Ideas to Make Your Fourth of July Wedding Sparkle

Your wedding’s in the summer and both of you already picked the outdoor venue. It’s going to be a special day—more so than a regular summer wedding. Why? You and your fiancé are getting married on the Fourth of July! You’re both very patriotic and want to incorporate it into your big day; yet you’re not sure how to go about it. Not to worry, here are some ideas to make your Fourth of July wedding sparkle.

Fabulous Formal wear

Photo By | Purple Tree Wedding Photography

You don’t want the holiday to outshine your wedding so there are a few options you can consider.

If your wedding’s going to be luxurious yet you still want to utilize the traditional patriotic colors of red, white and blue, perhaps select softer tones of each color and use only two colors with a “pop” of the third color. For example, the groomsmen and bridesmaids could all wear blue while you and your fiancé wear white with a splash of red in your white bouquet and on your spouse-to-be’s boutonniere. The colors shouldn’t be the star but rather take a backseat to the big day.

Your bridesmaid’s bouquets can display your two main colors or, if they’re dressed in blue, they can match your bouquet. Some wonderful flowers to use in the bouquets are red roses, white or blue delphinium, white hydrangeas, blue thistle or blue nigella.

On the other hand, if you want to have a bold, modern Independence Day wedding switch up the colors a bit—maybe orange in place of red, aqua rather than blue and silver or ivory for the white. But, again, the same rule should apply: use two colors with a splash of the third.

For your hair use a few small shimmering silver star pins to hold your beautiful hairstyle in place; but be careful not to overdo it.

We can’t forget the ring bearer and flower girl! But what little child wants to be stuck in a hot suit or frilly dress with glued-to-her-legs tights during a summer wedding? Maybe a cool sundress for your flower girl and pants, short-sleeve shirt and tie for your ring bearer would work well. Just remember to keep it to your holiday wedding colors—or let them be your spark of the third color!

Delightful Décor

Photo By | The Knot

When you’re decorating your wedding and reception area, it’s easy to go overboard with the patriotic design (stars, eagles, flags, etc.). However, a little goes a long way so select only a couple and highlight them in little details rather than big eye-catching designs.

For instance, along the wedding aisle tie a small American flag on each chair closest to the aisle. In your reception area hang a few star lanterns and have artwork standing at the guestbook table. If you like stripes, you could have blue and white striped ribbon—or whatever two colors you choose—tied around your centerpiece vases and use the same ribbon for your bridesmaid’s bouquets.

Speaking of centerpieces, you could fill your vases with blue hydrangeas and white carnations—or you could just keep it simple and use red dahlias. For a more modern feel, fill mason jars with blue and white jellybeans—the kids will be kept busy and have fun trying to guess how many beans are in each jar! In either case, a pure white—or ivory—tablecloth is best.

Festive Foods

Photo By | Anna Hardy Photography | Cake By | Petal-á-Pot

If you’re going to make Independence Day your theme, you might as well carry it through to the food too. What’s more American than a barbecue? Serve a buffet of barbecued food on skewers such as salmon, chicken, shrimp and beef tips; some terrific Americana sides would be corn on the cob and barbecued beans.

Of course, while your guests are enjoying the delicious food, they’ll need something to drink. Colorful cocktails can hold a blue and white straw while the same can be done for fruit punch glasses for the kids.

For dessert, friends and family are probably going to want something cool—especially at a summer outdoor wedding! There’s nothing more patriotic looking than a berry parfait—glasses filled with blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream and topped with sauce. But why stop there? Continue your American flare with a naked red velvet wedding cake. You’ll get a fun striped design with the bright poppy-colored cake and vanilla frosting in between each layer. Have the baker finish off the cake with some gorgeous red poppy flowers to create a sophisticated look.

Merry Music

What’s a wedding without music? Of course, you’ll want to keep it holiday-related and there are a few directions you can go. You can stick with all traditional patriotic music like “God Bless America”, “America the Beautiful”, “The Star Spangled Banner”, “Stars and Stripes Forever” and so on. Another alternative is to pick more modern Americana music such as “American Soldier” or “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” both by Toby Keith, “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood, “American Pie” by Don McLean—you get the idea. Or perhaps you’d like the best of both worlds; that’s awesome, just intermingle them so your guests will have something to dance to occasionally.

Fantastic Fireworks Display

Photo By | Jess Barfield Photography via Style Me Pretty

You just can’t celebrate Independence Day without fireworks and it’s an excellent way to end the festive day. There’s nothing more romantic than newlyweds standing under a night sky filled with sparkling light—and it makes for great picture opportunities too!

If you can’t afford to purchase your own fireworks, or the venue doesn’t allow them, perhaps your wedding guests can create an aisle and hold long sparklers as you both make your great escape.

Of course, there are plenty of surrounding cities and towns that will have fireworks shows for free. Just make sure your wedding reception is in the prime spot for viewing the town’s stunning display.

These suggestions are just a small sample of how you can make your Fourth of July wedding spectacular. The possibilities are endless and these splendid ideas may just be the thing you need to get your creative juices flowing. Whether you use some of these concepts or your own, your wedding day is sure to be uniquely special!