A Western Wedding with a Deep-South Touch
Here's a round-up of some of our best ideas, guaranteed to wrangle plenty of sweet memories from you and guests alike.
A Taste of Things to Come
Give your guests a hint of the fun times ahead with an elegant star-embossed invite, tied up with saddle-stitch grosgrain ribbon. Splurge: pack the invite in a small box with a little shred and a bottle of the greatest barbecue or hot sauce that ever stampeded your taste buds.Plus, rev up the girls by planning a big night in, with a few rounds of Texas Hold'Em, and a whole lot of fruity cervezas.
Scouting Out a Spot
You can hold a great Western wedding in a passel of places: a barn or backyard, log cabin or hilltop park with a view, a working ranch or a great grassy field.But the ultimate setting? We think it's one of America's Old West replica towns. They come complete with coaches, horses, and sooty saloons where low-brimmed gangsters are happy to pour a few pints for your guests.
Roll 'Em Up and Dig In!
Hot and savory barbecue's what they'll be craving at any Western shindig. Fill your guests' bellies with hearty grub like mesquite burgers and garlic mashed potatoes, smoked chicken and pork ribs, ranch beans and coleslaw, German sausages and festively carved watermelon. Don't sweat too much over the plates and cutlery, though — simple is fine. In fact, some of the best-loved barbecue houses in Texas go with paper and plastic!Drinks: sweet iced tea, lemonade, and Big Red, Lone Star beer, margaritas and mojitos.
Sweets (besides the cake!): pecan pie, cobblers, and rich, decadent brownies.
Cowgirl Couture
What to wear for the day's Queen Cowgirl? A gown like Monique Lhullier's 2005 all-over Alençon lace gown would be sweet as sugar ... especially paired with a pair of Sandra Bullock-style white satin cowboy boots.
But if you're more of a denim girl at heart, you've got plenty of options. You're sure to find a seamstress who can sweep you into a long denim skirt with gorgeous lace inlays ... even a denim train. Pair with an oh-so-bridal lace camisole top and a pair of cowboy boots. And if you're feeling super-sassy? Add a brightly dyed crinoline skirt to peek out underneath.
When it comes to florals, go sweet and classic (yellow roses, anyone?) or casual wildflowers. But make your mark with a western bouquet wrap, whether it's a red and white silk bandana or a leather strap. Another popular option for on-the-range nuptials: tie a lucky horseshoe to the bride's bouquet. But tie it upside down so luck can "fill it up!"
But what about bling for the wedding party? Thrill your girls with a pair of gorgeous Southwestern-style turquoise and silver earrings they can wear with their gowns. And for the guys, a sweet custom belt buckle they can wear again and again.
Setting up Camp
Need a few ideas for rolling your hitchin' day back in time? Here's a sampler to get you started: if the site permits, bury a couple of wagon wheels near the entrance and dress up with flowers or ribbons. Use rustic wooden signs to point guests to the chapel, reception area or gift table.
Inexpensive mums are a great way to create a huge punch of color wherever you need: church steps, pathways or your wedding arch.
And speaking of arches, horse lovers can make theirs equine-fabulous by covering the frame with tulle, then setting a handsome saddle on top and hanging a flower garland from the horn. (Hang a few horseshoes upside with ribbon for even more interest ... and lots o'luck).
Serve food and drink from hay bales covered with wooden planks, dress up scarecrows or hay rolls as a hilarious "bride and groom," and set up a romantic wishing well for cards and sweet remembrances.
Use picnic style seating for the guests, and cover the tables with gingham or eyelet cloths. Jazz up tables with casual floral arrangements tucked into thrift-store cowboy boots, mason jars or watering cans. Tie off containers with pretty strips of gingham, and serve thirst-quenching bottled drinks from galvanized ice-filled tubs.
Not Your Average Wedding Album
It's the rare couple who can resist the drama — or one-of-a-kind photo ops — that a Western wedding offers. We've seen some adorable photos like these: the wedding party lassoing a hapless lass or cowboy, the bride wielding a (not hot!) cattle brand, or the best men staging a full-on shoot out with cap guns and holsters. And when the new husband and wife begins their recessional back down the aisle? It's time for the best men to toss their cowboy hats in the air and whoop it up!Full-Out Family Fun
But don't restrict all that horseplay to the wedding party — liven things up for the guests, too, with horseshoe throwing pits and sack races. Pump up the guys with a hand-rolled cigar station, and enchant the kids with star-studded gift bags filled with colorful bandannas and shiny sheriff badges. Tie up a Texas piñata, and set up a face painting station where the kiddies can get gangster-style handlebar mustaches.
A Ring to Remember
Make this the party that never ends with intimate music (anything from a cowboy singer on a steel guitar to a full bluegrass band, complete with fiddles and banjos). Pile up a giant bonfire, with hay bale seating in a circle, and burn the home fires even brighter with sparklers for the kids ... or even overhead fireworks, for a fun and memorable splurge that caps off the night.You Might Also Like ...
