Plan A Western Themed Wedding
By Kirsten Hawkins, Sat Dec 10th

Whoever said that planning a wedding had to be serious andstressful? With a western themed wedding, you can experience awhole new idea together while making it as unique as you want itto be.

For a western themed wedding, location is everything. Thinkabout having your wedding in an "old west town", which arelocated throughout the Midwest and usually offer weddingpackages at a cost. You can also find an open prairie and usetents and backdrops that you have designed yourselves. Or justdecorate an old country church and reception hall. The importantthing is to find your own style and preferences and thenincorporate them into your wedding.

Decoration will be your visual focal point for this type ofceremony. To create the ambiance of a western themed wedding,use gold bows, which can be found at Christmas time. You canalso use hay bales for guest seating, drive away in a horsedrawn carriage and use country music or western movie themedmusic at your ceremony.

Once you have the ceremony details worked out and you know forsure this is what you both want, began thinking about yourattire for your western themed wedding. Watch old western moviesto see what brides wore, such as heavy fabrics, long sleeves anda lot of lace. For the groom you could go simple with bluejeans, a brown vest and a brown jacket, of course worn with ahat, boots and spurs. For the bridesmaids, western themedweddings are known for keyhole, dark

dresses usually worn withlace up boots. Instead of having them hold a big bouquet ofattendant flowers, hand-make headbands adorned with flowers andribbon.

To decorate your guests' tables, use your imagination to createthe western theme. Buy cowboy hats and line the insides withfresh flowers and baby's breath, or buy old cowboy boots at athrift store and let sunflowers dangle from the tops. Adornsmall items on tables with things like sheriff's badges orreplicas of old medicine bottles.

Incorporate your western theme even on the dance floor by usingkerosene lamps or lanterns hanging from posts instead of theusual string lighting. You can also hunt through antique shopsand flea markets to find old wagon wheels and wooden trellises,which can be lined with wildflowers and rope.

Another original idea for guests to enjoy your western themedwedding is to have a corner of the reception hall set up forphotos. Find western clothing at thrift stores or western supplystores. And instead of a dollar dance to raise money for thebride and groom, offer them black and white western photos ofthemselves to take home as souvenirs. You can pay your ownphotographer an extra fee to take the photographs.

While planning your western themed wedding, have fun and enjoy.The more fun you have planning your wedding as a couple, themore memories you'll be making that will last a lifetime.

About the author:Kirsten Hawkins is an event planner from Nashville, TN. Visithttp://www.wedding411.net/ for more event planning tips,strategies, and resources.