Love on the High Seas: A Pirate-Theme Wedding
"I'm 22 years old, and got married in early July (on the hottest day of the year). Now, my wedding wasn't a lavish $20,000 event. My budget was so low, I don't even know what it was! I was my own wedding planner. I searched endlessly online for deals and creative ideas. I even managed to find the dress — you know, "The One" — on eBay for a mere $125.
"In the beginning I wanted the traditional wedding. I had some ideas about earthy seafoam greens and browns. But about a month after trying to figure out how to throw this all together, I got fed up. In fact, I pleaded with my fiancée to just marry me in Las Vegas.
"In the end I found out he wanted a large wedding ... even more than I did. But he also wanted a themed wedding. And somehow, and I don't know how, he convinced me to have a pirate-themed wedding." This, she admits, after he initially pushed for a circus and then a superhero theme.
"It actually turned out rather beautiful."
First the Courtin'; Then the Marryin'
"I bought 200 plastic sand art bottles with corks for $118. And we designed and printed out our own little treasure maps. I spent endless hours burning the edges, for realism. Then we rolled them up, tied them with gold ribbon and tucked them in the bottles.
Finally, we sealed the cork with gold wax, and stamped the top with an "S." Really, our guests were delighted when they got them."
What's more, she says, they actually mailed these invitations directly in the bottle, with "To" and "From" labels attached. "The post office allows it," she said. "I had no clue we could do this, but my mother-in-law tipped me off." (Editor's note: this is where purists can really see the advantage in plastics.)
"I think it all worked out to about $.60 a bottle," she says. "We saved a lot of money doing it this way." But, she admits, after the twentieth one (out of 200!), the process became a pain. "Printing, burning the edges, sealing, stamping ... yikes."
Droppin' Anchor at Home
Bill and Jessica, who hosted the event in their own backyard, couldn't have dreamed up a better venue, with their spacious yard, lush tropical landscaping, and weathered solid board fencing, oh-so-reminiscent of an island oasis. "We'd looked around for other places, but I just wanted a place where we were in complete control."We were lucky enough to have a large yard."
Saucy Wenches & Stylin' Swashbucklers
Still, not everything ran according to plan ("as we headed to the ceremony, I think we both had thoughts of just driving right on to Mexico," says Jessica, who needed some last-minute hair and dress tweaks), but when they arrived, most things fell into place. Including the world's most adorable ring bearer.
"I wanted the ring bearer to be Peter Pan, and the flower girls to be little Wendys, dressed in white nightgowns. Actually, they ended up being little Tinkerbells.
"For the ring bearer, we actually made an alligator pillow out of green velvet."
Bill, of course, wore a pirate costume custom-made for the occasion. "It turned out beautiful." Jessica had her dress custom-fitted by the seamstress who made Bill's costume, and ordered a matching veil.
Okay, but what about the guests? The bridesmaids? The (erk) mothers-in-law? Did they play along?
Indeed, says Jessica. The invitations mentioned that dress-up was an option ... and pointed out that the bride and groom would be really glad if they did. "Most people loved the idea," she said, recalling that a lot of male guests took to classic pirate costumes complete with billowing ruffles, cuffed boots, headscarves and magnificent three-cornered pirate hats. While some donned rentals, others showed up in lovingly-handmade outfits.
"Two men came as islanders, and women mainly dressed as wenches. Of course, not everyone warmed to the idea right away. It took a while to talk the mothers into dressing like wenches.
"But in the end, we did."
Trickin' Out Me Timbers
Once they'd agree to a pirate wedding, the couple settled on a color scheme of black, red and gold. They draped the romantic fencing with wide swags of red and gold tulle, covered the tables with red and black, and punctuated the corners with swaggering skull-and-bones pirate balloons.They dressed the arch with swags of red roses, and the wedding party proceeded down a white runner strewn with red rose petals. ("Though it would've been nice to find a red one," muses Jessica.)
"Bill picked the music," she adds, "and the wedding party walked out to 'Love Story' from the Princess Bride.
Later on, after the party started, the DJ played 'I'm a Believer' — the Shrek version."
Then I saw her face (ha-ha)
Now I'm a believer (listen)
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
(Ooh, ahh, yeah)
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried ...