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Hi ladies! The wedding was awesome! Everything came together perfectly, thank God! The only thing was it went by so fast we had no time to visit with anyone! Now as for the final decorations….
We bought red bandanas and wrapped up the plastic silverware (knife, fork, spoon) in them and tied them with rope twine. I scoured the thrift stores for weeks and found both cowboy boot glasses and large mason jar glasses with handles. They were perfect! For the outside decorations, we used a wagon wheel, my husband’s old bull-riding chaps, and a hobble horse (stick pony) that I got at a yard sale for only .50! My brother-in-law scored us a wonderful tall, ceramic cowboy boot planter, and we used a silver permanent marker and had all of the guests sign it. What a wonderful keepsake! I made an old pointer road sign (see picture) and we placed it near the front porch in a bucket of sand. Finally, I went on the internet and found a place that sells miniature galvanized buckets for really cheap, as well as cowboy boot bubbles at another site. We put the bubbles in the buckets along with a few pieces of candy and homemade “feed bags,” small white organza bags we got at Michael’s and wrote the word “FEED” on with a gold paint pen. Then we filled them with granola so they’d look like real oats bags. It was a hoot and everyone had a great time! Plus we saved tons of money doing the decorations and favors ourselves! And it was fun! Good luck and congrats all!!
I’m getting married 11/1/08 and i really dont want to go with a fall/autumn theme, we live in south florida and we really dont get the typical “fall season” with color changing leaves and all, its outdoors in the country and so far my colors are white, tope, red and little bit of brown with rustic country deco. any ideas on other deco thats isnt so much “thanksgiving” but still has a touch of fall
any pictures that would help give me an idea would be wonderful!
thanks
maddy
tonya
im using my nephews old cowboy boots and i used a bandanna and some fake wildflowers and placed them in the boot as my centerpieces also i made some frames with rope around it and put pictures of me and my fiance from babies up till recent and put on tables, orientaltrading.com has some really cute western decorations…
hope it helps!!
michelle
i am looking for a idea to put on the tables for a western wedding rehersal
OK SO IM GETTING MARRIED OUTDOORS COUNTRY RUSTIC STYLE, AND I NEED IDEAS ON FAVORS, IM AT ON A TIGHT BUDGET I HAVE ONLY LIKE $75 FOR THE FAVORS AND I WILL NEED ABOUT 50-75 AND I WANNA STICK WITH THE WHOLE COUNTRY THEME, ALSO IM A PLUS SIZE BRIDE AND IM GOING BAREFOOT DOWN THE AISLE IN A SUMMER DRESS AND I NEED IDEAS FOR A UNIQUE GARDER? ALSO WE LIVE IN FLORIDA AND ITS IN JULY AND ITS GOING TO BE HOT BUT I WANT MY FIANCEE TO LOOK LIKE HES THE GROOM NOT JUST A GUEST, SO ANY IDEAS ON WHAT HE COULD WEAR, WE ARE GOING “CASUAL” BUT I DONT WANT US TOO CASUAL..
ALSO WE ARE DOING CUPCAKES INSTEAD OF A CAKE AND WE ARE DOING IT OURSELVES (WE REALLY ARENT THAT GREAT IN DECORATING OR ANYTHING) AND WE ARENT SURE WHAT TO PUT ONTOP OF THE CUPCAKES, WE WERE THINKING OF LITTLE TOPPERS ANY IDEA WERE TO GET THOSE?
THANKS FOR ANY IDEAS , SURE COULD USE THEM!!
48 DAYS TO GO!!
Hi Ladies, I just wanted to point out that Snippet & Ink has put together (so far) four, count ‘em!, four really creative ranch or western-style inspiration boards, and she really goes beyond the usual boards, so I think you’ll find some chic ideas there for a ranch theme. If you do, let us know which ones you used!
Check out the 4 boards on this page (or click on the pic above): "A Little Bit Country", "Ranch Romance", "Summer Rustic" (lots of sunflowers here) and "Wide Open Spaces". (She’s the best … love her stuff.)
Thanks for the info Patty. My fiance decided about 5 days ago he wanted a western theme wedding located at a frontier town, where the whole town is based on the 1860’s with gunfighters and all sorts of other fun stuff. So, needless to say I get to start all over again since my previous theme was nothing like this, so I really appreciate the information. Although, I’ve decided to go to a seamstress for the girls so I can get them all bustled saloon girl outfits. I really think its gonna be alot of fun and I hope your wedding is wonderful! Thanks again!
The saloon girl dresses came from Wild West Mercantile (wwmerc.com) and they are wonderful! The maid of honor’s dress came from a different site but I can’t remember the name at the moment, as Heide ordered the dress herself. But no matter; they were awful! Our wedding is this Saturday and she only got the dress a week ago! (She ordered it the third of April!) Another site I recommend highly for their excellent customer service is Hazel’s Western Wear. I was in a panic trying to locate all that I needed, and bless their hearts, they went above and beyond to help me! Finally, we got all of the men’s accessories from Old West Gallery, and the owner, Peter, was a Godsend in helping us there as well. The Wannamaker rifle coat we ordered from there is absolutely stunning! Now that the day is just about here, I am almost disappoined! I have had so much fun putting all of this together. What a blast! God bless you all, I gotta get back to work now on all of the little stuff I forgot…..eeek!
