This is great if your having a garden wedding. Put a tarp down in your backyard and cover it with sand. Set up a couple of kiddy pools, pails and shovels in the sand. If you're having kids at the wedding they are going to love it. Let your guests know it's going to be a beach party so that they can dress appropriately. The women could be in something as simple as a sun dress and the men in bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Place plants and trees around your pretend beach, take your shoes off and have your ceremony in the sand. Rent patio furniture with brightly coloured umbrellas, even if it's in a tent. Use pails with flower arrangements for your centrepieces. Because it's a beach party you can have a barbecue and serve beer and punches. Get a wedding cake that looks like a sand castle. At night you can light up those bamboo torches around the dance area, just be careful of the tent. Don't forget to play a couple of Beach Boy's tunes!

The bride and bridal party can all have matching white faux fur capes. The bridal party in red or green with the ushers accessories to match. Decorate with white branches and tiny lights. Christmas trees with tiny lights and white decorations. Poinsettas in red or white can be your centrepieces and also lined up in front of the head table, if you buy enough of them, you can give them away as the party favours. You can also give Christmas balls as your bombonnieres. If you're planning on a December wedding, don't forget to book early because of all the company Christmas parties.
The bride in a victorian type wedding dress. The bridal party in flowing gowns tapered under the bust line and showing lots of cleavage with high buttoned shoes. Gloves are worn by everyone, men and women. The men will be in cutaway "morning tuxes" with top hats, ascots, vests, pocket watches (that can be your gift to them), and spats over their shoes. Hire someone to play the harp and if not too far between locations, travel in a horse drawn carriage. Your wedding cake should have ribbons with charms hanging from it. The victorians believed that whichever charm a bridesmaid pulled out of the cake would symbolize what she could expect in her future.
Of course, if you have your wedding on New Year's Eve, your guests will have something to do, but this is a theme party and can be thrown any time of year. The Disc Jockey can do a countdown to "the beginning of the rest of your lives" or if you are doing it on December 31st then he'll do the real countdown. Make sure that every table has a bottle of champagne on it and sparklers (if you can afford fireworks, that's a bonus). Your party favours can be hats and noice makers. Your wedding cake can be something like a top hat with noice makers and lit sparklers surrounding it, and have it wheeled out by the staff right after the countdown. Tell your guests to dress in their New Year's Eve outfits and the bridal party can be in satin or sequins and the men in black tuxedos. Attach some sort of netting above the dance floor filled with balloons and streamers, to be dropped at midnight. Use gold or silver accents everywhere. This won't be a wedding soon forgotten. Just think, if you know you'll be using this theme but getting married in the summer, you're going to save mega bucks on the decorations and accessories if you buy them after New Year's.

Invitations should look like a medieval scroll. Roll a piece of parchment paper into a tube shape and seal it with a wax seal that has both your initials on it, then tie a velvet or satin ribbon on it. If you're making your own invitiations, use a calligraphy font from your computer. You can use as reference any films that are period pieces, Camelot, First Night, Excalibur, etc. You will want to use period costumes. Don't fret, they are very easy to find in a costume store. Popular colours from this time were red, purple, royal blue and gold. You could suggest that your guests wear clothing in these colours instead of renting costumes. Some suggestions for costumes are as follows:

The Bride would wear her hair down as a sign of virginity (who are you trying to kid!). Your head piece can be a crown with jewels and/or a floral piece. Your gown can be in white satin, floor length with faux fur trim and a long train or cape, both starting right from your shoulders. Brides held white bibles instead of bouquets. If you would like to wear a current dress design but keeping the theme, several designers, such as Provonias, design dresses that take on the mood of the medieval period.

The Groom will have on a knee length tunic with slim velvet pants (men will feel uncomfortable in tights) and leather boots that go up to the knee. He can wear either a long cape or robe. His head piece is a crown. This can all be found in a costume store.

The Bridesmaid's gowns can be similar to the bride's but in silver and with the train or cape. The head piece is a floral crown. No bouquets are necessary here either because they will be holding your train as you walk down the aisle.

The Groomsmen are dressed similar to the groom minus the cape and robe. They can carry a shield and sword.

The Flowergirl has the same type of dress as the bridesmaids and her headpiece can be one of those cone hats with a veil attached to the top. You could have her spreading rose petals.

The Ringbearer can be dressed as a page, in tights and tunic and one of those big oversized velvet French tams.

During the ceremony light the length of the aisle with black torches. You can buy those bamboo torches and paint them black or use rod iron tall candleholders. Use fresh or silk flower garlands to line the pews. Hire a bagpiper to head the procession. Rent a horse and carriage and decorate the horses with flowers. If you have at least four groomsmen, they can make an arch with their swords for you and your bridesmaids to walk through on your way up to the alter.

Reception Decorations paint a castle on a drop sheet and place it behind the head table. Rent two suits of armour and place them on either side of the head table. Black iron candleholders, lots of candles, shields and swords are for accent. Your tables and chairs will all have black linen and silver sashes to accent the chair covers. You can use a sword made out of cardboard and silver foil wrap with a number painted on it with black nail polish for a table number holder. And of course, the bride and groom have to drink out to pewter or silver goblets.

Favour ideas are silver napkin rings, silver or pewter goblets, rosemary sprigs dipped in gold paint and tied with a ribbon or velvet mini sacks filled with chocolate foil wrapped coins.

The Food is served on silver platters, don't have enough, just cover plates with foil. A buffet is perfect for a medievel them. They eat really big. Have roasts and stews, bread, cheese, fruit, just make sure it's big.

The Cake shaped like a castle would be a lovely edition to the evening.