500 Wedding Ideas

What is your opinion on theme weddings?

I have been invited to a wedding in November. The theme is Phantom of the Opera. I know. Everyone has to dress in these masquerade costumes and learn a dance, bla bla bla. It's more like a theatrical production than a celebration of 2 people committing their lives to each other. What is your opinion on theme weddings? Jen: did I ask "Should I participate in a theme wedding?" No. If you can't answer the question, skip over it. K? Thanks. Jen: did I ask "Should I participate in a theme wedding?" No. If you can't answer the question, skip over it. K? Thanks.

Public Comments

1. That's a little too much in my opinion.. I prefer the theme to stop at the decor. For example, my husband and I are both book lovers, and a lot of our decoration (centerpieces, cake, etc) involved books - but that was only the decor. Everything else was just like any other wedding. But that's just me..
2. Every wedding I have been to that had a concrete theme, has ended in divorce! I have been to Halloween weddings, Christmas weddings, garden weddings, and Beach weddings! They all ended badly!
3. to me, it depends on the theme, and/or how involved the guests have to be. like, ive seen medievil themed weddings, where the couple and the guests are members of the SCA and things like that, where they already have the costumes to begin with, and its part of their life, and those work out great. but then there are others. i live in wisconsin. i once knew a couple who was doing a southern belle wedding and NEITHER of them had ANY connection to the south. none of them had even been there. they rented the costumes and all that and to me it just seemed like a waste because it had nothing at all to do with any part of their life. so basicly what it boils down to, is if it connects to your life in some way, like your in the SCA or your wearing your scottish clan colors, rock out with your bad self. but if its just a theme for the sake of having a theme, then thats kind of a waste
4. Sounds really daggy, but if there good friends you might as well humor them.
5. some themes are good but i dont think phantom of the opera is a good them for a wedding.
6. I think theme weddings can be fun!!! However, it depends on the couple, if it is them, and their personality, well it's their wedding and that's what they want to do. I would say go along with it and be a good sport!!!
7. I don't see anything at all offensive about them. Alot of themes seem like they would be fun even if they aren't something I would choose for myself. Themes aren't required by any means but alot of couples choose to have them as a way to to personalize their wedding and/or help make the decor look it belongs in the same room rather than being a total mishmash of stuff thrown together. If someone doesn't like them, they don't have to attend but it doesn't make any sense to ridicule and condemn someone, especially random strangers who you will never meet, just because you have different preferences than they do. They aren't the ones getting married so it doesn't matter what they think.
8. I'd say it really depends on who are invited. I mean, it covers different age ranges and various walks of life and experience. If someone never liked opera or any kind of arts, performance, then it could be a real mess. But if majority of invitees are fond of it and at least familiar with it, then it could go really well. So first of all, research on the participants will need to be done, thoroughly.
9. i wouldn't go - why on earth would i want to waste my money hiring a costume that i don't want to wear? where do b.t.b. and their fiances get off thinking that they have the right to make anyone and everyone jump through hoops just to please them? the daughter of friends of ours had a wedding similar to this - made her bridal party, groom, entire family and guests dress in period costumes. she didn't care that her dad was embarrassed beyond belief, that her brother refused to and she banned him from the wedding, that her in-laws and many of her guests couldn't really afford it - its what she wanted and after all - [get ready we've all heard this til we are ready to puke] - it was her day! on top of that her attendants got the usual generic cheap crappy thank you gift - an embroidered tote [ saying bridesmaid] filled with little bottles of lotions, perfumes, flipflops, cookies, a fan, aspirin, and other cheap junk! these girls set up bridal showers, bachelorette weekend at a spa, several bridal dinners, it cost them a ton of money on top of renting the costumes, wigs, shoes, etc. so you ask me what do i think of theme weddings? lets put it this way a wedding is about marriage it isn't supposed to rival a little kids birthday party or a halloween party!
10. My "opinion" is that themes are just an added expense and a burden to the guests as well. A color theme is dandy and necessary somewhat, but beyond that it's all frivolous expense and largely ignored once the event is underway.
11. If its not your wedding, then its not your choice. You say you don't think its a good way to show 2 people committing themselves, but if that's what they chose, then why are you so against it? Don't guy if it seems dumb to you, or go and support your friends for who they are. NOT what they choose to do in celebrating their union.
12. my opinion on theme weddings..... i dont like the idea of them at all. the only THEME about a wedding should be the fact that this is the special day of two becoming one... the marriage of a couple... the most special day of their life... making a wedding become a 'theme' really goes against everything a wedding is about. it is creating the night to be about something else, and it misses the whole point of what the night is.... i really could never understand why anybody would feel the need to incorporate a 'theme' into something like a wedding night... really unneccessary... people think spending lots of money on a wedding makes it about the wedding and not the marriage... but what about when people do things to make the night about something completely off subject and not even about the couple!? really baffles me as to why anyone would do that.....
13. My opinion on themes? It's a wedding - isn't that theme enough?
14. It totally depends on the couple. Maybe Phantom of the Opera is their favourite opera, maybe they went and saw it at a theatre on their first date, who knows! I know people who both grew up on farms so they had a country & western themed wedding. I think they can be fun, if the theme suits the couple. But having a Phantom themed wedding just for the sake of it seems a little daggy to me. Personally, i want the traditional white wedding.
15. Everyone dressing up in masquerade? Did these people even look into how much a costume like that would cost for their guests?? Just for one night as well. I am not a huge fan of themed weddings, it depends on the theme. Most of the time theme weddings can be so outrageous and costly that the cost transfers to the guest, like in your case trying to track down a masquerade gown. If the theme is subtle like "Mid Summer Nights Dream" that is totally cool. But these things were you basically need a script to feel apart of the event is just a bit much.
16. That sounds intense, I think if it truly reflects a couple's interests then its great but a theme for the sake of having a theme is unnecessary
17. My opinion is themes are not necessary at a wedding, particularly over the top ones such as the one you described.
18. jen is a bbbbiiiiaaaacccchhhh hehe
19. They usually turn out to be either really cool or really cheesy. I think they're okay, not something I would do personally, but I know a few people who like to theme every chance they get. Obviously a wedding is a prime opportunity to theme for those kinds of people. As long as the theme doesn't extend out to the guests it's cool with me. Making (er, "requesting") guests to wear a certain color, or certain kind of clothes, or learning a certain dance is going way too far.
20. A theme could be a color, motif, or element of nature. If your wedding is at a log cabin, you might use rocks or leaves in your table decorations. We used cherry blossoms on our invitations, cake, and things because my husband is Japanese. But when a theme is Phantom of the Opera or Disney, thats where I am puzzled. I just dont GET IT. Anything that requires backdrops, props, or costumes is not for a wedding. And furthermore, requiring anything of your guests at a party you have invited them to, is rude.