"No one warned me ... but the kids sure loved it."
"I, Mad Dog Bill Take Ye, Saucy Jessica As Me Heart, Me Soul, Me Good Wench."
We had to bring up the tricky subject of vows. After all, Elvis Vows are one of the main attractions at certain Las Vegas chapels. Were we talking pirate vows, with lots of "Yars!" and "Ahoy, mateys"?"Actually, Bill did want them," says Jessica. "But I wanted real ones. Our roommate tracked down some pirate vows, and they really were funny, but I wanted this one part to be serious.
"It was our roommate, ordained online, who performed the ceremony. I wasn't sure if I could find a normal minister to do a pirate wedding," she laughs.
... And a Bottle of Rum
Sometimes the greatest magic in theme weddings lies in the smallest touches: the witty favors, the movie-set food. Needless to say, this wedding was full of them."We focused on finger food. For example, we served lots of kebabs. Like, maybe 400 kebabs, with five different kinds. And we had tropical fruit, and chocolate fountains."
Her sister-in-law came through with the perfect centerpieces ... and even made them herself. "We had small chests filled with jewels on planks of wood that we scattered with sand. And next to these, we placed miniature galvanized pails we filled with three types of mini liqueurs — Jack Daniels for me (I'm a Tennessee girl), tequila for him (he's Mexican), and Captain Morgan for the theme.
"Everyone loved the mini bars."
That Takes the Cake
The really tricky part, says Jessica, was finding the cake topper. "It was tougher than I expected," she said. "Everyone said, 'try eBay,' and believe me, I did, but I wasn't having any luck.
"I spent three solid days looking for that figurine. I asked at Yahoo! Answers and everything.
But I finally found the topper I wanted on Ebay after all — only it was called 'The Captain and His Lover,' and the word pirate was nowhere to be found," she sighs. Still, it was totally perfect.
Set Sail, and On Toward Morning
So, does the couple have anything else to share with other lovebirds hitting the high seas of romance?"Actually, I don't suggest that anyone ever plan their own wedding," laughs Jessica. "It's so much harder then I expected.
"Still, at the end of the day, we were happy with how it came off. Everything cooled off when the sun went down, and people were eating and drinking — clearly enjoying the dance music the DJ played. In fact, the whole thing went on until midnight." Blackbeard, Captain Hook and most other infamous roisterers would approve.
Tags: 
July 16th, 2008 at 8:50 am
hi Kanya,
The above centerpieces are really nice however our wedding was large and I was really trying to keep cost down so… We had round table which we covered with king size flat sheets knotted on the corners($4 at good will as opposed to $12 for renting) I purchased fish nets from oriental trading & cut them in 4. This was the center topper. At the dollar store I got cylindrical vases & bamboo place mats which I hot glued onto the vases. A little sand in each & a candle( box of 8 emergency candles). A pirate flag(oriental trading) was stuck in each however we were out doors & the wind kept knocking them over. We also added shells & gold coins(oriental trading). I did use real water glasses on the tables & each had an eye patch( oriental trading) placed on it & a napkin stuffed in it. The napkins I made by cutting them from fabric(some red, some black with skeletons)with pinking shears. Good luck with your wedding…It will be the most fun you & your guest will ever have at a wedding! Your entertainment sounds great! We had a band & pinatas ( a pirate & a treasure chest) for the kids. As for a cake topper, I wasn’t willing to shell out $50 for the captn & his lover. I found a pirate man & woman for $7 for the pair…they ended up being too heavy so we placed a beautiful seashell in the center of the cake. We also had skull & crossbones cake(cakes are shown below) Arrrggggghhhhh!!
July 15th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I wish I had the guts to do that
rock on
July 1st, 2008 at 2:16 pm
We are also having a pirate wedding as well, this Septmebr 19th (Talk like a Pirate Day). We have fire dancers, belly dancers, and greek food being served. Instead of gifts, we asked that everyone coming in costume. We also have a photo booth near the bar where the photos will be stored on my harddrive. Should be lots of fun to watch later. I used the invites in the bottle idea, thank you, my nephew deisgned the map. I will send photos after the event. I am looking for ideas on center pieces for tables. I also need a cake topper and would love the captain and his lover… Love this website… helped with alot of ideas.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:42 am
I too am having a pirate theme wedding. We are not going as far as costumes, but we are getting married on a sailboat while everyone stands on the pier to watch! We are just begining the planning process, although the wedding is in September of this year. This site is great! I’m so glad I found it….but I too have the same question as everyone else. I want the captain and his lover cake topper - any ideas? If anyone knows of one, could you let me know.
