Break tradition with a fun, alternative wedding theme
A same-sex wedding couldn’t get any more fabulous than chic costumes and period makeup. For those nontraditional couples who can’t decide whether to wear two tuxes, two gowns or some other combination, consider one of these five trendy wedding themes:
1. Alice in Wedding-land
Get in touch with your inner child and throw all formality to the wind with a decked-out Alice in Wonderland theme. Get hitched as Alice and the Mad Hatter ($89.99 from buycostumes.com as seen in the Tim Burton film), or even the Queen of Hearts ($60 from scavengeinc.com). Then celebrate your reception with a long, colorfully-decorated table for all your guests. Imagine waiters in mismatched uniforms serving tea through an assortment of oddly-shaped teapots, while you and your fiancé sit in two giant arm chairs at the center of the table, surrounded by entertained friends and family. Sprinkle even more color by hanging handmade Chinese paper lanterns throughout the space. Then after dinner, lead your guests in a round of lawn croquet using flamingo mallets ($13.76, Amazon.com), hedgehog balls ($2.22) and supersized playing cards ($23.10). If anyone isn’t having fun by then—off with his head!
Tilted Lichen-Green Teapot: $69
Photo courtesy of EarthWorks Ceramics on Etsy.com
2. Saddle Ceremony
If you like country music and the Old West, it’s time to take the gay cowboy cliché and run hog-wild with it. Live the ending to Brokeback Mountain you and your partner always wanted to see and tie the knot cowboy-style. Hold the ceremony in the rugged outdoors, perhaps on a ranch or farm, and ask your guests to come dressed in cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Go all out with themed décor like a Western Cowboy Lasso Wedding Ring Bearer Pillow ($29.95 from weddingcollectibles.com), guestbook and pen set ($49.95) and wedding cake server set ($29.95). Then round out the night with a romantic ride into the sunset on a “Just Married” stallion.
Old Western Wedding Invitation Set – Digital or Print: $3.50/set
Photo courtesy of Kindly Spoken on Etsy.com
3. Wedded Warrior Princesses
Here’s one for the warrior sci-fi gals. Exchange custom-made chakram wedding rings/bands (try a Custom Engagement Ring Gallery) with a Xena: Warrior Princess wedding bash. Hire a musician to strum the lyre as you walk down the aisle in a stunning Ancient Greek gown. With invitations resembling an ancient scroll (from $1.50 to $5 at scrollweddinginvitations.com), you can encourage your guests to dress the part and get their Sapphic freak on. Serve a Greek entrée, with olives and wine circulating around a room designed to mirror an ancient mythological palace. Then mail your thank-yous from sunny New Zealand, Xena’s filming location, with fun Xena and Gabrielle postcards.
Athena Prom/Wedding Dress: $165.00
Photo courtesy of thedressstory.com
4. Robin Hood’s Married Men
Go Medieval and hire a band of minstrels as you hold an unforgettable Sherwood Forest ceremony beneath a period pavilion. You don’t need Maid Marian to make this wedding a romantic date your guests will always remember. Persuade the ladies to come in period gowns, and boys, go to town with your choice of velvet leggings or tights ($29 from the Irongate Gallery), knee-high boots and a dark green tunic with a peasant shirt underneath. Don a feather in the brim of a small, tri-cornered hat ($46.48 from buy.com), a dagger in your belt and a bow and arrow on your back, and you’ll look as dashing as the Prince of Thieves himself. Many costume shops sell the usual Robin Hood attire (full costume $75.61 at costumecraze.com), but if you’re feeling really inspired, rock your own design using a combination of free patterns found at http://www.reddawn.net/costume/patterns.htm.
Medieval Hexagonal Tent: $1,804.14 + tax
Photo courtesy of Medieval-Fightclub
5. Hitched in a New York Minute
That’s right. Do it up like your favorite ladies from Sex in the City. Although it’s getting harder to come by, if you’re lucky you can still purchase Carrie Bradshaw’s wedding dress, designed by Vivienne Westwood and worn by Sara Jessica Parker. Hold the reception in NYC if you’re able, at a restaurant the girls frequently visited, like the elegant Sushi Samba. Serve cosmopolitans with shrimp and finger-food sandwiches to get everyone warmed up before the main course. Then see your guests off with “I <3 NY” personalized key chain party favors (from $11 to $25 at Wedding Favors Unlimited), inscribed with your names and the date.
Sushi Samba:
Photo courtesy of Examiner.com
Sex_and the_City_Carrie_Bradshaw_Wedding_Gown_2_to_26W: $769.80 plus shipping
Photo courtesy of Bonanzle.com
