Last Saturday I took advantage of AMC’s annual Oscar Best Picture Showcase and saw five of the nominations, which were all fantastic. Lots of emotion, both positive and negative, and it was a great day for finding creative wedding or party themes. (Help me! I can’t turn it off!!) I’ll skip over Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close for obvious reasons and we’ll ignore the fact that I’m focusing the The Help theme wedding on what “the bad guys” would do. These party themes would be great for birthday, anniversary or “just because” dinner parties, too. Enjoy!
The Artist
I’ll be honest – The Artist didn’t capture my attention while watching it. That said, I’ve thought a lot about it since. It sticks with you. Make your wedding stick with your guests by tying in Old Hollywood glamour with a unique wedding dress and fur stole. Put your bridesmaids in gorgeously beaded flapper dresses perfect for dancing. If you can’t hold your ceremony in an old movie theater (moment of silence for the Rosebud Theater…), see if you could just borrow the marquee for “save the date” or thank you card pictures.
If you have a small guest list, I suggest the Sheridan House as your reception location. This bed and breakfast is decorated in art deco furniture reminiscent of that in the movie. There is a great courtyard that can also be used during the summer so you can pretend you’re on a California film lot.
The Help
Their insides were ugly, but these Ole Miss debutantes prided themselves on their outer beauty and their ability to put on a good party. Your event would be no different if you find a vintage tea-length gown with demure kitten heels and a perfect pill-box hat for your wedding outfit. Pearl earrings would be perfect gifts for your bridesmaids and you must have traditional white invitations with the tissue paper and all the envelopes (properly addressed on each, of course.)
The reception would have to take place at your daddy’s country club (Milwaukeean’s check out Brynwood Country Club or the Wisconsin Club if your daddy doesn’t play that game). Flowers would be traditional and you should probably have a live band vs. a DJ. At the end of the night, make a great get-away at the end of the night in a sweet ride like Skeeter’s.
Midnight in Paris
This wasn’t my favorite movie, but OMG, the scenery. I agree with Gil – 1920s Paris seems to be the best place ever! Gorgeous. Opulence is key in this event theme, but that doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. Check out the link for the centerpieces – the Big Wedding, Tiny Budget blog gives you a lot of great ideas.
This dress, perfect for a bridesmaid, is my favorite item from all the pictures in today’s post. It would take a particular frame to fit, but isn’t it pretty? All would look great in the headband or in art deco chandelier earrings.
The Rouge at the Pfister would be the perfect location for an event with this theme. This room is not your typical hotel ballroom! There are a few different levels in this space and lots of columns and decorations making it perfect for a cocktail reception vs. sit-down meal. As a grand gesture, you must have an over-the-top drink fountain! Champagne is the typical drink for this display, but maybe a white soda and juice “cocktail” would be more fitting if you have kids attending.
Hugo
Hugo was my favorite movie as entertainment and as a unique theme. It was with this movie that I finally “got” steampunk. You could wear a relatively traditional wedding gown reminiscent of those seen in the last celebratory scene, but dress up your bridesmaids with fun hats like the station inspector’s. Traditional floral could be dressed up with gears and the typically boring (sorry, but it is!) slide show could be a little more fun if produced in black and white or other “old-timey” styles. If you can get your hands on an old film projector to put next to the LCD projector, it would make for a great prop.
Let’s talk about this cake. Wow. Very themed, but still classy. If you go with this style wedding, use that cake as your example. It would be really easy to make this theme tacky (particularly in a city like Milwaukee where we like “normal”.)
So what do you think? What was your favorite movie? Will you use a movie as a theme for your next event?