May 25th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Don’t know of any toasts however you could find a good toast & modify it by using pirate vocabulary which you can find at the following website: www.talklikeapirate.com. It also has links to other helpful sites.
A favorite regular toast of mine that I modified pirate style :
Me mateys,Never lie, cheat or drink!
But if you must,
lie in ye mateys arms, cheat death & drink with ye deckhands & mateys till we again at the bottom!
Good luck! Pirate weddings are the best. Mine was 10/20/08 & people are still talking about it!
AAArrrrggggg!
May 24th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
does anyone know where to find any good pirate wedding toasts???? I need a few for a pirate wedding I am going to. thanks so much!
May 5th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I still can’t find the captain and his lover cake topper went to awesome gifts they don’t have it ebay can’t find it anyone want to sell theirs????
May 1st, 2008 at 8:15 pm
My pirate-themed bridal shower was awesome! I handed each girl a pirate bandana (pink & black from the “pirate girl” collection of Oriental Trading Company), and our first game was a treasure hunt spin on the spices game. They had to hunt for hidden jars of spices and write down on their treasure map (also from OTC) their guesses on the prenumbered page. We had many a pirate-themed game, a white homemade cake with a skull & crossbones outlined in red on top, and pirate decorations & balloons everywhere. Thought I’d share my ideas since I stole (pirated?) so many from this site already!
May 1st, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Marie,
I have an extra “pirate’s perks” cake topper if you’d like to buy it, but it IS smaller than I expected it to be. Scroll down this page for a picture of it and let me know if you’re interested. The cake sounds like it will be lovely!
April 30th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Right now I’m making the top of the lighthouse out of balsa wood part of a plastic birdhouse and a candy jar. Just got finished painting the body of the cage,the plastic battery candle and the glass. next I’ll add wire and do detail painting we may need to ship the bride & groom or go with a monogram in the lihgt of the globe or maybe nothing in it at all. There are just too many things to do to get cought up in too many details. K.I.S.S. right?
April 30th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Well the topper of the Captain & Lover is 9 inches tall if I remember, so it’s not too small and it is really heavy and needs extra support to be on a cake - so I’m not sure if it would fit on a lighthouse designed cake (love that idea for a cake tho!). Sorry my figurine is not for sale or for rent. There are some other options out there though. I think small crystal ships make nice toppers, or many people online now make custom cake toppers to look like the bride & groom. You could try one of those.
youtopthecake.com/
www.designsbydorian.com/Dorian/Custom_Cake_Tops.htm
April 30th, 2008 at 7:53 am
My daughters wedding is soon soon. It’s Pirate themed and we have a Lighthouse wedding cake and are looking for a miniature bride and groom. The topper you found looks ideal but I can’t find em anywhere ! I looked on ebay too.
What are the chances of buying or renting this off of you?
April 26th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Hi there! my partner and myself are getting married in 5 months and are thinking about the pirate theme. I was just wondering how you managed to word your invites for the theme? I have exactly the same ideas for the Message in the bottles where using them for thank you notes. and do you know some good sites for costumes and treasure chests?
cheers Jody
April 17th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I am looking for that same Pirate wedding cake topper for my friend who is having a Pirate theme as well. Can anyone tell me where to find one???
April 8th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Here are a few pictures from my wedding. The boat is in Clearwater, FL www.captmemos.com if anyone is interested. The crew were really great.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Thank you all for your great ideas! I’ve borrowed many ideas from this site; I especially love the vows and invitations, which I copied onto paper from “paper pow:” www.paperpow.com/ (I used that treasure map). I’ve hit up Oriental Trading Company for bridal shower and wedding decorations. We’re using Simplicity costume patterns and I my dress came from Dressbuilder.com. We went to Zales for that ring and I’m getting the “pirate’s perks” cake topper. I don’t know what I would’ve done without this site! I’m ecstatic about the new treasure chest favors from Favorideas.com, but it’s just too expensive for a 200-guest wedding! I’ll be sure and post picture when all is said and done….thank you!
