By Jasmine Macdonald
Why not let your personality shine through with a theme wedding?
Just add a splash of imagination, and you'll be destined for an event your guests won't soon forget.
The Luau
Make your guests feel like they're on the shores of sun-drenched Hawaii. How? Decorate your reception hall with tiki torches, orchids, and palm fronds. Play traditional Hawaiian music (with ukuleles). For food and beverages, serve pupu platters and mai tais. For party favors, give each guest a fragrant flower lei.
Start with a historic site. Pick from red, white and blue for your bridesmaids’ gowns and accessories, not to mention your table linens and other decor. Hire up some fifes and drums. For an old-fashioned feast, have a barbeque — then serve ice cream and cake with sparklers on top.
This relaxed yet classy event's at home on a yacht, at a yacht club or even down on the shore. For decorations, draw on colorful signal flags. The bride could don a straw boater hat instead of a veil, and the men dress down in blue blazers and khaki pants. A clambake or lobster bake is perfect for your wedding feast. Use large conches or miniature lighthouses as centerpieces.
The Mardi Gras Wedding
Get your guests' heels kicking with a jazz or Zydeco band. Serve up Cajun favorites such as gumbo, crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and an oyster bar. For drinks, serve Hurricanes (what else?), and hand out Mardi Gras beads as wedding favors.
The Kentucky Derby Theme
How about a day at the races? Bride and bridesmaids alike should wear fabulous hats, and the music should be reminiscent of bluegrass. For drinks, serve Mint Juleps (hand out silver-plated julep cups as favors, or fancy paper fans). Arrive in a horse-drawn carriage.
Take your guests back with food, drink, dress and merry-making from times of yore. The bride, groom and attendants should all dress in period costumes (encourage your guests to join in the fun). For food, set up a carving board heaped with roasts, whole grain loaves and other hearty fare.
During the ceremony, draw on the medieval handfasting ritual, in which the couple faces each other, crosses arms and holds hands. The best man then binds their hands with a ribbon, forming the sign for “infinity” while the couple recites their vows.
Only your wedding could make this time of year even more magical. The bride might don a white velvet gown, red cape, and white fur muff, while the bridesmaids sweep down the aisle in red or white velvet. Heartstring-pulling Christmas hymns are a natural — get your guests in the holiday spirit by having the children pass out song sheets, and pausing for a Christmas carol sing-along.
For decor, use poinsettias, holly and pinecone centerpieces. A sparkling Christmas tree makes a fabulous focal point — you can even deck it with favors for the guests in the form of adorable ornaments. To continue the storyboook look, have the bride carry holly and gold-painted pomegranates, and the bridesmaids bypass the usual bouquets in favor of holly wreaths with tiny silver bells.
Decorate your reception hall in shades of cranberry and pumpkin, deep greens and sables. Use cornucopias as centerpieces, stuffed with gilded fruits and vegetables. Scatter pumpkins and gourds — left plain, touched with gold, carved with your monogram or hollowed and filled with flowers. The bride could carry ivy or leaves along with her autumn-friendly flowers. For the food, start with with the "comfort" offerings you'd see at a Thanksgiving buffet.
Jasmine Macdonald is the publisher of several wedding themed sites. You can visit her daily wedding blog at
funweddings.wordpress.com. Jasmine also publishes a website which allows you to make your very own wedding website. You can check it out at:
www.fun.createswebsites.com for a FreeTrial Offer.
Tags: 
April 24th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Hey you can have 8 of everything!
flowers in each vase, candles per table, 8 crystral flowers on your dress, etc
March 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
the 8.8.08 wedding date. you could do a vegas theme and put the 8’s one a slot machine. might be cute if you are into the whole party vegas casino theme.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:34 am
October 21st, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I am getting married next October and I am trying to figure out ways to incorporate late 19th century England with a mod theme. Our colors are black and white, and I having a really difficult time trying to combine these very separate ideas. Any suggestions would greatly appreciated. Thank you
September 20th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
some idea for 08/08 theme could be spheres (since the number eight visually looks like 2 circles) and i saw an episode of “whos wedding is it anyway” where the bride wanted a spherical theme and the end result was really pretty.
another idea i thought of was “the figure 8″ and it could be ice/skating inspired. there are also other uses for the figure 8 that you could play off of.
mathematically a lying 8 symbol means infinity, which in my opinion would be an easy theme especially for a wedding.
i hope those arent too dumb for themes!
September 18th, 2007 at 8:41 am
I have picked the date of 8.8.08 as well. Any ideas anyone one a “theme” or favors? Yes I have found all the meanings of the number 8 but I’m stumped on a “theme”….help!
September 7th, 2007 at 10:29 am
I am geting married on 8-8-08 too! I love that date. We want to do a simple wedding. I like your idea about incorporating the number 8 into to it. I might steal that idea. If you want to keep in touch my email is gagm514 [insert AT symbol] yahoo.com
August 17th, 2007 at 9:06 am
Hi,
I am getting married on 08-08-2008 and wanted to incorporate the number 8 (also the symbol for infinity in my wedding) I am also looking for favour ideas and invitations. Please help.