Unique Ideas for a Car-Themed Wedding Ceremony & Reception
Marriages are about the lifelong union of two souls…weddings are about celebrating the beginning of that journey and how happy everyone is for you. So naturally you want a wedding that reflects both partners’ personalities and interests. If you’re a gearhead, there are plenty of ways to tactfully and tastefully do that. Here are some ideas for incorporating car-themed elements into your wedding.
The Ceremony
Invitations/Programs: Set the theme of the wedding before it even starts by designing your own racing- or automobile-themed stationery. Utilize a picture of a car, the silhouette of a couple in a convertible, words on a license plate or bumper sticker, make it look like a roadmap or pit lane pass…let your creativity drive you and you’ll discover the perfect design!
The Car: One of the most obvious options, and the one that will probably make the biggest impact, is the car you leave or arrive in. Everyone will remember you peeling out in a muscle car as you make your grand exit. If you own a special car or have rented a classic model for the reception, use it as a vignette or backdrop for your wedding photos. Have the guests put their gifts in the trunk of the car as they arrive so you can just close it and take off when you’re done!
Decorations: Find discreet, minor ways to incorporate your passion into your wedding. Have specially-created boutonnieres and bouquets that utilize car logos or the checkered racing flag pattern. In fact, you could use that same checkered pattern throughout–in the draperies, table liners, aisle runners, etc. Post fake “road signs” around for directions (detour, pit stop, refuel station, main event, etc).
Transportation: Encourage your guests to arrive in their classic cars and have an outdoor wedding to make the event a car cruise-in. Take pictures with your guests in front of their cars and let everyone wander around to check out everyone else’s cars. It’s a great ice-breaker that will get people chatting and interacting.
The Reception
The Cake: This is where a lot of couples show off their creativity and personality, with unique decorations and hilarious toppers. Shop online for a cake topper of a couple riding in a car or working on a car together–or create your own if you’re artistic. The cake itself can be make to look like stacked tires; or, make the tiers a racetrack that model cars are zipping around. If you don’t want a cake, serve glazed chocolate donuts that look like mini tires.
Centerpieces: You can have a lot of fun with guest table decorations. Use vintage license plates or old car parts as centerpieces, or name your tables after different automakers and display their logos as signs (obviously, we’d all want to sit at the Chevy table). Use Hot Wheels cars at name tag holders, and also use them as your party favors.
Music: Choose a playlist of car-themed music for your reception (the dining portion, not the dancing one). Set the mood with “409” by The Beach Boys, “Drive My Car” by The Beetles, or “Life Is a Highway” by Tom Cochran.
Photo Booth: Set up an old gas pump as the backdrop of your photo booth and offer costume accessories like old-fashioned helmets and goggles, flags, tools, winner wreaths, milk, steering wheels, etc.
Aaron is unashamed to be a native Clevelander and the proud driver of a Hyundai Veloster Turbo (which recently replaced his 1995 Saturn SC-2). He gleefully utilizes his background in theater, literature, and communication to dramatically recite his own articles to nearby youth. Mr. Widmar happily resides in Dayton, Ohio with his magnificent wife, Vicki, but is often on the road with her exploring new destinations. Aaron has high aspirations for his writing career but often gets distracted pondering the profound nature of the human condition and forgets what he was writing… See more articles by Aaron.