Men's Attire: Formal- Check for Cowboy tuxes in
the tux rental places. It may harder to find in some parts of the US. If you
want casual, do new blue jeans, a pretty vest, a big hat and boots.
Ladies' Attire: Formal- Look for modern western
wedding dresses in the wedding books in your area. You may have to look into
mail order if you are not in a area that would have that. If you would want to
do Old West dress, look for American Victorian style dress. Casual- you too
could do the blue jeans or a jean skirt/dress.
Flowers: Use soft rope to hand tie the bouquets
and add wild weed looking accents. (and wear gloves to hold them) Florist are
doing more and more of the unusual fillers. Simple wildflower looking
boutonnieres for the men. Fill old, odd containers with flowers at the tables.
i.e. Buckets, boots, paint cans, tins, baskets, mason jars, use coils of rope
to hide the vases. You want it look simple and hand done. In the old west they
would not have had a florist and hot house flowers. Also for a casual modern
wedding the structured flower arrangements would look out of place.
Decorations: Bales of hay, rope, gingham and
calico, old boots, mason jars, jugs, bunting and swags, washtubs, wire,
livestock, split rail fencing, tree stumps, garlands of greenery and
arrangements of fruit. Set the wedding cake on a cool bird bath or pedestal
wash basin stand.
Transport: Ride to the wedding and the reception
on a horse or horse carriage or hay wagon if possible. If you are in the
country you could have stage wax bullets or take the wadding out of shotguns
shells (for safety reasons) and have a gun fire salute as you are declared man
and wife. Please check the laws in your area concerning gun fire. The bride's
dad could carry a prop shotgun for a real shotgun wedding effect!
Food: The old west or modern cowboy loves his
Barbecue! Cook as much as you can outside. There are people that have rolling
pits that can come to your site and cater barbecue. Cook simple dishes and see
if you can find recipes that they would have really used. There are a lot of
books printed for women telling them how to cook and entertain in that time.
Also you might find a chuck wagon cookbook. Serve from enameled ware (blue or
black speckled ware) and drink from Mason jars. (in Dallas, TX, you can rent
the speckled ware from party places. It may be more difficult to get in some
areas of the country) Eat on picnic table and benches and extra bales to sit
on.
Location Ideas: See if you can get a site that
will allow you to have open fires. Barns would make a nice backdrop. Think
barn dance and check out movies that have those scenes in them, for ideas.
Victorian homes, parks, farms that let you rent them for cookouts.
Music: Find a band that can do at least one
square dance number for mood if nothing else. Violins, banjos and guitar. Look
for music to set the mood you are after.
Invitations: Formal- Look for heavy rustic
papers and Victorian type style for your invitations. Casual- They may have
fun ones at party stores for a modern western wedding. Consider making the
wedding invites to look like a pony express delivery or old west telegrams.
Western Theme
Locations: Ranch, Barn, Home
Colors: Red, White, Blue, Black, Silver, Turquoise
Flowers: Wildflowers, Daisy, Black-eyed Susan, Sunflowers
Attire: Gingham, Denim, Bandanas, Boots, Hats, String Ties
Special Touches: Buckboard Wagon, BBQ, Square Dancing, Fiddlers,
Guitars
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Western