April 7th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Pirate candy! Enough said! See Candy Warehouse, Pirate Candy section.
April 6th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I just came across this website. The actual retail store is located in San Diego, CA. Wonderful site with lots of great stuff! Had to share!!
Captain’s Cove
March 29th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Hey, we just got a new pirate-theme favor from HansonEllis … a treasure favor box!
www.favorideas.com/shopping/prod/HE-THFWTC9B.htm
I’m pretty sure this is the first pirate-theme favor to appear on this site.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
we found it by total accident at our local zales jewelry store. we went in to look at their bands and it was in the same case as the stainless steel mens jewelry. you can look also online but i was never able to find one like it, not even on the zales web site. total price was just over $200
March 18th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I would like to know where Dee got the pirate wedding band for her husband. My fiance’ only wants that now.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Was wondering me and my fiancee are also in the process of findign this cake topper for our wedding. Any ideas ive checked ebay for weeks amazon as well and google has nothing on it except for your page .
Some assisstance if you do not mind!
March 7th, 2008 at 10:42 am
1 in stock people, go go go!
THANKS Jessica!
March 7th, 2008 at 5:27 am
RE: Heidi
Sorry this is a late reply!
I basically used the same words as this invitation I found online. I actually pretty much attempted to design my invites just like this one:
www.deadmentellnotales.com/ideas/images/0096.jpg
March 7th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Found it!!!
Captain With Lover, $25
www.awesomegiftsonline.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=255
March 4th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I’m in a frenzy trying to get this cake topper “the captain and his lover” somewhere I should have bought it over a year ago when I first saw it please help!!!!!!!!
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:52 am
ahhhh i love this! Does anyone know where to find this topper?
February 13th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Pirate brides who love Anne Wood can now die and go to heaven!
Check this out … awesome topper by Rainsend available on Etsy. And this heads-up courtesy of my all-time favorite Bee, Mrs. Gummi Bear.
February 11th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Just wanted to share a photo of my fiancé’s ring. He is a true pirate at heart and when we saw this we knew it was perfect. Were planning on getting married in Vegas and after reading up on a pirate theme we have now decided to this instead. Thank you for all the wonderful ideas and tips.
February 7th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Here’s a wedding involving ‘professional pirates’ in S. Florida — the costumes are unbelievable! Click here to see more.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Thank you for the suggestions. It works out even BETTER this way, because now I can have my older brother marry us! It is a great way to involve him in the wedding now since he is not one of the groomsmen. Thanks again!
February 1st, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Jessica,
I was wondering if you could share the wording you used on your invitations. I just finished our save the date cards and would love some ideas for invites. Thanks!
-Heidi
February 1st, 2008 at 3:51 pm
About the San Diego wedding; the laws in your state are perfect for this….you can have ANYONE officiate for $50! I know because I officiated for my best friend (for free) and I have no qualifications whatsoever. I filled out an application at the county clerk’s office, paid $50 and was given a certificate to officiate for that particular wedding only, on that particular day. So, have a friend do it! You’re lucky…I live in NY and they are much more strict about who can officiate.
January 29th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
One of our very dear friends got an online ordination and officiated our ceremony. You do have to check with the local laws to see if they allow this.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
We are having a San Diego pirate wedding this summer and are having problems finding a wedding officiant/Captain to marry us within our really small budget. Any suggestions out there? Thanks so much in advance!!!
January 21st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Edie,
Mine was a second wedding as well & I can tell you EVERYONE enjoyed it! 95% of the guests dressed the part!
I too was trying to keep the cost down, we managed to throw a great party for 165 in attendance for about $5600. That included everything from start to finish.
One of my friends made these skull & crossbones cakes for us. They are 2 layer but you could do a single layer cake for each table.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Yeah, I like it too. Unfortunately, I think I will be having a cake at each guest table, so a topper probably won’t work for me.
