Wedding Magic: Inside The Wizard's Keep

Sorcery and enchantment await your guests when they witness the wedding magic of your wizard's keep theme wedding. With the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies so popular, more couples are looking to have a wizard-like fantasy style wedding. And why not? It's fun, mystical and can make for a very personalized and unique event! When planning this type of wedding, keep in mind that many medieval decorations work very well to enhance your ceremony and reception location. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

Choose "Mystical" Colors:

Most wizards dress in deep royal purple robes trimmed in shimmering gold. Therefore, these are the colors that have been chosen for this particular theme.

Wedding Attire:

Since we're in an enchanted magical world, dressing your wedding attendants in colors related to the theme would be most appropriate.

• Bride's Attire:
  
  
A suggestion on bridal attire would be either to go for a fairy tale, Cinderella style gown with a billowing skirt, sweetheart bodice and puff sleeves. Trim the gown in gold and purple spiraling threads near the hem, or perhaps use gold appliqué moons and stars. Gold colored slippers, a shimmering gold studded tiara, a bouquet that contains streaming, glittering gold and purple ribbons should finish off the ensemble.

Another choice would be to choose a streamlined, close fitting dress in gold, along with a full length cape as your "train" would look beautiful as well.


• Bridesmaids Dresses:
  
  
If all your bridesmaids are slim, choose a form fitting long dress, perhaps in deep rich purple. You can trim the dresses along the hemline and down the sleeves with gold appliquéd half-moons and stars. However, if you have bridesmaids of different body types, an A-line dress would probably work better. Use a long, sheer scarf to accent each dress, draped around the front of the neck with both ends trailing down the back. Have the bridesmaids carry "magic wands" with gold and purple streamers.


• Groom and Groomsmen Attire:
  
  
For those that want a more traditional look to their wedding, have the men wear black suits or tuxes accented with rich purple cummerbunds, ties and boutonnieres. If you're more flexible, dressing the men in wizard's robes would add an air of fun and fantasy to the occasion. Don't forget the wizard's hats!

• Deep purple invitations with gold glitter lettering. An owl graphic would be appropriate as well. Other graphics or imprints on invitations could be: a wizard, a dragon, a castle, a crystal ball, or half-moon and stars.
  
  
• Parchment paper scrolls with the invitation written in calligraphy. Fold the invitation and seal with red sealing wax. Tie a purple ribbon around the invitation.
  
  

• Create a medieval entrance way to your reception (or you can use this idea as your ceremony "altar"). Use four - 5 to 7 foot high round fiberboard tubes (these are used for pouring concrete pillars and can be bought at hardware stores). Paint the tubes grey. If you're artistic you can design and paint your own "rock wall" posts. However, for those that aren't artistic or want a quicker method of getting this look, buy flagstone wallpaper or flagstone gossamer and cover the tubes with it. For the top of the posts, use a square cut piece of 1/8" to 1/4" thick particle board cut a couple of inches larger than the post. Paint the wood tops grey and secure in place with nails at the top of the posts. You can then set lightweight plastic gargoyles, dragons, owls, black cats or other such decorations on top (they are your guardians/familiars). Line these up, two on each side of a doorway.
  
  
• Often you will see crepe paper streamers strung from doorways and across the ceiling at some weddings. Instead of using crepe paper, add some sparkle and glow to the occasion by using Christmas foil garland in gold and purple. This would be suitable for swagging in front of tables, across doorways, wrapped down and around poles or columns, etc.
  
  
• If you're having trouble finding suitable decorations, keep in mind that some Mardis Gras decorations could be used as substitutes. The colors are deep golds, greens and purples and you can usually find beads, foil sunbursts and swirling streamers to incorporate into a wizard's wedding theme.
  
  
• Balloons are always a wonderful filler decoration, especially balloon bouquets. Using gold and purple balloons, create large helium bouquets to place around the room and near doorways.
  
  
• At any wizard's keep you will find a bubbling cauldron of something strange cooking (that's the wedding magic brewing.) The key here is bubbling... you could rent or buy a bubble machine to add a magical touch to the ambience during the dance later in the evening.
  
