How to Host a Cowboy Wedding Reception

Are you a cowgirl (or cowboy) at heart? Do you love the Old West and the Open Range? If so, consider hosting a cowboy-themed reception as part of your wedding day, complete with all the down home fixin's. Mix traditional wedding elements, such as a white wedding gown with cowboy details like a white Stetson hat and white cowboy boots. Decorate with denim blues and bandana prints for a fun and casual look. Ask your guests to come dressed in their fanciest duds and dance the night away to cowboy tunes.

Cowboy Outfits

You can choose to accent your formal wedding attire with a few "cowboy" details, or throw formal right out the window and dress your wedding party in jeans and cowboy shirts. For a more formal look, dress groomsmen in traditional tuxedos. Add cowboy boots and cowboy hat, and a vest or cummerbund in a bandana print. For a less formal look, pair denim jeans with tuxedo jackets or plain white dress shirts.

Bridal attendants can wear traditional bridesmaid dresses, paired with cowgirl hats and boots. They could also sport bandana or gingham printed sashes or trim on their dresses. Adorn their hats with sunflowers or daisies and matching ribbon. The bride can add a splash of color with a sash or flowers on her hat, and her bouquet stem can be wrapped in a matching ribbon.

Cowboy Wedding Decor

Mix formal with cowboy casual by covering tables with crisp linen tablecloths, topped by squares of red and white or blue and white gingham cloth. Another way to add cowboy flair to your tablescape is by wrapping place settings in bandanas, which also double as napkins. Mix formal wedding flowers, like roses and lilies, with cowboy wildflowers, such as daisies, sunflowers, buttercups and black-eyed susans. Place bouquets in recycled tin cans decorated with gingham ribbon for a casually beautiful centerpiece. For a farm feel, place hay bales around the reception site. They can act as extra seating, or you could even make a gift table out of two or three pushed together.