Wedding Theme List - Theme Ideas for your wedding reception

Below is a great list of possible themes for your wedding. Why have a theme? Everyone wants their wedding to stick out and be one that people will remember for a lifetime. Adding a wedding theme where guests participate in some different kind of way or actually dress the part can be a way to really make this happen.

As a DJ who specializes in wild and fun modern weddings, who readily thumbs his nose at tired traditions like the dreaded chicken dance, I have recently become one of the area's leading choices for "theme weddings." It is quickly becoming my specialty, though I did not plan it that way. Anyhow, it is a nifty little niche. With my past experience in the entertainment field, as well as being an aspiring fiction author, my creative side does well with theme weddings.

I cannot stress that a theme wedding brings everything together AND brings everyone together. Every element becomes so much easier and fun to put together.

I have a number of blogs with some great ideas now available, but thought it might be a good idea to give people a general idea of what kind of themes are out there. (Brides, you may want to really look at this list if want to get the groom more involved in the planning of your special day. I have noticed that when a theme has been added, grooms buy into the planning even more.)

Do I practice what I preach? YES!!! Stay tuned for my own pirate theme wedding pictures in May... For now, here is a growing list of wedding themes that I have come across and been a part of:

Awesomized 80's / 1980s
African Theme
Australian Wedding
Asian Fusion / Japanese & Chinese
Beach
Butterfly Theme
Carribean Theme
Country Theme
Cinderella
Christmas
Daisey Theme
Disney Theme / Mickey Mouse / Magical Kingdom
Easter Theme
Elvis
Ethnic Theme
Fairy Tale theme
Fall Theme
Fifties / 1950s
Garden / Flowers Theme
Goth / Gothic / Dark Theme
Halloween
Hawaiin / Island Theme
Heavy Metal
Hippie / Grateful Dead / 1960s
Irish / Celtic
Italian
International (many nations represented, or specific regions)
Japanese
Jewish
Mardi Gras Theme
Masquerade Theme
Medieval / Renaissance
Military Theme
Pirate
Rose Theme
Royalty Theme
Sci Fi / Space
Star Trek or Star Wars
Sound of Music
Superhero Theme
Under the Sea / Ocean /nautical
Vegas / Rat Pack
Valentines / Hearts
Victorian Theme
Western / Old West / Cowboy
Winter Wonderland

A few of these wedding themes above are hyperlinks to other blog entries, specifically about the theme. For more wedding theme ideas, check out our other blogs at www.thedjservice.com/blog

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(PHOTO CREDIT: http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/may2009/1/0/star-wars-wedding-pic-mike-walker-m-and-y-973806144.jpg )

Irish Theme Wedding Ideas, Traditions & Song List

With Saint Patrick's sneaking up on us, an Irish theme wedding is a perfect way to make your wedding stick out and me memorable to all the guests attending.

An Irish Theme Wedding additionally celebrates your heritage and Irish culture, and is a great way to start your marriage.

There are many things you can incorporate into your special day. Irish traditions can be fused into your decor, ceremony, clothing, food and also reception activities.

First off, the look of the reception hall is everything. When you purchase decorations, it s easy to go with anything Saint Patrick’s day, but I would stay away from the over-the-top cartoony stuff. You can get away with some of it, perhaps at the reception, if you absolutely want to go with leprechans and pots of gold, but you really shouldn’t have them at the ceremony. Those type of decorations can make your wedding look cheap.

CELTIC WEDDING TRADITIONSThe traditional Irish Wedding Bell - A hand held Irish Wedding bell is sounded by the new husband immediately after the ceremony. This bell is not forgotten and left behind at the ceremony as a decoration, however. It accompanies the new couple to their home as a momento of their vows. In fact, whenevertheir is an argument, it is supposed to be rung to remind the couple of their wedding vows. For a modern Irish wedding. small bells could be distributed to your guests to ring after the ceremony, much like the throwing of rice.

Gun Fire – If you really want to start your married life out wth a bang, another Celtic tradition is for rifles to be fired to announce that the couple as man and wife.

The Lucky Horseshoe - The brides bouquet can hold a horseshoe inside it, as tradition. Just make sure to remove it before the flower toss. Some women also sew a small horseshoe into the hem of their wedding dress in Irish weddings.


CLOTHINGThe Harvest Knot – Many years ago, the men of Ireland gave their brides-to-be an accessory called harvest knots which were weavings of straw. Usually, a Harvest Knot is trimmed with flowers and worn in their hair or around your neck. You can put a harvest knot also in the flower bouquet along with the lucky horseshoe to symbolize Irish pride.

