Alternative Weddings: The Costumed Wedding

Continuing our series on alternative weddings, this week we're going to discuss costumed weddings.

What do we mean by 'costumed wedding'?

That's a good question, as usually a costume is defined more by the fact that it's clothing that one wouldn't normally wear. However, at a wedding, everyone wears clothes they wouldn't usually wear!

A costumed wedding can range from historically inspired, through to film and TV inspired. Here are three examples:

The historical period costumed wedding

A particular period in history is chosen for a theme – medieval, Napoleonic and regency period wedding styles are popular, as are 1950's and 1940's vintage styled weddings. The latter are easier to pull off in terms of clothing and if the theme is incorporated into every aspect of the day and is a prominent feature, then it falls into this category.

The Star Trek Wedding

This is the pinnacle of geekdom – and believe it or not, in Las Vegas there was a wedding chapel that was a replica of the Starship Enterprise's bridge. It's closed now (it may be re-opening at another venue), but you could actually get married in full Star Trek uniforms, on the bridge of the Enterprise.

You may be laughing as you read this (or maybe grinning enthusiastically) but there have been quite a number of Star Trek weddings, thanks to a specific Star Trek wedding package that used to be offered by the Hilton Las Vegas. Some people have even dressed up as Klingons to get married. I love that!

The Star Wars Wedding

This is an example of a film-inspired costumed wedding (sci-fi is more popular than you might think). One Star Wars wedding had an impromptu lightsaber battle, another couple had a lightsaber duel instead of a first dance… That video makes me so happy!

How do you organise a costumed wedding?

Whilst the details will differ depending on the source of your inspiration, there are a few universal questions that have to be answered before you fall too much in love with the idea.

1. How far do you want to take the theme?
Whilst you and your partner may already have the costumes planned (or even in your wardrobes already), you need to decide whether you want other people to participate in the costume aspect too. Will you insist on the attendants being in costume? What about your guests?

2. Do you have a venue that is suitable, or could be adapted?
A Star Trek wedding in a medieval chapel may be a little jarring (unless you go down the 'oh it's in the Holodeck' route – and yes, you guessed it, I used to be a Trekkie!) But seriously, sometimes the perfect venue can set the theme – certainly when we found the venue for our wedding, it influenced the style of wedding gown I subsequently looked for.

3. Are you going to be happy to look back at photos of yourself in costume 20 years (and longer hopefully) from now?

I used to be a real Trekkie, now I just watch it occasionally with fond memories. There is a big difference – and if I had married in a Star Trek uniform, I would cringe at the photos now. I'm guessing that if you love something so much you want to adopt its style for your wedding, you'll love it forever, but do bear this in mind.

4. Are you prepared to put the extra effort in?
To pull off a costumed wedding – especially one that has the theme infused throughout the entire event – takes extra work to source the right accessories and skilled professionals. If you want it to look really good, you might have to pay extra for some key items too.

Tips for planning a costumed wedding

Once you've made these decisions, the rest of the planning process is like any other wedding, but here are some pointers to help you on your fabulous costumed way.

The invitation to a costumed wedding is even more important

When you send out your wedding invitations, it's the first opportunity you have to introduce the theme to your guests (just like any wedding). You may want to include a letter, inviting people to dress in the same time period style (or bring their own lightsabers) with as much information and advice as you can give.

Make it very clear whether you want people to participate, whether it's up to them or if you actively don't want other people to dress up too. Take care if you want other people to dress up – they may not be as comfortable with it as you are, and you may need to give them a lot of help to source appropriate clothing.

Inform your attendants as soon as possible

This is especially true if you want them to dress in costume too. It may simply be a matter of hiring an outfit for them to wear, but if you want to do something more creative on the day, they need to be briefed and comfortable with it well in advance.

Take the time to source the perfect venue – and tell them your plans!

I've said before that you might have to put more effort into this – and it is especially true with historical costumed weddings.

Once you have found the right wedding venue, it doesn't hurt to tell the venue owner / manager about your plans, just so they have a heads up that something a little different will be happening.

Choose your costume maker with care

It may be that you already have a wedding costume, but if you need to have a period wedding dress custom-made, do take care when choosing someone to make it. I went to a wedding where the groom's outfit wasn't nearly as effective as the bride's – it was a period style military uniform and it looked more like a theatre costume. Something that looks good on stage does not necessarily look good close up, and believe me, everyone will want to inspect your outfits!

If you're going for a historical period that requires a corset, I do recommend getting one properly fitted as it will be so much more comfortable to wear over a long day.