Dawn
and Randy created their ceremony in theme - the prohibition
era of
the 1930s. Randy was in gangster attire, complete with fedora,
while Dawn's dress and head peace took it's theme from the
flapper era
as well. Their families are affiliated with antique auto
collectors, and so restored Model A's were parked in front of
their wedding venue. And the wedding venue was The Old
Crown Point Jail where incarcerated John Dillinger carved a
piece of wood to make it look like the barrel of a gun. The
guard
fell
for
it, and John
made
good his escape.
A
thick line separates a tasteful wedding in theme from one that
isn't. Wedding ceremonies in theme need to include that theme
in artful ways for the
theme cannot be heavy handed. Please look at the following
photo of the actual wedding, and continue reading below...
The
venue for the ceremony is the actual jail where Dillinger
escaped from, and where
the Johnny Depp movie "Dillinger" was filmed. Guests
had to walk through the same sets of locking jail doors that
Dillinger and his cell mates did. The cells can be seen
in the photo. The ceremony took place in the "exercise
yard"
as shown. As guests entered this room, old scratchy recordings
of 1930's music were heard in the background as played by the
DJ to enhance the setting.
Notice
how only the bride and groom are in theme. Bridal party members
are in black but are not in costume as are the bride and groom.
Doing so would have removed the focus from the couple. The
theme complimented the ceremony, but did not
dominate it. A theme wedding is often a wedding without traditional
attire, a traditional setting, traditional wording or traditional
music. It substitutes those for its own. In this case, the
music, the attire, the autos of the prohibition period, all
in the former home of John Dillinger make the theme of this
wedding.
 The
greatest temptation to overdo theme weddings are those that
take place around Halloween for there is such an array of
costumes and personalities to choose from. Some of those weddings,
featuring Frankenstein
and "the
Bride
of
Frankenstein" with Dracula for a best man and flower
children whose heads have been split open by fake axes
with fake blood
dripping down their little dresses or tuxes make for tasteless
affairs indeed.
But
as great a temptation as there is, to overdo a Halloween wedding
ceremony with its theme, I have seen a number of them done
exceptionally
well. At
left we see The Joker and his girlfriend Harley Quinn. Both
are professional actors plying their skills as ushers for a
wedding ceremony in Darien Illinois. Neither the bride and
groom nor their bridal party was in theme. Only the decor, some
of
the music, and these two ushers were used to suggest a Halloween
theme wedding.
These
ushers made for some very unique wedding album photos as they
escorted various guests and vips down the aisle prior to the
ceremony's start. You can image what photos of aunt Hattie
and uncle Wilbur looked like when being escorted down the aisle
by
the
Joker.
All
in fun!
As
an usher and usherette, for a halloween theme wedding these
two were outstanding, and they knew how to play act their characters
and make them come alive as well. But costuming such as this
on the bridal party, or heaven forbid
- the bride
and
groom
-
would
be in
exceptionally bad taste.
Yes,
theme weddings aren't for everyone but then again neither
are Unity Candles or the playing of the age old traditional
wedding march.
A
theme wedding just like any other option used, must complement
that wedding
without stealing its spotlight, or diminishing the
importance of the ceremony itself.
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