If you want to plan a wedding like no other, consider adding a theme. These ideas would not be considered appropriate for a formal wedding, but if your planning a more casual affair, these ideas can be great fun. To decide on a theme, consider the following questions to guide you in the right direction:
* What time of year is the wedding scheduled?
* How large is your guest list?
* Where will your ceremony/reception take place?
* How big is your budget?

Clowning Around:
And for the little kid in each of us...a circus theme! This would be a great outdoor event and would be entertaining for adults and kids alike. Picture your yard with loads of balloons under colorful canopies. Strolling clowns making balloon characters, a face painter and a magician that would go to each table dazzling guests with tricks and illusions. Rent a popcorn and cotton candy cart to complete the theme. For centerpieces consider confetti, clown shoes filled with candy or balloon animal arrangements. For invitations make circus posters of flyers inviting your guests to "The Greatest Show on Earth." Or have a friend dress like a clown and hand deliver your invitations, enclosed in a clear balloon with plenty of streamers, to your guests front door.

Big Band Romance:
For those hopeless romantics, here's something for you. Center your theme around the 1940's Big Band era. When women wore hats w/ veils and over the elbow gloves. Men joined the wartime effort which would have theme dressed in uniforms. Set your decor like a ballroom with an orchestra to play songs of the times. (Think Andrew Sisters, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers). Fill the room with balloons and a mirrored ball over the dance floor. For centerpieces use strings of pearls, Champagne bottles, long gloves, scattered rose petals, dog tags or champagne flutes with treats. For invitations send a black & white photo of you and your fiancé in an antique looking frame. Attach a note with wedding details. This would serve as a beautiful keepsake. Or send a music sheet with your wedding information replacing the words of a popular 40's song (Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, Over the Rainbow, etc).

Nautical/Cruise Ship Theme:
Set the stage in the traditional nautical colors of Navy Blue and White. Or perhaps the "Tourist" look of Hawaiian prints. Decorate with serpentine throws, confetti, streamers, balloons, ice sculptures, Welcome Aboard banners and travel posters. For centerpieces consider lanterns, small life preservers, small wooden life boats, sailor hats, plastic anchors, assorted sea shells or starfish. For invitations make personalized travel brochures, cruise ship boarding passes or tiny scroll like invitations inserted into a small glass bottle with sand and a sealed cork.

Let your imaginations run wild. If you need some more ideas, there are a number of theme party books on the market or hire a coordinator to pull together the wedding of your dreams. I wish you lots of fun and laughter in the planning process. May God bless your future together!