CLASSY MARDI GRAS WEDDING IDEAS - YES IT CAN BE DONE!.

• The Hatista
• Wedding Post
• Jan 6th 2020 / Updated: December 10th 2020

Mardi Gras is one of the most unique celebrations that there is, so if getting married during the Mardi Gras season, it’s a great, fun and colourful theme to incorporate in your wedding day. Mardi Gras is extremely popular and celebrated across America from 6th Jan through to Fat Tuesday, which of course changes every year. People love to use this theme for birthdays, dinner parties, and now, increasingly Mardi Gras weddings too. Putting on a classy wedding day with the Mardi Gras theme can be tough though. Mardi Gras parties can be full of cheap feathers and glitter - in fact for Carnival it’s usually all about hundreds of cheap feathers, glitter, and zillions of beads. You might (probably infact!) find that really scary for your special day! Add them in gentle proportions though - touches, not swarms, and you can still keep your big day classy.

Pantone Colour of the Year - Ultra Violet. That's Mardi Gras Purple isn't it?

Mardi Gras is exactly the time to embrace Pantones Colour of the Year 2018 - Ultra Violet. Historically, ultra violet has been associated with the spiritual and mystical (think amethyst crystals).

Pantone says the deep purple shade was chosen to evoke a ‘counterculture flair, a grab for originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking,’ which again, sounds like Mardi Gras! ”It’s a strong shade that combines strong purples and passionate reds, which gives the colour a ‘mystical quality'. "I see this as very much an optimistic color, an empowering color,” said Laurie Pressman, Vice President of Pantone. ”From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director

It's your Wedding Day, not the Mardi Gras Carnival Parade

Themed weddings are a great way to inject personality into your wedding day, and for February I truly believe Mardi Gras is a brilliant idea, but even more so than other themes it's vital not to get carried away, turning your wedding day into the carnival parade. You could go find a purple wedding dress - but please don't! Find yourself your dream White or Ivory bridal gown that you would for a non themed wedding day, and stick to Mardi Gras for the decorations, menu, bridesmaids and/or flower girls to successfully blend the Mardi Gras theme with the elegance of a more traditional wedding.

As the bride you could simply add the Purple, Gold or Green into your Bridal Sash, Bouquet, Headpiece, Shoes or Wrist Corsage. For the male members of the wedding party, of course those colors can be incorporated in the cravats, cumber-bands and lapel pins.

Below are some suggestions of where you can inject the Mardi Gras theme. Please don't use them all though. Just select some of them. It's intended as a list of lot's of possibilities, not a shopping list to give your wedding planner. Select a few and you will have a fun filled, bright February wedding, on theme but not over the top. Be sure to do some of the cocktails though.

This post includes affiliate links - suggestions of items I've hunted out on the Internet for you. If you see anything you like, click the links and decide to buy the suggestion, then the retailer will give me a little commission (maybe even enough to buy a latte) to thank me.

Flower Girls Dresses - Little girls love dressing up.

Little Girls love dressing up, so the flower girls you can have a little fun with. They'll love you for giving them a Tutu dress to dance around in, and will even be very accepting of oodles of glitter, sequins, and puffy tulle - which perhaps the bridesmaids would not!.

The Flower Girls Dresses below are all available on Etsy, Amazon or other International Online Stores. Click each to go straight to their listings.

Mardi Gras Bridesmaids Dresses / Shoes / Bags

There’s no denying that any deep jewel-toned dress looks stunning at a Winter or Spring wedding. Bridesmaids infinity dresses are super versatile dresses that you can wrap in several (appox 15) different ways. A great option as your Bridesmaids can keep to wear a different way on several later occasions and events.

The Ultra Violet Purple looks stunning on most people, but for contrast you could dress your bridesmaids in a different colour of Mardi Gras each in keeping with the Mardi Gras theme.

If you've chosen Flower Girls dresses in Sequins and Tulle, then of course beautiful gold sequin or beaded dresses would also be perfect for the Bridesmaids of a Mardi Gras Weddings. The Bridesmaids might not want their dresses with quite as much puffy tulle in the skirts - stick with full length beaded or sequin gowns for the bridesmaids.

Click on each dresses image below to be taken direct to the online stores:

Mardi Gras Wedding Bridesmaids Accessories

Don't close down the page yet. When I say Mardi Gras accessories, I'm still thinking pretty. Do I suggest you wear the mini top hats with chunks of ostrich feathers fanning out the top and smothered in Craft store glitter? Of course not. Sure they may work for the carnival parade, but this is still your wedding day.

There are still feather accessories that feature the correct colors but with more "sweetness" than the traditional masks and headdresses worn at the carnival. Hair Clips, Fascinators, Bridal Sashes and Shoe Clips are all pretty bridal accessories that can be found in the Mardi Gras colors. Below are some of the best you'll find that won't make your Bridesmaids and Flower Girls feel like showgirls.

Click on each accessories image below to be taken direct to the online retailers:

Mardi Gras Make Up Ideas I've found for you:

Below is a Gallery of pretty Make Up you could use for adding Mardi Gras colors to yours, your Bridesmaids, and Mother of the Bride of your Bridal party: