Theme weddings seem to be snowballing in popularity each year and couples are now seeking wilder and bolder ways to plan their wedding ceremony. One of the more sought-after wedding themes today is the country western-inspired wedding. A western wedding is a charming and fun way to add some countryside elegance to your big day. These weddings can run the gamut from having an outdoor ceremony with vintage wedding dresses and reception near a field to scheming a downright cowboy country wedding with cowboy boots, hats, and horses!
Need inspiration for your country western-inspired wedding? Take a look at these seven creative and unique ideas.
Style: #LD3906
1. Use hay bales for seating
One of the great things about hay is that it has a country and natural appeal that makes it well suited to receptions in places like ranches and barns, and yet, it also looks very elegant when neatly bundled. They also make for great ceremony seating. Simply line them up in rows looking onto the altar. Remember hay is rough and can snag fine fabrics, so you will want to cover the bales with a tasteful fabric to prevent damaging your guests’ clothing or scratching their legs.
2. Choose a rustic venue
The venue for a western wedding needs to be chosen carefully to characterize the style of a western theme. Of course, a ballroom or nightclub would not couple well with this theme. See if there are old barns or barn-style buildings that rent out space for wedding ceremonies. If not, find an open field area or any farm and use “big top” tents for your dance and eating areas. You can consider having the wedding ceremony at the same place as the reception or you can find a small country chapel with a large enough area where you can walk from the chapel right out back to the reception.
Image Credit: Freedom Garvey Photographer
3. Look for a vintage and simple wedding dress
Lace and ivory together create a romantic, rustic style for the perfect wedding dresses for a western theme. If your wedding is outdoors, you can go with a shorter style of lace wedding dress and lace bridesmaid dresses and still keep things in the rustic theme. If you’re having the ceremony indoors, you can go with a nice blush train on your wedding gown.
4. Decorate right
Just like the venue and the dress, the decorations will complete the perfect western character. Use rusted wheels, old lanterns, and perhaps even watering cans for centerpieces. Try to incorporate western flowers like sunflowers, daisies or hydrangeas. Use hay, grass blades, and dahlias as filler flowers. Also, stick to solid colors such as brown, red or white if you’re going for a more polished decorative look.
Style: #CWXT14061; Image Credit: Woodvine & Co Photography
5. Host a western style dinner
If your wedding is indeed a DIY affair, you can do the food yourselves as well, just as long as some of your family and friends don’t mind helping out with setting it all up and making sure all the food stays stocked. Of course, if you look around, you should be able to find a caterer who is familiar with how to do some good country food for a buffet. Selections could cover fried chicken and barbecue, along with coleslaw, potato salad, corn on the cob and baked beans. Add some fresh rolls and cookies and you’ve got yourself the perfect country wedding menu!
6. Get a themed cake
The wedding cake is often the feature of the reception and will be one of your most memorable photo opportunities. For a country western-inspired cake, have your wedding cake decorator use ivory or white fondant paired with an edible rope border. Top off your cake with a horseshoe cake topper and grace the surrounding area of the cake table with hay or flowers.
Styles ( from left to right): #LD3932 & #COZK15009; Image Credit: Kenzie Fairchild Photography
7. Entertainment for everyone
It’s always a good idea to have music for everyone. So whether you’re having a live band or a DJ or even both, you may want to add some country square dancing with some southern rock line dancing. Music doesn’t have to be your only entertainment either. To help guests mix and mingle when they don’t dance or aren’t dancing, have an area set up for some horseshoes.
It is important to keep in mind that when planning a country western wedding, you can either go overboard and have your guests overwhelmed with what you have organized or you can do too little and leave your guests wondering what you were trying to do as a theme. This is something that you want to avoid.