But I may order it to put on the guest book table or somewhere else! I have just begun my search for pirate stuff, and this site was my first hit. This will be a second wedding for both of us, and we wanted to do something more private, way less expensive, and more personal to who we are. A themed wedding sounded perfect, and I just can’t think of better idea that pirates! We have both been long time pirate fans. In fact, we have had Pirate names for each other for a while. I am Mad Tortuga Tess, and he is Olaf the Deck Swabber. We’re gonna have fun with this whole thing! Arggghhhhh!
January 17th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Edie,
That topper is awesome! I would have used it in a heartbeat! Our wedding was Oct 20th & I met a new person at an event just yesterday who said someone had just told them about it! 3 mos & people are still telling others about it! Arrrggggghhhhh! A Pirate wedding is the way to go!
January 17th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Butch - “The Captian and his Lover” is no longer available, but I found one I like almost as well. www.conteco.com/TheStore/Pirates/PIRHome.htm PIR006A Pirates Perks $40.00.
January 1st, 2008 at 8:53 pm
My fiance and I are also searching for a cake topper for our pirate themed wedding. We are searching for the “Captain and His Lover” figurine. We also like the figurine posted Nov 5th, 2007 by Blake. Does anyone know what its called or how to find it?
December 1st, 2007 at 1:39 am
Blake@FavorIdeas thank you so much I really appreciate it she was driving me nuts. Hahah but I love my mom and am excited for her so its ok. I can’t thank you enough!!!
November 24th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Nikki - one of my favorite sites for dresses is Dress Builder - www.dressbuilder.com/renaissancedress.html
she’ll do almost anything you want in dresses or fabrics and her prices are reasonable.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:20 am
My fiance came up with the pirate theme for our wedding as well. This information really helped out with ideas. But I do have one question: where can I find a pirate-looking wedding dress? Kind of similar to what Elizabeth Swan wore in Pirates: 2. So if anyone has an asnwer for me, I would be very grateful.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:41 am
Try here but order fast, since the supply seems pretty limited overall … hopefully they still have stock.
www.pirateswag.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=165
November 24th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Jessica I hope that you will read this. My mother after all these years is finally getting married. It has always been my wish for her to marry before me. They are having a pirate theme wedding and when we did a search she absolutely loved your cake topper. Do you know if I will find another like it? I am out of my hands searching for one similar.
November 18th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
I noticed some people wee looking for a pirate ship to rent. I’m renting one down in Clearwaer, FL.. www.Captainmemo.com if anyone is interested. The Captain is officiating the ceremony too.
November 18th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
I am having a pirate themed wedding as well but, I can’t find the cake topper Jessica is talking about. I’ve looked everywhere. Pirate Buccaneer, Swashbuckler, Captain… no results with any of these searches. Can anyone help me?
November 11th, 2007 at 10:43 am
I’m planning my own pirate wedding for Spring of 2009 - will be interested in fnding or more about the cake toppers - Blake , hope you find a link for that new one. I love the Captain & his lover, so sad it can’t be found anymore
Does anyone have any ideas on settng dates for pirate weddings - approprate to Pirate history? We may have found our location, will look at it soon. Love this site - everything you need to plan a Pirate Wedding! Thanks so much!
November 9th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
love that cake Ariel!
just thought i would pass on our wedding favor idea. We made small treasure chests(from orientaltrading.com 12 kits for 8.95) enclosed a lottery ticket, gold coins, gold opaque stones, a small bottle of bubbles & some gold ribbon to fill it up. Each had a tag with the guests name on one side & “we got lucky hope you do too!” on the other side. no big winners, a few free tickets & a few $1 winners! Everybody loved them.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Okay, Ariel at OffbeatBride.com just posted a really cool Vegas pirate wedding, you know, kind of goth, and this amazing cake! She thinks she’ll have more pics up there eventually, too … very cute.
November 8th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
WOW! This is now officially the coolest page on the site!
Wonderful pics! Who wouldn’t want a pirate wedding after seeing these?
Thanks Lilly! Thanks Carolyn!
November 8th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Our pirate wedding was Oct 20th. Perfect day & 95% of the guest were in costume! It was a total blast! More pics at picassa.
picasaweb.google.com/WenchLilly/PirateWedding
I modify the vows from Captn Jacks site and everyone loved them. As for the cake topper dilemma…I found separate male & female pirate
statues from a vendor at the Pirate festival but they were too heavy for my small cake so we sat them on the table & topped the cake with a seashell! The skull & crossbone cakes were a perfect touch! We began the day at 3 & didn’t end till 11! Arrggghhhh!
