Suggestions for a Patriotic Wedding
Invitations
Red or blue invitations with gold script writing. You could make them yourself by buying both red and blue cardstock, printing the invitation on one of them and gluing it to the other for an added border. Use the American flag stamps for both your invitations and your reply cards. Include homemade stickers that resemble the “I Voted” given out at ballot centers on election day, only change them to say “I RSVP’d.”
The Wedding
Before the bride walks out, raise the American flag. Remain standing for the bride to walk out.
Readings – excerpts from the Book of Common Prayer
Music – patriotic songs on violin: America the Beautiful, My Country ‘Tis of Thee, Star Spangled Banner. Other options: How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace.
The Reception
White tablecloths trimmed with blue table runners or accent clothes, red flower arrangements and yellow confetti stars (the kind purchased from craft stores) scatter around the table.
Typical wedding dinners will do for the patriotic wedding – chicken and rice, filet mignon, Cornish game hens. Don’t forget your vegetarian friends!
Party favors – a nice option that could get expensive if you have a large wedding is to give out tree saplings (one per couple) to be taken home and planted because it is a gift that memorializes your big day with a gift to the land. A less expensive option is packets of your local wildflower seeds upon which you can affix your own label, if you choose. If the bride or groom are in the military, a yellow ribbon per guest is a nice favor. You can affix the ribbon to a safety write along the ribbon edges the names of the bride and groom or the date of the wedding.
So there are some ideas to get you going. You’re on your for buying the dress. Just make sure it’s white. And whenever it is that the bride and groom exit the reception, be sure that someone is there to play “Taps.” Hire a local high school trumpeter or call the local symphony for a professional.