  
• Set old fashioned looking lanterns set around the room and on serving tables, lit with either candles or battery operated.
  
  

• Use black tablecloths over all of the tables - from guest tables to serving tables. Top each with a deep rich purple table topper that's been accented with gold moons and stars. To make the accents, either sew on appliqués or use glitter fabric pens to draw the designs.
  
  
• Each table could have its own personal "crystal ball" centerpiece. Head to the lighting section of a hardware or department store and buy the really cheap, clear globe light fixtures. While there, pick up a round pillar candle holder or some other decorative, round flat dish. Turn the light fixture upside down and place on the base. Voila...crystal ball! You could also cover the fixture with Mod-Podge tacky glue then roll the fixture in gold glitter for a sparkling effect. Add a battery operated candle to the inside to make it "glow."
  
  
• Instead of an ordinary gift table, create an alchemist's alcove. Use a bookcase to hold some wizard's magical spell books, chemistry beakers, and interesting objects that could be used for "spell" making. Make some old-looking faux leather book covers for a variety of book sizes (small to large, thin to thick). Don't forget to add gold gilded titles to each book (use a gold glitter marker and a plastic letter template). Cover a square or round table in black or rich purple fabric. Put one large book on the table along with a wizards wand, crystal ball and some unique looking bottles filled with colored water and other "magical" items. Place a second table to the side of this one (also covered in matching material) to hold the wedding gifts. This set up would also be a great idea for your wedding guestbook table. Be sure to supply a large plumed pen... after all this is a wizard's keep!
  
  
• Use star confetti on tables around centerpieces.
  
  
• Make a wizard hat centerpiece. Start with a child's wizard hat or make your own. Decorate the brim with purple, yellow and white flowers, interspersed with stars and half-moon picks. Add some thin, curled gold ribbon to finish it off.
  
  

• Make a wizard's pouch for each guest and fill with gold-foil covered chocolate coins. To make these, buy several chamois (the kind you use to dry off cars after washing) or faux suede material. Using a small bowl or plate as a template guide to trace and cut a circle from the chamois. Punch poles about two inches apart along the outer edge. Weave a leather thong through the holes. Fill the pouch with a "wizard's magical coins" and tie closed.
  
  
• Fill small black cauldrons with bath beads, miniature soaps, chocolates or candies.
  
  
• Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles... buy plain white bottles of bubble favors. Spray paint the bottles using a black or purple metallic spray paint. Add a few gold moon and star stickers. Finish off with a clear acrylic coating to seal. If you don't want to go to all that trouble, just use "msytical" looking labels instead.
  
  
• Wedding magic is the theme of the evening, so present your guests with a deck of unique playing cards and along with a rolled scroll containing one or two card tricks (use a variety of card trick instructions and mix up the instruction scrolls for guests.) Enclose the cards and book in a small box and wrap with parchment-like paper. Tie with cord. Write a mysterious message on the outside of the package.
  
  
• Fiber optic wands as also fit into the wedding magic theme. Attach a short "spell" message to the wands.
  
  
• Rose Water Potion: A wonderful gift for your female guests. Make or buy fresh rose water and put it into unique glass bottles with a cork stopper. You can easily make this at home using 4 or 5 fresh roses and 2 cups of water. Remove the petals from the flowers and place in a saucepan. Add water and warm over a low heat until the petals become transparent. Let the mixture cool. Strain the liquid into bottles and refrigerate until needed.
  
  

• A buffet style dinner would probably be the most appropriate for a wizard theme wedding.
  
  
• If you want to have some fun with your wedding guests, make up food menu tent cards for some of the different types of food served and place them in front of the dish. Some examples would be: Bat Wings (for chicken wings), Witches Warts (cream cheese filled cherry tomatoes), Dragon Eyes (devilled eggs), Wizard's Brew (sparkling punch), Dragon legs (chicken legs), Lizard Teeth (cooked corn), Snake Eyeballs (green grapes), Star Fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon pieces cut with a star shaped cookie cutter), etc. After all, what's a Wizard without his "ingredients?"
  
  

• Any and all of the Harry Potter movies.
  
• Merlin (Special Edition) (1998)
  
• The Dark Crystal (1982)