November 7th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
By request, a few wedding photos for Blake! You can also link to my online web album to see more
November 5th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Hi Carolyn, if you’re still around, I wondered if you could post a few pics of your pirate wedding now that we have picture-posting abilities? That would be really fun.
November 5th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Not to muddy the waters, but I came across a different topper that *might* work for some weddings. Unfortunately I have no idea where to get it! Maybe someone’s run across it, though.
November 5th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Regrettably, the Captain with Lover figurine has been discontinued and is no longer in stock at the steel source. If anyone knows of anywhere else I might find it, (already checked ebay) I’d be much obliged.
October 16th, 2007 at 4:19 am
September 25th, 2007 at 1:45 am
anyone know if you can rent a piratey ship for a day or two? i’ve looked but they all seem to be like tours for multiple people…i want the whole ship for myself and my party.
contact me please :] shadowedaureole @ aol . com
September 9th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Just finished my messages in a bottle but it is a bit more expensive to mail them ($1.13 per bottle) than I expected so will be hand delivering most. Just thought I would give a heads up on the postage. I am really trying to keep my cost down and wasn’t expecting this. I don’t have to pay for a reception hall so it’s all good!
We are creating the top of a ship(rails & mast with sails) and guests will walk the plank to enter the wedding area.
Guests will dine on coconut shrimp & suckling pig!
August 29th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
I was wondering if any one had a range of ideas for costumes for the guests? My guy and I want people to dress up and so we want to put a list of varying types of costumes for different price range in our invitations, but so far, besides the more expensive ebay ones, I’ve only been able to find the really tacky looking ones. Our wedding is a little more dressy so I really don’t want people coming in those “sexy wench” type costumes.
I am so exited that I found this! I have definitely found some good ideas here so thanks everyone!! 11 months to go!
July 19th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
I am having a pirate wedding at Lake Tahoe next year. I’m having a replica of the dress from the first pirates of the caribbean (where she falls off into the water) by a company called fashions in time (fashionsintime.com). They do wonderful work that doesn’t look cheesy and specialize in movie replicas, including lord of the rings, if anyone finds that helpful. A few other ideas that may help…my favors are bags of coins the guests fill themselves using small velvet bags. They pick out chocolate coins from a large treasure chest (on clearance at Hobby Lobby). The invitations are treasure maps on the back to help all the out of town guests find the wedding site. I’m setting up a website with costume references for the guests who want to get involved. I’m doing a traditional renaissance wedding cake if anyone wants to bypass the caketopper problem….renaissance cakes were small cakes (use a muffin pan) mounded on a plate and garnished with flowers, fruit, and powdered sugar. Easy to eat, holds up well outdoors, and more authentic. My groom is being dragged to the alter by the groomsmen (aka. walking the plank etc.) or maybe even carried off the boat we’d like to rent on a stick like in the second pirates. We’re saving money by sewing the chemises for the bridesmaids ourselves at the bachelorette party. Hope everyone finds that all helpful.
Question: I would like to rent a small (2-4 person) wooden boat, possibly a sailboat, to make an entrance with. Does anyone have a suggestion of where I could look at Lake Tahoe to find this?
July 16th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Hey, I totally want a pirate wedding complete with the ship. After seeing P3 I just fell even more in love with the idea. My boyfriend hates weddings and even he approved of that one. I have been with him over a year and I know he’s the one. When we do tie the knot I know I am going to have it all planned. There are a lot of great ideas here I would have never thought up though. The invitations are genius I am so using that one. I just know it’s going to be so romantic being married at sea, and my family are weird and fun enough that they will have a ball! I am still nervous to tell him i have this whole plan, but it makes me so happy just to think about. I hope he will be just as happy when I do tell him.
July 14th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
You can also look for on gothauctions.com for a pirate wedding gown! They have a lot of nice stuff not too expensive.
