Decorating your reception, picking a theme and involving guests in the fun

Even royals are theming weddings. Sophie and Edward asked their guests to wear their smartest clothes but no hats. There was a gentle black and white theme that followed through the black and white pearl necklace that Sophie wore, the pageboy’s costumes, and the black and cream landaus pulled by white horses that took the couple and key guests back to the reception. Although it did seem to break down a bit when they got to the food, as the rather unconventional buffet featured haddock and strawberries!

And then there’s Jordan and Peter André’s pink extravaganza, with the bride wearing a pink crown, the glass carriage with its pink seats and pink fur carpet, the pink crystal corseted gown and of course, the pink champagne and smoked salmon at the reception. Get the theme? I’ll give you a clue, think PINK!

You don’t have to go quite as far as Jordan to put together a successful themed wedding. If you want a day that’s fun, and you are confident that your guests will join in, a theme wedding can provide a huge amount of enjoyment. It gets away from many of the stuffy conventions and allows you and your friends to express their creativity: whether in dress, décor, gifts or entertainment.

WESTERN

Are you a bit of a line-dancer? Then why not mosey on down the aisle? Even if your ceremony is fairly traditional, you can let rip at the reception. Here are some ideas:

• For table décor consider items like cowboy hats, boots and ‘moonshine jars’, filled with daises and sunflowers.
  
• Instead of ribbon, use rope. Wrap it around plain glass candle holders use it on your bouquet to secure your flowers and use twine to tie up party favours.
  
• Put beer bottles and soft drinks in large galvanized tubs for guests to grab.
  
• Light up the area with kerosene lanterns or oil lamps.
  
• Hire a country and western group to entertain your guests, or add a caller and have a real barn dance!
  
• Ask guests to bring their jeans and checked shirts, gingham dresses and aprons to the reception.
  

MEDIEVAL

So many wedding dresses these days have a medieval theme that you can easily follow this through into your big day:

• Place votive candles on each table in golden votive cups or plain glass cups tied with tendrils of ivy. Give your guests gold rimmed candle holders to take home, or gold rimmed glasses which make wonderful souvenirs.
  
• Consider whether you can manage without tablecloths! Wood tables would add a real medieval touch to the meal.
  
• Place wreaths – buy them from Christmas suppliers or art and craft stores - on doors and walls, and decorate with long, flowing ribbons in the colours of your dress; you might want to add red roses, or weave ivy or rosemary through the branches. Smaller wreaths can be worn by bridesmaids.
  
• The keynote of medieval décor is gold. Gold leaf, gold embroidery and golden objects were commonplace at celebrations so play up the bling! Consider a veil with gold sequins, gold netting around your bouquet and gold sashes for your bridesmaids. Gold confetti on the table adds the final note of glamour.
  
• Ask guests to focus on a medieval theme. Few men will make it into tights, but women can be encouraged to wear full length dresses.
  
• Hire a harpist!
  

NAUTICAL

• Wear pearls.
  
• Dress your child attendants in sailor suits (boys) and mermaid costumes (girls).
  
• Scatter seashells on your tables and use marshmallow fish and shrimps to add fun to your place settings. Sprinkle fake pearls and gold coins on the table along with a few pirate eyepatches.
  
• For music, play the Beach Boys and Yellow Submarine!
  
• Serve seafood to your guests: crab, prawns, tuna, salmon.
  
• Decorate your cake nautically – white icing with starfish or wave details in pale blue looks utterly gorgeous.
  
• Ask your guests to bring toy parrots, pirate hats, stripy tops and wooden legs! Go in for some silly games – tug of war is very nautical and you can have a vote on who looks most like the various characters in Pirates of the Caribbean.
  

WINTER WONDERLAND

• Wear satin or velvet with long white gloves, or carry a muff. You can get away with a velvet hood or a false fur and crystal crown, and grooms in a tuxedo will feel perfectly in harmony.
  
• Go for white flowers to carry, or, if your church permits, see if your bridesmaids can carry candles down the aisle.
  
• White tablecloths can seem snowy, especially if you use candles and pinecones, poinsettias and small white lights strung along the tables to make the place look sparkling.
  
• Consider mulled wine, Irish and hot finger food as being suitably wintry food.
  

Remember to sit down with your photographer, telling him or her exactly what the theme of the day is, and how you want it to work: there is nothing worse than a group of people obviously dressed up for fun, but made to pose in stiff and formal fashion so that they look as if they’re attending a fancy dress party that they’re not enjoying. Western weddings can have ladies showing their garters and men chewing straws, nautical weddings can have props like telescopes and flags to give the proper feel to the day, and winter weddings, of course, need at very least a background that’s chilly looking – a few cotton wool snowballs can add fun to shots of the groomsmen and those featuring children.