Americana Themed Wedding

Picking a cohesive theme for your wedding can make the difference between an unforgettable event and just another wedding. Themes don’t have to be over the top, although creative, strong themes offer the opportunity to create truly memorable images in your guests’ minds. Weddings on a budget can also benefit from a clear cut theme, since they help narrow the options for creating a big visual impact while staying cost-effective.

One theme that would work well for a casual, laid back wedding is an Americana theme.  An Americana theme wedding exudes a warm, welcoming vibe that makes guests feel right at home. Here’s how to pull it off without breaking your budget:

Venue

Choose an All-American, outdoorsy venue that is naturally pretty and provides a great blank slate for setup.  To make it budget-friendly, see if you can find a location that already provides tables and chairs to cut on rental costs.

Food

Classic American comfort food is loved by all and fits the Americana theme to a tee.  Mini burgers, a french fry bar (regular, spicy waffle fries, sweet potato fries, garlic fries, etc.), mac and cheese, fried chicken, peas, green beans, collard greens, cobb salad, and mini grilled cheese  sandwiches with tomato bisque.

Drinks

Three words: Coca-Cola Classic. The most iconic and beloved beverage in the world can serve as the official non-alcoholic signature drink. Purchase the old-fashioned glass Coke bottles and place them in large crates with ice, or a galvanized tin tubs.  Utilize the Coke theme to maximum effect by
purchasing small Coca-Cola accessories that can be used during the reception.  Hang a vintage Coke sign like the one at right (a steal at only $6.99) above the drinks area, attach a Coke wall-mount bottle opener onto the side of the crate holding the bottles, and have a vintage straw holder with straws nearby so guests can effortlessly sip down their refreshing drinks.

Aside from the vintage Coke setup, incorporate fruity iced teas with berries served from large punch bowls, and alcoholic berry infusions in pretty infusion jars. Allowing guests to self-serve their beverages will save on the cost of hiring bartenders, and is perfect for a casual wedding.

Americana Decor

Choose a classic red, white and blue color scheme for the event, but select hues like french blue and poppy that are fresher than the traditional shades. All white flowers like roses, hydrangea and mums are cost-effective and look lovely in vases of varying heights. Bunched together multiple stems of the same flower within one vase, and multiple stems of another kind in a vase next to the first arrangement. Grouping multiple stems of the same flower makes each arrangement look lush and is the easiest to assemble for DIY florals.