• NEW Wedding Ideas

In case you have not noticed, we love anything that is fun, whimsical and these carnival wedding ideas are as whimsical as it can get. Think outrageous candy bar filled with brightly colored sweets, delicious food, a hand-crafted pinwheel backdrop, and stunning floral selections. You will find all of these carnival ideas and more from A Style Collective along with tips and tricks to throw the ultimate carnival wedding. Be sure to see all the images in the full gallery photographed by Ryan Price. They are truly pin worthy.

Our goal was to strike a whimsical note while offering a nostalgic feeling and still keep the color palette lively and versatile. Red, powder blue, blush pink, and pops of black & white were the perfect match for this set. We played the colors up on the dessert table with our paper designs, a hand-crafted pinwheel backdrop, brightly colored sweets, and stunning floral selections. Our white washed vintage buffet server was brought to life. Traci at Cupcake Cachet created the most adorable, perfectly coordinating cake with ruffles, stripes, fondant, and a custom balloon topper.

Her bubble-gum cupcakes and cotton candy cake push-up pops were also a major focal point on our sweets table. We’re not sure which was sweeter, the look of her goodies with our paper goods and backdrop or the delectable taste of them all. Traci ROCKS. We also used bulk candy, salty popcorn, rock candy sticks, and donut parfait “sundaes” as extra carnival inspired nibbles. The paper goods we designed reflected this whimsical and bright vibe by serving asunique additions to the displays. Fork picks, cupcake toppers and wrappers, cocktail glass tags, etc. are even more eye candy than the desserts alone.

We styled the simple but striking sweetheart’s table to coordinate perfectly with its pinwheel adornment, custom Mr. & Mrs. sings, pink and vintage lace table linens, LOVE frame backdrop, and a vintage replica Circus Animal Cracker tin for flowers. We’re not sure anything could have worked better for this set’s style than the beautiful red anemones, billy balls, blush peonies, and blue hydrangeas. The bride’s bouquet also had sweet blue and white lollipop accents and a pink and white striped cotton ribbon that left us swooning.

The idea for food and beverages was shown through our vintage wardrobe-bearing cocktail waitresses who toted red trays of indulgences from chicken & waffles to cotton candy martinis. Lori Alexander, with 7 Closets Vintage, was on set to offer her unique vintage wardrobe options and style these cocktail waitresses as well as our groom in his tasteful suspenders and bow-tie. Ventura’s Bridal of Houston provided the bride’s adorable and fun short dress that matched the nostalgic carnival theme so well.

We couldn’t let this shoot end without the addition of oversized balloons and pinwheels. Shooting amongst the Kemah Boardwalk and Carnival was the quintessential playground for these fun props and for Ryan to capture wonderfully with his artistic style of photography. The ferris wheel, carousel, games, sea wall, and energy of the Saturday crowd were the best backdrop we could have asked for. We were thrilled with the results. I think anyone would want to jump right into this scene upon viewing the photo playback. I can almost smell those bubble gum cupcakes! A huge thank you to all of the contributing vendors! You guys rocked this one and truly allowed us to have so much creative freedom and fun. Ryan Price did a remarkable job at telling the story through such beautiful images.

How to create your own Carnival Boardwalk Wedding

1. Color Palette Select a color palette that is bold and brings in the opportunity for a carnival inspired vibrancy. Colors like a bright red, pink, yellow, or aqua blue are amazing to work with in décor elements from balloons to candy to flowers. If you feel hesitant to go too over-the-top, choose a classic black & white base and add one additional strong color for the punch.

2. Whimsical Décor You may not want to get too “theme” happy, but even a few tasteful additions to your wedding décor that reflect carnival elements can be just the thing to make it stand out. Perhaps you love the idea of lollipops in your bouquet, a festive candy stand, outdoor game or prize areas, balloons, colorful tents outdoors, or dressed up cocktail waitresses.

3. Inspired Catering Forget the standard buffet or meat & potatoes dish. Let your catering venue get creative with carnival inspired food selections or passed small bites like chicken and waffles, corn dog poppers, herb tossed French fries, funnel cake, or cotton candy. Perhaps for an interactive cocktail station you could have create your own spiked snow cones or cotton candy martinis.

4. Games & Prizes This is the fun, self-explanatory part. Get your guests involved in more than just ‘oo-ing’ and ‘ah-ing’ about your wedding dress. Entertain them outdoors with games, juggling acts, balloon artists, etc. Do you have children attending? Have a face painting booth. Your adult guests will definitely feel young at heart the more interactive your lounge or outdoor cocktail hour is.

5. Attire Inform your guests of the ‘feel’ of your wedding in your wedding invite or website by encouraging more casual, comfortable, or whimsical dress. Sundresses, bow-ties, and suspenders welcome. If you want to represent a certain ‘era’ like the 1950s or 1940s then, by all means, encourage them to partake. The more relaxed your guests are, the more fun they will have – especially on the dance floor. Allow your bridal party to wear knee length dresses and have a fun cocktail dress for yourself to change into.

6. Paper Goods It’s a well known fact that your save-the-dates, wedding invite, and wedding branded paper goods set the initial tone of your event. Get creative with a graphic designer to portray the mood you envision for your big day. Adding confetti, touches of mini fabric pendant banners, hand-stamped hot air balloon, or carnival font-types can add in a whimsical note. Now your guests first impression is a unique one!

Photographer: Ryan Price

Event Designer & Florals: A Style Collective Venue: Kemah Boardwalk Cake: Cupcake Cachet Dress Designer: Ventura's Bridal Groom's Attire: 7 Closets Vintage Veil or Hair Accessories & Wardrobe: 7 Closets Vintage Prop or Furniture Rentals: A Style Collective