Say "I Do" at a Carnival Style Wedding!
Interested in having a fun and unique wedding but can’t think of a great theme? What better way to show your fun side than to have a carnival themed celebration? This theme choice gives you the opportunity to let your imagination run wild and also bring out the child in you!
A carnival themed wedding has everything from cotton candy machines down to fun games for your guests to play. When planning your big day, envision yourself at a carnival and think of all the things they have on display. You will want to incorporate some of these things to help complete the themes look.
Invitations
Send your guests a fun and lighthearted invite tucked away in a mini red and white striped popcorn bag. Along with the popcorn bag, attach a couple of “admit one” raffle tickets to the popcorn bag using a ribbon. These can be used as their “tickets” into your carnival wedding!
Seating Cards
For your seating cards, set up a board at the entrance of your party that has different colored escort cards on it. Each card will have the guests name and table number if you’re having a seating chart. Attach the cards to the board using multi-colored darts to keep them in place. The darts will be a nice touch rather than just putting them up with thumb tacks.
Centerpieces
An out-of-the-ordinary centerpiece idea includes a stack of raffle tickets atop one another, with a beautiful bouquet of flowers sticking out of them. This centerpiece has a fun feel to it all while having the traditional wedding feel as well. An additional unique idea is to have mini ferris wheels on each table, complete with treats in each seat! You can switch up the centerpieces and have both if you’d like or you can make them all the same. These ideas will be a huge hit and will be a memorable detail of your big day!
Food
One of the best parts of a carnival is the delicious food you can get from the vendors. Set up your own vendor style food station fully loaded with all the carnival essentials. This includes hot dogs, curly fries, macaroni & cheese, sausage & pepper heroes, pulled pork and corn dogs. Of course you can add any other delights you desire to your menu, but these are some main carnival foods that your guests will surely enjoy. Along with the food vendors, set up some snack stations as well! These stations can include a bunch of tasty treats that both the adults and kids can indulge in such as candy apples, peanuts, popcorn, funnel cakes, zeppolis and snow cones. Another great addition to the party would be a cotton candy stand for your guests to snack on throughout the night.
Decor
The decorations are an important part of any wedding, especially one with a carnival theme! You want your guests to feel like they have just entered into a world of entertainment. Be sure to include a large assortment of games suitable for all your guests, along with fun and flashy lighting to brighten up the night. The games can include a ring or bean bag toss, balloon darts, and mini golf. Along with the games, stand up a couple of funny cut-outs for your friends and family to pose in!
Photo booths are becoming more and more popular for weddings, so set up a carnival style one for your guests to take funny pictures in and then have them drop the photos into a box for you to look at once the party is over. It will be so great to look back on the evening and get to see everyone having such a wonderful time! Another fun photo location can be set up outside of the photo booth, with different colored ribbon hanging to make for a cool backdrop.
Have entertainment set up all over the place, a magician for the kids, a fire breather to amaze your guests and a clown to create a night full of laughter. If you’re interested in having an outdoor wedding, which most like to do during the summer months, go all out by having your celebration under a red and yellow circus tent!
Favors
Here’s a fun-loving and budget friendly favor idea, sweet pinwheel lollipops! You can’t go wrong with a delicious treat for your guests to enjoy, and it shows off your theme as well. Attach a ribbon to the lollipop stick with your wedding date and last name on it. This favor idea is especially great for the kids! A more unique suggestion is to have a caricaturist set up a drawing station and send your guests home with a photo of themselves at the end of the night. You can even hire more than one so all your guests get a photo drawn in a timely fashion!
This amusing theme is sure to create a lasting impression on you and your loved ones. It will truly bring out the fun side of the bride and groom and will help your guests let loose, as well! The celebration will be like no other and the photos will come out bold and spectacular!