Hi Patty,
I am just wondering where you got your saloon girl dresses from? Thanks, Mistty
Hey all, thanks for the great ideas in re the flowers! I was panicking a bit, LOL!
Nicole, as far as decorations go, we have that pretty well down pat for our reception. For example, I made a cake table centerpiece using items from Michael’s; hay bales, picket fence boards and the like, and it came out so cute! Our theme is “Gettin’ Hitched” so I added two cowboy hats (one black, one white) with a lariat connecting the two, and two boots (matching the hats) fastened to the front of the fence along with an “old” signpost that says “Gettin’ Hitched” painted on it. We are using red bandanas for napkins (really cheap at Oriental Trading Company) and mason jars for drinking glasses. We bought the cutest cake topper too! My fiancee hated the cutesy kissing couple ones, so we found one called “lassoed” where the groom is on the ground and the bride has him lassoed by the leg. I love it! My fiancee is a former bullrider as well, (not pro, tho) so it all just fit. Finally, just to see if our guests “get it”, LOL, we are pairing up peaches and strawberries as decorations in a few places; I am originally from CA and he is from here in GA. Anyway, good luck to y’all and thanks again for the ideas!
Patty, another thought? Mini sunflower bouquets. I know, it seems like a lot of color, but I personally think mini-suns look AWESOME against jewel tones. And they’re so unpretentious and country. Love ‘em.
Pretty-PLEASE post pics of your wedding when all’s said and done.
For these dresses I would go with ivory flowers…check this out on flickr. http://flickr.com/photos/8742056@N04/1793820369/
Help! We are having a western wedding with the 4 bridesmaids dressed as saloon gals …..all in different colors!! Dark colors: red, emerald green, midnight blue and a smoky dark purple. How on earth do I match flowers to this? What flowers should I use? My sis said absolutely no pastels and I agree! But now I am lost and dazed. Help, please!!
Thank you for all your help! It has been great! Keep it coming, i really do appreciate it!
Nicole, Have you ever heard of Paul Cameron Smith? If you have, He is now doing Wedding Invitations. If you haven’t heard of him, He’s a western Pencil artist and other mediums. If you go to his Website you can see his artwork and what the invitations will entail. Have people sit on Hay bailes. Things you could use in your wedding are:
Metal Pails
Horse Tack
Horseshoes
Saddles on Hay bails (Pictures could be taken on these also)
Hitching posts
Lariets
If you live on a ranch, and have a barn, walk around and don’t be affraid to use whatever stuff you have now for decorations. It add’s a personal touch! Also an idea for Centerpieces that I’ve actually used one time are Old cowboy boots with Sunflowers in them. (fake that is). For a Friends wedding I actually made a Horsehow cake Topper. If you have any friends that are welders or farriers they could come in handy with any ideas you might have with how to arrange the shoes if you choose to go that route. If you need anymore Ideas at all, you can contact me at GitRDunRdnckStyl@aol.com. Im also on Myspace. Just type in the email address I provided to find me if need be!
-Miranda
Fall Creek
Oregon
Nicole, check out our Sunflower wedding page … we have some country-western brides here (some have already married I think!) who might be able to offer some invite suggestions.
I’m trying to put together a country western wedding. We are planning on getting married this spring. My husband is a pro bullrider we live on a ranch & the whole 10 yards. I need everything to be western.
I am having the most trouble trying to find invintations. I want them to be unique & our own. I’m just having trouble with everything. I want my dress to be a dark green, i don’t know if that would help with things. Also i want to involve sunflower….I just need some help, & ideas!! I would so appreciate it if you would help me out!
Thank you!
Hi
I posted on my website most of the ideas we did, I have some more to put on there, but will do when i catch some time
Enjoy
Georgina
Then, here’s a Washington state wedding that just blows me away, what with the water, that huge blue sky and the explosion of beautifully designed florals … a focus which clearly paid off. Look at how understated yet sophisticated the details are, like the boutonnieres. Plus, totally cute couple.
The bridesmaids all got to choose their own blue dress, and the result was relaxed and attractive. Who doesn’t just love wearing a blue dress of your own design on a sunny day? The hydrangea colors used here … periwinkle, lavender, pink … are very country and sweet.
Got some really cute inspiration photos from other cowgirl brides. Granted, these aren’t in the deep south, the but spirit is there!
First up, a Wisconsin wedding: the horse and carriage is as sweet as sugar, the bride’s cowgirl boots are super-sassy, and those fall-theme flowers never looked cuter than here on this simple tulle-covered arch. The bridesmaids are wearing matching strapless fall-style ‘merlot’ colored gowns and look very elegant.