I remember, back in 2014, Jessica Simpson's wedding to Eric Johnson was on July 4th, and it got me thinking: What do you think about couples who schedule a wedding on a holiday?
Jessica Simpson said something along the lines of (I'm paraphrasing here): "I used to hate them when I was younger but now I realized it's an extra day to spend with family." My brother translated that to, "I hated them until I decided to do one."
Personally, I think it's hard on your guests. Travel costs around holidays skyrocket, so anyone flying will have to pay a premium. Those same guests get hit again if they're staying in hotels because holiday rates are generally higher than regular rates. And sure, your guests don't have to travel. They can RSVP no. But for the people who want to be there, you need to take them into consideration when you're planning.
But holiday-centered weddings lend to some really easy, beautiful, and unique wedding themes.
When we were selecting our colors, I picked eggplant, lilac, and silver because purple is my favorite color and lilac and silver are good complements. A July 4th wedding is ready made. You already know your colors will be red, white, and blue, so you might as well have some fun with it.
July 4th Wedding Inspiration
Start your wedding theme off right by letting your guests know that you consciously picked Independence Day to declare your independence from single life and marry your best friend. You don't want people to think you picked the day to save money. Have them think you picked it with purpose (even if the purpose was to save money).
When you send your save the dates or invitations, be sure to incorporate red, white, and blue into them.
I say stick with a white dress and add a pop of color with something like
blue high heels. You can have your bridesmaids in blue with a red roses bouquet. If you want something subtle, you can always add a little red, white, and blue to your garter.
As far as venues, I would look for something rustic and very Americana. Think old barns, fields, and farmhouses. When you decorate, you can go as minimal or over the top as you want. I mean, it's America. No one's gonna say you went too far.
Consider
red, white, and blue paper lanterns, red chairs along white tablecloths, white chairs among red and blue tablecloths, blue napkins ... you definitely have a lot of options for decor.
Finish your decor with a guest book that lends to your theme. This stars and hearts guest book I found on etsy is perfect. Leave a pen by the print and have each guest sign a star. You and your husband get the hearts, of course. The only thing I would change about it is the ampersand would be blue, not red. This is really cute to display on a wall too. Our guest book is a book and will be sitting on our coffee table (once I actually unpack our wedding stuff), but I had originally thought of having something to hang. That way, you can enjoy it often.
I love cake. Absolutely love it. When I heard the rumor to pick your favorite thing and don't compromise it in your budget, mine was cake (Pete's, if you're wondering, was food and music). I had to have a top of the line cake. It worked out. Everyone
loved it. Everyone I talked to admitted to having multiple pieces of it. That's the kind of compliment that makes me happy.
So personally, I wouldn't mess with cake. But if you wanted to incorporate it into a fourth of July wedding theme, a tiered cake covered in white buttercream icing with sliced strawberries and blueberries on each tier is a nice way to go. Just make sure the fruit is fresh and local to give it an extra kick.
And, of course, no July 4th wedding would be complete without a sparkler send off. The photo below is my absolute favorite sparkler photo of all time. I actually chose our photographers because they had sparkler photos in their example books and I wanted to find a photographer who could do this. And then, at the end of the night, it was nearly impossible to grab people for a sparkler send off because they were having too much fun on the dance floor and enjoying the band (good thing music was one of Pete's priorities because we nailed it). So, it didn't work out for me. But if you are having a July 4th wedding, you absolutely need
sparklers.
Plus, as an added bonus, you might get free fireworks. There's a good chance you know where there are fireworks in your area, so try and pick a venue that has a view of those. That's a free perk you pretty much can't get any other time of year.
If July 4th isn't your thing, check out our other wedding inspiration boards below:
BRIDAL BABBLE: What would you add to a July 4th wedding?