July 14th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
If you’re looking for “Wenchy gowns” or other pirate things, don’t stop at just “Pirate” in your search. Renaissance and Medieval clothiers and costumers have a lot of pirate items. Renstore.com, by-the-sword.com, and others. Search for renaissance costumes or “replica clothing” and you’ll find lots of websites. You just have to serach. Many of them do custom work as well, some do it for reasonable prices. I’m planning a pirate wedding and this has helped me a lot so far, since I’m into renaissance faires I’ve known about all this for a long time. Another website that’s great for pirate favors is www.deadmentellnotales.com
July 11th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Hi!
I am officiating at my cousin’s pirate wedding this month. Do you know where I can get some sample wedding vows for pirate weddings? Thanks for your help.
July 10th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Heidi,
I got my dress on eBay. The woman who sold it to me had it custom made. I wish I had more info, but I don’t, I’m sorry. If you are interested in having one custom made, I can take some pictures of the dress for you, so you can have a better picture of it.
The vest was custom made for my husband by a lady that is a friend of his sister’s. My husband kind of just gave her an idea of what he wanted and she came up with it. She made his undershirt to match my dress (an antique white) and she also made my veil to match the dress.
We were only able to match a little because of her!
You can find a lot of people who offer custom costumes/dresses on ebay for reasonable prices (one offers a BEAUTIFUL pirate costume for a man). I would just suggest finding one who does it herself/himself, rather then the big companies that work our of china and other countries. It’ll cost a little more, but it is worth it. The china eBay dress makers/sellers do not always have the best quality. It’s a gamble to go with them.
However, to make sure you get 100% what you want, I’d look for someone local first. It’s better when they can measure you, try things on, and you can discuss things one - on - one in person.
Good luck and congrats!
July 7th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Jessica,
My fiance and I are having a pirate wedding, and I’m having a tough time coordinating colors and such because I find things for us to both wear but they’re not very complementary. I’m also struggling since we’re both plus sized. I’m also looking to get a dress similar to the style you wore, but I’d like to top it with a bodice to match my fiance’s coat/vest, depending on what we decide.
I was wondering where you got your dress and your husbands vest at??
Thanks so much for all the other ideas you’ve provided
June 21st, 2007 at 8:04 am
I just had a pirate wedding May 5, 2007. We did all the planning ourselves, and boy was it hard to find any help for planning pirate weddings. I wish I would’ve found this website before! It was wonderful, everyone dressed up, and we spent more time laughing during my vows than actually saying them. The ceremony actually started with my husband getting “caught” stealing gold (decorations off the tables) and the audience was going to make him walk the plank. Then my dad cut in and gave him the option of sparing his life by marrying me. The wedding party entered to “Cat-like tread” from Pirates of Penzance. My mother made my wedding cake in the shape of a standing pirate ship! Everybody kept telling us that they had more fun at our wedding than any wedding before. I have several pictures of the wedding on my myspace page (under Blondysun) and my google online photo albums if anyone wants to look.
June 17th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
I tried to draw them, but wasn’t able to get the look I wanted. I found that template on a kids site by searching treasure maps in yahoo images. Then I added the words via photoshop. And we just printed on parchment paper.
June 17th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Thanks Cindy!
Please tell me if you find a great place at the beach that can be used for a pirate theme!
Debra
June 17th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Hi, I was wondering did you draw the invitations yourself or did you have stationary? I am having a tough time drawing out the invitations neatly.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Yes, there is a ship called the American Rover out of Norfolk that has pirate themed parties and they do weddings. We are considering this also, but I am still partial to the beach - my guy likes the ship so he can be the captain
Here is the link www.americanrover.com/
June 13th, 2007 at 12:46 am
Hi and thank you for such great ideas! I noticed some posts on here from the va beach area as well and wondered if they know of a ship in the area that has pirate themed weddings?
June 5th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
We tied them tight enough that they just fell right out when you turned the bottle upside down.
June 4th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Oh thank you for the bottle idea. My guy and I are doing a goth pirate themed engagement party. The bottles are such a sweet idea.
Wondering if the map inside was difficult to remove or not.
So very adorable.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:20 pm
You should be able to find them at a party store like Party City.
I know that www.orientaltrading.com also sells them in like 12 packs but already as themes.
The site I ordered them at allows you to order small orders too.
