Unusual Wedding Themes

Looking to have a wedding no one will forget? Check out these unique ideas. (expert advice)

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Want to have a wedding like none other? If you aren’t ready to stick with traditional wedding standby themes for your big day, read on for three unique ideas for your celebration.

Wedding, Hollywood Style

Whether you share a love for the big screen or you just want your big day to be the scene-stealer, try a Hollywood-themed wedding and leave your guests starstruck. Start the glam event by requesting your guests’ presence with custom-printed event tickets (similar to ones you’d get for a concert), or for a polished look, tuck an elegant black and white invite in a film reel canister.

As for your Hollywood style, as the bride you should be dripping with diamonds (or rhinestones) and dazzling with a sparkling brooch or a long strand of pearls—à la old Hollywood glam.

The groom’s choice is simple—he should be fitted in a classic Oscar-style black tux. Splurge on a hair and makeup artist who will leave you feeling red-carpet ready. The ideal venue is an old movie theater or a ballroom with endless chandeliers. Have your guests enter via red velvet ropes where the paparazzi (your photographer and assistants) will be waiting to snap their pictures.

Once inside, your attendees will indulge in bottomless flutes of champagne and be awed by gold, gold and more gold. From the satin linens to the plate chargers to the trim on the china, use the award-worthy color as your hue of choice, accented by high-impact flowers such as classic red roses. Dramatic dark lighting will keep the room mysterious so everyone feels like a star. Lure guests to their tables with seating assignments done with clapboards, Hollywood street signs or famous film names.

During the reception have celebrity impersonators working the room, and keep your guests’ energy up for a long night of dancing with concession-style treats such as pretzels, candy and gourmet popcorn. Why not use your favorite soundtrack to inspire your first dance—perhaps Dirty Dancing?

When the credits start to roll and it’s time to leave, the guests will sign your guest book—which you’ve cleverly disguised as a movie poster with your engagement photo as the main attraction. They can’t depart without a swag bag; rent a photo booth and send them home with their own goofy head shot. Wave to your fans from a traditional limo or a classic Rolls Royce as you head off for your next film: The Honeymoon.

Cuban-Inspired Wedding

You don’t have to be in Havana for a taste of the Cuban culture—celebrate the day with a Cuba-themed wedding. Start the event by inviting guests with replica paper cigar invitations, or for a more formal affair, choose a simple design enhanced by bright island colors. As for wedding day style, tuck a mariposa lily behind your ear (Cuba’s national flower) and have your groom wear a traditional white guayabera shirt over linen pants. Besides Miami, the ultimate Cuban feel will be at a beachside venue.

Let your theme be known from the start with a mojito, one of Cuba’s oldest drinks. Choose tapas for your cocktail hour, like empanadas and bocaditos. Then entice your guests to their tables with seating assignments that bear the names of postcard-depicted Cuban cities. For dessert, opt for Cuban touches like a flan and Cuban coffee after dinner. During the reception have professional dancers give lessons to draw shy guests onto the dance floor and have candlelit tables set up for the older guests to play a game of dominoes. Looking for an extra shot of pizzazz for your wedding favor?

If you’ve got stogie-loving guests, hire a personal cigar roller. The torcedor will demonstrate the process and answer questions from inquiring onlookers. For an added touch personalize the cigar band with your new monogram. Buena Suerte!

The Green Team

If the two of you bonded over an eco-friendly lifestyle, why not have an eco-chic-themed wedding? The key is to simplify. To save resources, reuse and recycle anything you can, and choose in-season and local products whenever possible.

The most earth-friendly invite would be using no paper at all, but if you aren’t willing to sacrifice tradition (and some say etiquette), use recycled paper invitations or ones that are made from an alternative fiber like hemp or bamboo and ask your printer if soy or vegetable-based inks are an option. As for your wedding day style, ditch the typical dress and choose one made with organic cotton or silk and hemp hybrids.

Or buy a gown secondhand, reducing fuels used in buying a new dress. For the venue, rent a space that will benefit from your wedding, such as a nonprofit museum or cultural organization that will use the money toward their mission. For the site’s décor use soy candles to provide candlelight, which isn’t only romantic, it’s energy efficient.

Decorate with items that can be reused, such as topiaries, potted plants and small trees or arrangements from organic florists. If you can’t do either, after the event donate the floral pieces to a nursing home or hospital.

You’ll want to remember your big day forever, but be sure to remember the environment and have your photographer shoot digital: not only are digital photos easier to share, but there aren’t any chemicals or wasted paper. You’ll only get prints of the exact photographs you want. When it’s time to say au revoir to your guests, ditch the limo in favor of a romantic horse and buggy.

Photos by Angelica Glass

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