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Mardi Gras Wedding
Let the good times roll! The dating and the engagement have been so much fun,
but now that the big day is here, you want to kick it up a notch and host an all
out Mardi Gras bash!
Traditional colors for Mardi Gras are gold, green and purple, and those will set
the perfect tone for your wedding. The bridal gown can be the traditional white,
or consider something gold and sexy, or have some of the beading on your gown
done in gold, purple or green. You can choose any one of the Mardi Gras colors
for your attendants’ dresses, but it would be more fun to mix the colors. The
deep purple and emerald green would be a gorgeous combination, and you could put
your maid of honor in gold to set her apart from the rest of the wedding party.
A traditional tuxedo is the way to go for your groom and the ushers, but look
for accessories in Mardi Gras colors. There are also vests and ties in Mardi
Gras themes – traditional harlequin patterns in all three colors; diamond
pattern incorporating all three colors; and accessories that feature masks or
beads.
You can find flowers in the Mardi Gras colors, or go with a single color flower,
using ribbon to reflect your color choice. Hang beads from your bouquet or
incorporate a small mask on a pick into the wedding flowers. All white or ivory
flowers wrapped in gold ribbon would look stunning with gold Mardi Gras beads
dripping down. Or you could incorporate feathers into your floral arrangements
to add a fun Mardi Gras touch. Instead of having your flower girl drop petals as
she walks down the aisle, give her a basket of doubloons to toss to either side
as she walks ahead of you.
Mardi Gras is parade season in New Orleans, and one of the best ways to
incorporate this into your theme is to parade from the ceremony to the
reception. If the distance is too long, consider stopping your cars a block or
two away from your reception location so you can parade into the reception hall.
Have someone pass out parasols, balloons, confetti, and masks to your guests and
instruct them to line the street as you parade up. You can have your attendants
toss beads and doubloons as you go by. An authentic jazz band is a great
accompaniment, but if that’s not possible, ask someone to carry a portable CD
player to play “When the Saints Go Marching In” or another popular piece.
Your guests will marvel at your reception location if you transform it into
Mardi Gras central. Carry the color theme through to the linens on the tables,
and in place of flowers, you can place treasure chests filled with chocolate
doubloons on each table. You can have these made so the coins are embossed with
your names, initials, wedding date, or another short message. Use balloons as
centerpieces, or Mardi Gras masks. And have plenty of beads on the tables, both
in the decorations and for the guests to grab and put on.
The food at the party could have an authentic New Orleans flavor. There are many
Cajun and Creole restaurants available, and caterers now can easily add some
Cajun touches to their menu with proper notice. Foods that translate well to a
crowd are a traditional gumbo, shrimp etouffee, or jambalaya; but you can also
offer tiny po’ boy sandwiches or muffalettas as appetizers or boiled crawfish in
season.
In addition to a brightly decorated wedding cake, where you can again
incorporate the theme using beads and doubloons or masks, you should offer your
guests King Cake. A King Cake is a traditional Mardi Gras sweet bread, braided
and decorated with gold, purple and green sugars. Each one contains a plastic
baby doll. The tradition says that the person who finds the baby in the King
Cake is the one to host the Mardi Gras party the following year.
For a fun twist on tossing the bouquet, when your back is turned to all the
single women, switch the bouquet with a handful of beads that you can toss over
your shoulder for everyone to grab. The groom could then hand out parasols to
all the single men and the whole group can parade around the room.
Favor your guests with small versions of the King Cake or cellophane wrapped
beignets to enjoy once they are home and winding down from your amazing party.
Even a small bag of chocolate doubloons will keep your wedding foremost in their
minds.
However you choose to celebrate your Mardi Gras wedding, there is one phrase
that should set the tone for the whole day. Laissez les bon temps roulez. Let
the good times roll!
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