Ideas for Creating a Mardi Gras Theme
Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday and signifies the time to eat heartily before the Lenten season. It has also evolved into a time to party, dance and listen to good music. Mardi Gras captures the imagination of a fun party atmosphere with plenty of food and having good time with friends. You can bring that same joy and energy to your wedding by doing some simple things or you can go all out.
Colored Mardi Gras beads and masks can be used to decorate your reception tables and other parts of your reception venue. You can also give the beads and sequined masks as favors to your guests as well as create interesting reception games based on them. A few carefully placed metallic ribbon curtains and large decorative masks can also be used to give that New Orleans French Quarter feel.
Music is big in the Big Easy so bring that to your wedding with a Dixieland band or at least a few key instrumentalists like a trumpeter and saxophonist. You can swing down the aisle to "When the Saints go Marching In" and dance at your reception to tunes like "Mardi Gras Mambo" and "Bourbon Street Parade"
Food and Drink for the Mardi Gras Themed Wedding
Mardi Gras conjures up the spicy and delectable aromas of various foods. Consider a Cajun or Creole inspired menu for your Mardi Gras themed Wedding. The food need not be spicy hot to get the theme across. Just ask your caterer to go easy on spicing or provide two versions of key dishes such as jambalaya and shrimp creole. While traditional recipes use pork products, you can also still prepare a seafood-only jambalaya, a vegetarian gumbo or meatless red rice and beans.
If your Mardi Gras wedding is a mid-day picnic event, try fried (or baked) catfish sandwiches with sweet potato fries instead of burgers and regular french fries. If hard liquor will be served, offer bourbon based drinks instead of other selections. For non-alcoholic drinks, try café au lait or iced tea sweetened to taste with sugar syrup.
You and your guests will have a great time celebrating in Mardi Gras style. As they say in New Orleans, Laissez les bon temps roulez!