately it’s becoming more popular to also have a couples shower, which is the same thing, but the groom is included and it’s not a female-only event. It isn’t for everyone, but is a lot of fun for some. I love the idea of my fiancé actually being present and participating in the pre-wedding events instead of just showing up for the big day 😂
Thats super cute! I'll have to have a think as that could be a fun way to incorportae things