Going All-Out Western

A Western style celebration is a simple and fun alternative to the usual formal affair.  The ideal location would be one that provides open skies and plenty of wide open spaces.  A barn or some other large buildings with a barn motif can also be a fitting alternative.  Tying the knot in the true-Western fashion is characterized by the arrival and departure of the bride and groom in a horse-drawn conveyance such as a buggy or a carriage.  Arriving on horses and leaving them tied near the site of the ceremony is also an acceptable option.

The bride’s attire should be a period dress that is embroidered with laced-up boots and a hair-do that recreates the look and feel of the Wild West.  The groom can be equally in character with cowboy boots, new denim jeans, a checkered or embroidered shirt, a vest, a string tie and a cowboy hat.  The entourage should be dressed in similar attire while the guests can be encouraged to dress in accordance with the theme.

There a lot of other ways to show the Western traditional statement.  It can come in the form of an altar that is hand-made to include woven stalks of wheat and/or corn to symbolize fertility and continuation of life.  Cowboy poetry and popular country-Western songs can also be used.  Guests can whoop and shout cowboy fashion to wish the happy couple well while they share their first kiss.  An open-pit barbecue with plenty of hickory and mesquite smoke completes the picture.