If themed weddings are totally your thing, why not consider transporting your wedding day back in time, to the bright, techno and quite frankly ‘out there’ period of the 80’s?
If you can’t imagine it, picture Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer and all the weddings that appear throughout!
Even if you are not hugely into themes, incorporating certain pops of colour or elements from the time period can make your wedding that extra bit special. And most importantly, fun!
1980’s Themed Wedding
Make your wedding stand out from the rest with an 80s theme! Most of your guests will remember this fun bright, and rather exuberant decade or be thankful you paid homage to this period in time.
Perhaps you grew up in this era and are stuck there, or like us are just fans of the 80’s. What’s not to like?
Below are a few fun ideas to spruce up your venue and add some ‘80s style to your attire, food and celebrations. From general decorations and favours to dress inspiration, we’ve compiled the best of the ‘80s, to spark some ideas for your special day.
The Dress
Let’s start with the most important and exciting part. The ‘80s was known for its big hair, big sleeves and big accessories, so the bridal style was no exception.
Brides donned big gowns, big veils and big bouquets. By big we mean BIG.
Gowns showcased cathedral trains, puffy lace sleeves and big bows. The longer the veil the better. Princess Diana continued the trend with her seven-meter long veil.
Full skirts and ruffles were also a big favourite, detailing often saw lace floral embroidery and illusion high necks. If you don’t believe us, take a look at some wacky styles.
To match the big gowns, bouquets draped down and were fastened with ribbons. Baby’s breath was used to give volume to the blooms, and were also used to adorn the venue.
Invitations
Invitations are the first element of your wedding that guests will see. So be sure to get this right!
Set the tone with your save the dates and invitations. If you want to surprise guests, keep them guessing with a subtle hint using splashes of neon.
Alternatively opt for typical ‘80s items, including cassette tapes, Polaroid cameras or even a Rubik’s cube – mimic these items for fun customised invites.
Rock up in style
Everything else will stand out and be bold, so why not make an entrance? Rock up in an ‘80s vehicle. Forget the horse, limousine, or Bentley and turn up in a Porsche 911 3.2, a Ferrari F40 or a Mercedes-Benz 300TD Wagon!
Deck it out with the usual ribbons but add a spark of the 80s and make these bold and neon in colour. If you want to go all out, add extremely large bows to ensure you incorporate the theme.
You can make it old school with a ‘Just Married’ sign and add tin cans that trail behind for extra effect!
Decoration
This is where you can really get creative and decide if you are only adding a subtle theme or fully embracing the 80’s.
The more colour the better. Decorate your venue with bright streamers and neon balloons. This is a budget friendly way of incorporating the theme and can transform a venue within an instant, bringing 80’s party vibes along with it.
You can drape your venue in vibrant fabrics. This can easily be done if you are having a marquee wedding. Get in touch with your venue to discuss décor restrictions if you are hosting your wedding elsewhere.
Put records on the walls, or use them as placemats. If you really want to be particular, ensure these are genuine 80’s records! Make your centre pieces colourful, whether that’s flowers or a custom display with a range of ‘80s items.
Placing 80’s Polaroid cameras on each of your guests table would be a great touch and would leave your guests with a fabulous keepsake. A cheaper alternative to a photo booth as well!
Try having a couple of Rubik’s cubes scattered around the table or incorporated into the centrepiece. Throw around some disco balls, slinkies and bubble necklaces too.
Candy Cart
Remember all of your favourite 80’s sweets? Why not have a sweet cart filled with all of the well-known classics. Think Nerds, candy cigarettes, love hearts, jelly rings and liquorice pipes, YUM!
The Cake
Make an ultimate spread and have a towering cake, each tier boasting a different colour and ‘80s theme. Again, think neon and bold colours with this one.
Or choose your favourite 80’s film (Star Wars, Dirty Dancing, Ghostbusters) and have a wedding cake designer incorporate characters, phrases or moments onto the cake décor. Or choose an 80’s object like a Rubix cube or record player.
Choose cupcakes and cookies, perhaps with Pac-Man faces, furbies, MTV and ghost-buster logos.
Music
Now here comes the good stuff. 80’s music was iconic, you’d be silly to say otherwise.
There was a wide range of musical styles that were popular in the 80’s, from Bon rem to Michael Jackson, Madonna to Run DMC, Depeche Mode, Blondie and let’s not forget Toto! There are plenty of tunes to choose from and a number of different genres. Make the ultimate ‘80s playlist and know your guests will be having a good old boogie.
Select a first dance song from the 80’s too! Cyndi Lauper, The Police, Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston all come to mind.
Of course, make it special to you!
Evening attire
A fun way of getting everyone involved and incorporating 80’s into everything, is to have your guests dress up or change for the reception.
Expect to see a lot of pastel coloured jackets, torn jeans, neon legwarmers, excessive makeup and of course, that massive 80’s hair!
Fun and Games
You could have a few games of ‘name that 80’s song’ with your guests and award them with 80’s prizes! We’re thinking more ‘80s sweets (of course), a poster, a Rubik’s cube (come one, we all want one) or perhaps one of the Polaroid cameras to keep.
Favours
Once you have decided upon an 80’s playlist for your reception, why not copy it onto a tape and give one to each guest at the end of the evening? I’m sure they can dig up a tape player somewhere!
An 80’s wedding is a fun theme to fit any budget, as you can splash out on retro features and decorations, or simply ask around and see what gems your friends and family have up in their attic… or even your own!