Adding Irish Lace - A great way add Irish to your wedding attire is to mix in some Irish lace. Authentic Irish Lace is always loaded with intricate patterns and great quality. You can add lace to the veil to really bring the Irish out.

FOODThe Dinner – The way that the wedding guests would feast in celebration, back in old Ireland was to have a potluck meal hosted at the bride’s family’s house. Traditional Irish dishes include coddle, stew soda, Irish bread, and of course everyone loves corn beef and cabbage.

The Wedding Cake - The Irish wedding cake is typically a heavy fruit cake with white icing. Tradition says that one of the bride’s sisters or bridesmaids is actually the one to cut and serve it. But they location of the actual cut is the strangest part of this cake cutting custom. Tradition actually has the bride seated while the groomsmen held the cake over her head while her sister or best friend cut it.


MUSICIrish Bag Pipes - Rock out at your ceremony or for your introduction into the reception hall with the belting melody of the Irish pipes. Although bagpipes have Celtic roots, they are often today played by the Scottish. However, with a little research, you can find a real Irish uillean piper play at your wedding.

Celtic music can be played wherever appropriate during the ceremony and reception, as there are many varieties. I particularly recommend Celtic harp music for the ceremony for the atmosphere it sets. There are many CDs on Amazon, if you are not having a live band or musician.

Reception Dancing - Learn and perform a real Irish jig to traditional Irish music at the reception. The actual steps of Irish folkdances are called ceilidh.

Here is a good playlist of must hear Irish songs for your wedding reception:
Andres Segovia – Henry Purcell
A 12 Year Old Irish Girl In All Of Us – Flogging Molly
A Walk in Irish Rain – Irish Descendants
Ave Maria (Schubert) – The Irish Tenors
Barrett’s Privateers – Irish Descendants
Black Velvet Band – Irish Rovers
Catch The Wind (Folk) – Irish Descendants
Come on Eileen Dexie’s – Midnight Runners
Danny Boy – The Irish Tenors
Dublin in the Rare Old Times - Three Irish Tenors
Farewell To Nova Scotia – Irish Rovers
Give Ireland Back To The Irish – Paul McCartney
Haste to The Wedding (Celtic) - The Corrs
I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen – Three Irish Tenors
Irish Heartbeat – Van Morrison & The Chieftans
Irish Jig – Various Artists
Irish Medley – Dixie Chicks
Jump Around – House of Pain
Mother Machree – John Gary
Old Irish Blessing - Sprague Choir
Peg O My Heart - Jerry Vale
Riverdance Soundtrack - Irish Diddy
Shipping Off To Boston – Dropkick Murphies
The Biplane Evermore - Irish Rovers
The Irish Washerwoman – Celtic Bagpipes
Tim Finnegan’s Wake – Celtic Connection
Toora-Loora-Looral Three – Irish Tenors
Traditional Irish Folk Song – Dennis Leary
Unicorn - Irish Rovers
Waltzing Matilda – The Irish Rovers
Wasn’t that a party – Irish Rovers
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling – Bing Crosby
Wild Irish Rose – Country George Jones

Plan The Perfect Wedding - Thinking of your guests on your day

"Can I have the perfect wedding?" Yes, but you may have to give a little. The only real way to be happy with your reception is if all the people around you are happy. The big question, therefore, then should not be "What do I want?" but rather, "What do I want for my guests?"

All little girls write their names on their notebooks in school with their crush's last name instead of their own. And they all picture the perfect white wedding as well. Creating the best wedding reception as an adult, however, is like writing a term paper for school. You have to do some research and focus on finding answers to the right questions, first. Therefore, you actually have to pick the right questions.

Finding the answers to, "what do I like?" may come off selfish and create moments that are only meaningful to you. What you should rather do isl spawn a number of sub-questions that go along with it like, "what do I want my guests to say when they sit down?" and also, "what do I want my guests to say when they walk out the door?"

WHO IS GOING TO BE THERE? - Thinking about who is going to be there before you actually plan, will make your reception "the best wedding of all time." Different people like different things and you have to have a happy medium of what they will like and what you will like also.
HOW CAN I BE A GOOD HOST? - Be a good host and your party will be good. It is just that smimple. What can you do to accommodate all of your guests' wishes? Your homework is to find what really makes you happy, and also makes every guest attending happy as well.

HOW CAN I MAKE MY WEDDING STAND OUT? - Because loads of different wedding receptions happen everyday across the globe, it is safe to say thousands of alternative reception options have been created and your answers are out there. You just have to find them. Using this planning philosophy can work in every area including food, entertainment, music and even the overall look & layout of the decor.

Be unselfish and be kind and fill in the blanks with stuff you love and things that symbolize who you are. The rest will be perfect.