When You Want Mice at Your Ceremony: Fairy Tale Theme Weddings

by Bree

Princesses, I need to take a moment to create a safe space here. Please excuse me. Ahem.

Greetings, DIY brides, indie brides, offbeat brides, and the generally low-key. I welcome you to our site with open arms and deep fondness. But I regret to say that this article is probably not for you. It is about to get seriously girly in here. It will be pink, it will be frilly, and tiaras will be worn without irony. Outdated gender roles will be deployed and enjoyed – we will worry about the hangover in the morning.

Seriously. If you’re not already cooing at the idea of a princess wedding, this article might make you want to punch the walls. I know why and I’m sorry. Trust me: I have a job, I can do my own taxes, and I change my own fuses, and I’ve done so happily for all of my adult life. But I’m only getting married once, so I’m going all-out and full-on girl. Let’s agree to disagree and I’ll meet you back over by the buffet, OK?

Apologies for the interruptions, Princess Brides. Let’s begin.

If you’re thinking about a fairy tale theme wedding, you’ve probably been thinking about it since you were about four, right? And your parents probably have been too. So there are already some strong ideas in the mix. I am not for a moment suggesting that you should throw those out. These are just a few theme ideas to pick and choose from to enhance what you’ve already got.

Things to consider before you commit
No, not to the groom, silly – to the wedding theme. Fairy tale weddings (or “princess” weddings or “happily ever after” weddings) do come with a couple of risks that you should stop and ponder. Yes, even if you’ve known what you want since you were a zygote.

• There may be some resistance from your friends. There were two women on staff here who couldn’t control their faces when I pitched this article. One of whom continues to look over my shoulder and make gagging noises as I write this. Fortunately for her, I am the better woman. I am taking the high road and not mentioning any names. (I will also be stealing her yogurt out of the fridge for lunch – I’m not that much better than she is.)

Anyway, your friends aren’t just being jerks. They may have been socially conditioned to mistrust the whole princess thing, just as you’ve been brought up to love it. Or they may have less of a sense of magic or whimsy about their weddings.

Or it may be that, unfortunately, they’ve been seeing too many of the other kind of princesses. There are women who like princess weddings because they are traditional, fun, and above all beautiful. And then there are women who like princess weddings because they have been raised to be princesses. Women who are a tad… spoiled. Some of your friends may worry that you are going to turn into one of the beautiful, pink-clad little girls they’ve seen being allowed to behave like adorable hellions in the airport. Or one of the beautiful, pink-clad older girls they’ve seen screeching about how their new Porsches aren’t the right color on My Super Sweet Sixteen.

Don’t be too hard on them. They just don’t know that princesses come in different kinds. They’ll settle down once they see you’re still your usual terrific self.

• Fairy tale weddings are not cheap. Before you get caught up in the beauty of the gown (The gown!) and the decorations (Eeee!) and your special day as a princess (YES!), please do take a minute and write down the number of your total budget and really look at it. If you and your groom are paying, is one fairy tale day worth what could be a down payment on a home? If your parents are paying, is one perfect day worth taking a chunk out of their retirement fund? I’m not trying to be a buzzkill and I’m not saying the “right” answer is no. I’m just saying that if you’re going to do it, make sure that’s a conscious decision and not just the momentum of the whole thing.

OK, on to the fun stuff.

The princess is in the details.
The fairy tale wedding is about doing it up, so if you can think of something that might make a nice fairy-tale touch, bring it on. Calligraphy invitations with wax seals? Pumpkin centerpieces that have been carved into little coaches? “Glass” slippers made out of clear plastic? Go for it.

In fact, there are so many details to think of, you may want to give some serious thought to a wedding coordinator. He or she can play fairy godmother and help make all the dazzling little touches magically happen.

Or, one hears, there is a certain movie studio that is no stranger to animated fairy tales. And said studio might just have a theme park or two where you could get a fairy tale wedding as part of a package, and, again, many of the details would be taken care of.

Let’s talk about your gown.
If you’re committed to this, you’re pretty much locked in to a ball gown with a big poofy bell skirt and plenty of tulle. Yes, I know: you’re really heartbroken over this. Fortunately, ball gowns look fantastic on pretty much any body type. And while you want the traditional princess silhouette, you definitely have a lot of leeway with beading, crystals, and lace to make your gown unique – just remember you’re going for sweetness over bling.

You’ll probably want to accessorize that with a tiara and pearls, yes? Good. They’ll look perfect. If you want to go full-on princess, consider full-length gloves as well, and, yes, plenty of beautiful filmy veil.

You should maybe let go of the idea of your groom in tights.
A hat with a feather in it is probably out too. Your groom is already being a champ about dealing with an amazingly pink and girly wedding. Putting too much fairy tale into his own outfit will give him heart palpitations, so go easy on the guy. A traditional tux will still look charming, or he can go modern prince with black tie and a white jacket. You’ll look terrific together.

Horsing around
If you can find a carriage rental company in your area, horse-drawn is the way you’ll want to go from your ceremony to your reception. Many rentals companies offer Cinderella-style carriages, but any open carriage will set the right mood. A team of all-white horses is cartoon traditional, but beautiful horses of any color will make a gorgeous picture. Getting them to transform at midnight can be really pricey, but it’s definitely worth it.

Music
This might be a case where you don’t want to go with a DJ. Live strings are perfect, especially for your walk down the aisle, or you may want to find a trumpeter to herald your entrance. If you have a particular fairy tale in mind, you may be able to get an adaptation of a song from the film version for strings, or you may just want to play a CD as you walk down the aisle.

You may want to invest in some waltzing classes for a magical first dance with your real-life prince – again, perfect for strings.

If you do decided to give in to the allure of modern music later in the reception, it might be fun to mix in some tracks from fairy-tale movies to keep the spirit going.

Flowers, flowers, flowers!
Pastels are the way to go here, heavy on the pink. You’ll probably want roses to dominate, or you may want to go with roses exclusively. Don’t forget rose petals in the aisle, and you may want to have your guests throw rose petals instead of rice or birdseed as you leave.

Décor
To get the fairy tale look, you’ll want draping and lots of it. Think layers of pink (Or theoretically another pastel. But come on: pink.) or gold and white. You’ll also want plenty of flowers and plenty of lights. Lots of candles are beautiful, but make sure you check in with your decorator on safety – candles and draping tend not to mix well. If you’re having a buffet, consider an ice sculpture of a glass slipper or a castle for the extra ooh factor.

If you’d like extra touches like bride-and-groom thrones or crossed swords as part of the décor, check in with your local theater or college theater department. You may be able to rent props. Props departments can be a gold mine – or rather, a treasure vault. You may be able to find a wishing well or rose-covered lattices. For furniture that talks and dances, you will probably be asked to leave a deposit.

Don’t forget your pearly whites.
The mark of a true princess is her beautiful smile and her glow from within. Don’t forget to enjoy your own wedding.

Have a ball, Princess!

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