$0.69 each plus shipping.
www648.ssldomain.com/sandartsupplies/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.DetailsSelect&ID=MBPW5
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:09 pm
i was wondering if anyone knows where to get those large plastic bottles (with the corks) like the ones she used for the invitations….
i looked at michaels craft store, and they didn’t have them.
would ordering them online be the best thing to do? (i only need about 15-20 though, so i don’t want to buy them in a HUGE bulk)
thanks in advance for any info!
April 25th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
www.leatherworks.com/ is another good website for clothing.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
My husband and I are going to renew our vows on a pirate ship just for laughs- our first wedding was a quickie trip to the JP, no money for a honeymoon. If you’re looking for wenchy dresses, go to www.dresslikeapirate.com or Pendragon Costumes or www.museumreplicas.com- really fun stuff! I love the message in the bottle wedding invitations! How cool is that?? I’m going to go hunt that cake topper now. Congrats all!
April 15th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Jessica,
Thanks for the information about the topper. I found it just like you said on ebay for 24.95. I just ordered it.
As for ideas I have been thinking about, here goes. First of all, I am not getting married until next year, so I have lots of time to change my mind. I definitely want a beach wedding (I live in the Virginia Beach area - that makes it easy). This is my 3rd marriage, but first wedding, so I am going to tone things down a bit. I have two grandbabies who will be toddlers then, a girl and a boy. My grandson will be the ring bearer and he will bring the rings in a silver treasure chest (jewelry box). I will dress him in a pirate shirt and sash, scarf, rolled up khakis and barefoot. My granddaughter will be tinkerbell with wings, a fairy type tulle princess concoction for a dress and a wand and barefoot. Since they will be so small, I am also enlisting the help of two nieces and a nephew to walk them down the isle for me. I will dress them the same except the oldest niece will be dressed like Wendy and will toss pixie dust instead of flowers. My fiancee’s daughter will play the violin for us at the wedding and I am thinking of having her play Disney’s “You can fly” from Peter Pan when the kids are walking down.
I think I am having this wedding so I can dress up the kids more than for me - LOL. My fiancee is all into pirates, so the pirate theme is more for him, but when my nieces and nephews heard we were having a pirate wedding, they immediately thought of Peter Pan and “forever young”. We were sold after that.
April 11th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
We had a hard time finding something too, but I really really loved what this invite said:
www.deadmentellnotales.com/ideas/0096.shtml
So I used something very similar to that. I can’t imagine anything better worded.
April 11th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I was wondering what kind of wording you used on your invitations? We are struggling to come up with something creative (but not gross and mushy like the traditional vows.) If you can offer any advice I’d appreciate it!
March 30th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Did you ever come across any “wenchier” dresses?
Wedding dress wise, I saw an actual wench wedding dress in a magazine but was never able to find a place that sold it. I also notice on ebay a lot of people make custom wench dresses. So you could find someone who could make one the way you want easily, and it’s usually within the same range of what you would pay for a wedding dress. I would look for someone nearby though, who can measure you in person. For my husband we asked around and was lucky enough to find an amazing lady to do his costume and my veil and altering. Usually if you can find a picture of what you want they can make it.
Also do you think having the ceremony on a pirate ship would be overkill?
No I think it would be neat! We thought about it, but it was too expensive for us. Plus it was hard finding one that could fit 200 people. Most of the ones I looked at had a limit of 20-30 people.
March 24th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
I’m actually wanting to have a pirate wedding and this actually gave me some good ideas, though I am wondering, did you ever come across any “wenchier” dresses? Also do you think having the ceremony on a pirate ship would be overkill?
March 21st, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Hi Cindy. I did find the creator of it, but I have since lost that website. However you can find it on ebay for purchase by searching ‘Captain with Lover’. I think I paid $20 plus shipping for mine. Be warned it’s really heavy though, so it’ll need some kind of support on a cake.
March 20th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Hi Cindy! If you get a chance, please feel welcome to leave some of your pirate-theme ideas here. I’m sure there are plenty of couples who’d love to hear about them.
March 19th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Hi,
I love what you did for your wedding. I am planning a pirate wedding also and was thinking of using tinkerbell and Wendy for the flower girls. I found the cake topper you used on Affectionately Yours but don’t like how they put the lace around it either and like you said, the price (I saw your search on Yahoo also). Did you ever find out who makes it?