BIGBAND WEDDING THEME

by Rose Smith, Copyright 2000-02

Swing was in and the "cool cat" sounds of Benny Goodman,
Bing Cosby and the Andrew Sisters were being heard in
ballrooms and nightclubs everywhere. This was the time of 
the big bands. If you love the jumpin' and jivin' sounds of 
the 30's and 40's, why not plan your wedding theme around 
this fascinating era? Here are some ideas to get you started.


** Bride's Attire **

- Slim fitting suit or a drop shoulder slim fitting 
satin dress with full length gloves and a hat with 
a netted face veil, seamed nylons and spiked healed 
shoes.

** Groom's Attire **

- Pin striped suit or army uniform.

**Bridal Party **

-Should be along the same lines as the bride 
and groom in the colors of your wedding theme.

** Invitations **

1) Decorate with pictures of either big band instruments 
or a wine bottle draped with a string of pearls.

2) Use either a black and white photo or a colored 
photo that has been made to look "antique" featuring 
you and your fiancée. Surround the picture in a border 
set to look like it's in an antique frame.

** Decorations **

1) Fill balloons with helium and float them above the 
dance floor. 

2) Create several balloon bouquets and place around 
the room. 

3) Secure a mirrored, slow-turning "disco" ball over 
the dance floor.

4) Add strings of small lights over doorways.

5) Buy cheap children's musical instruments and place
them throughout the room.

6) Have a fountain that produces bubbles.

7) Use posters of famous people during the 1930's and 
1940's. Hang on the walls. 

8) Find pictures of cars, bi-planes, etc. that relate
to that period. Hang on the walls. 

** Favors **

1) Give an actual antique photo of yourselves in an 
antique looking frame. 

2) Create a music sheet with your favorite song, roll
up and secure with ribbon.

3) Give small bottles of wine or champagne decorated 
with some ribbon and a string of fake pearls.

4) Another idea is to buy cheap champagne glasses and
fill with rose petals or mints.

** Centerpieces **

1) You could use wine bottles draped with pearls or 
army dog-tags or lay long, white gloves in the center 
of the table and scatter rose petals over them.

2) Buy a large champagne glass for each table and fill 
with glass beads; place a candle in the middle of each 
and drape fake pearls along its stem.

3) Buy children's toy musical instruments (saxophone, 
trombone, trumpet, etc.). Buy or make a small "music 
stand" and place an antiqued sheet of music with your 
songs on each stand. Place the stand on the table and 
prop an instrument next to it.

** Pewmarkers **

Buy the small, plastic horns, drums, etc. available 
at craft stores (usually I've seen them in the Christmas 
section). Create small music song sheets and secure 
the instrument to the sheet with a ribbon. Hang as 
pew markers.

** Wedding Programs **

Make your wedding programs look like a music book, 
with a dark "leather-look" cover with your initials 
or names on it. On the inside, use a music score sheet 
for your backgrounds (faded, watermark type background) 
with your program information written within.

** Music **

Any of the big band music. Jazz. Blues. You could hire
an actual band or find a D.J. that enjoys this type of 
music and knows what to play. Search for music by the
following artists:

Andrews Sisters Louis Armstrong
Fred Astaire Gene Autrey
Cab Calloway Nat King Cole
Count Basie Bing Cosby
Dorris Day Tommy Dorsey
Duke Ellington Gracie Fields
Ella Fitzgerald Benny Goodman
Fletcher Henderson Woody Herman
Ink Spots Spike Jones
Sammy Kaye Franky Laine
Guy Lombardo Jeanette MacDonald
Glenn Miller Mills Brothers
Cole Porter Artie Shaw
Frank Sinatra Mel Torme
Fats Waller

** Wedding Cake **

1) Get a regular wedding cake (2 or 3 tiers) and 
place small, plastic musical instruments along the 
edges. For the topper, have two figures standing in 
front of a music stand.

2) Have the cake shaped into a musical instrument 
such as a saxophone, trumpet, drums, piano, tuba, 
guitars, etc. Brass instruments were very popular then.

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Rose Smith is the author of How to Create a Beautiful 
Medieval Wedding and several other wedding booklets. 
Visit Wedding Themes and More for great theme ideas,
favor, decorating and budget tips, honeymoon destinations
and more. http://www.wedthemes.com
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