Wedding music for an outdoor wedding.

I am new to this site. I haven't set a date or anything for my wedding. We are planning to have it next year or so, but I am trying to get some early planning in now before it is to late and I get stressed out about it.

I am having an outdoor "hippie" style wedding. no tradition to it. I am wearing a white skirt and matching shirt, and my partner is wearing khakies and a white tee. Brides maids are wearing a pants suit and matching shirt, as are the grooms men...that's what I have planned out so far.

I don't know what kind of music I should play for it though. I don't want the traditional "bridal song" that plays when I walk out. I want something romantic but set back in the 80's....I could really use some idea's please.

Heather,

If you are seriously considering a "hippie" style wedding, be sure and Google using this search phrase.... "1960's style clothing hippy". Check out the cool groovy sites listed, as many contain excellent photos, suggestions, styles, decorating tips and more.

There are a ton of good music selections from the 60's and 70's. I strongly encourage you to hire a DJ for your reception. Several months prior to the reception, work closely with your DJ who can help you select the songs most appropriate for your theme as well as for your walk down the aisle. Your DJ will also be able to coordinate the reception "party games" that you might want to include, in keeping with the 60's theme.

Wedding favor ideas could include a few of the gimmicks from that era, such as personalized pet rocks with your name and date of wedding, and other things that were "in vogue" at the time. Here is a short list below...

Rickie Tickie Stickers - These were colorful flower stickers. People were sticking these rickie tickie stickers on everything from automobiles, waste baskets, walls, windows, and more.

Bellbottoms - These wide-legged pants were derived from Navy styled uniforms and became very popular with the young society in the 1960's. Elvis Presley, Sonny and Cher helped make bellbottoms a fashion statement for the hippies and counter-culture audience.

Platform Shoes - Although popular in the late 1960's, these high-heeled shoes were more popular in the 1970's during the disco period. Originally, one to two inches high, they grew in height and variety even as people were being treated for twisted or broken ankles caused by lack of mobility. The platform shoe made a comeback among women in the 1990's and still can be seen today.

The Twist - must have for 60's theme!
Chubby Checker made this dance style very popular when he appeared on American Bandstand in the early 1960's. It originated in a small New York club called The Peppermint Lounge in 1961. The dance was featured in a few films in the early sixties but quickly faded when other dances such as the Mashed Potato and the Watusi were introduced to TV shows and movies.

Love Beads - Love beads came in a variety of patterns and were given as gifts between friends or made by the person wearing them. They were worn around the neck and wrist and were very colorful. They could be purchased in a store or could be made at home. Love beads were a common sign of friendship in the 60's and early 70's.

Mood Rings - The famous black oval ring that changed colors when the mood of the person changed. As the moods of society changed, someone thought we needed a way to monitor this change. Tada - the birth of the mood ring. Most men now wish it could give prior warning to a PMS episode, sorry fellas!

Tie Dye T-shirts - Nothing said 'psychedelia' better than the rainbow explosion of swirling colors and bold designs of the ancient art of tie-dye. Tie-dye is one of the oldest forms of fabric manipulation and design. The concept is simple: dye can only penetrate loose fabric, and when portions are bound off by string, rocks, clothespins, or rubber bands, the dye cannot reach that part of the fabric. That untouched section could remain the original color, or you could then dye the pristine sections a separate color to create works of art.

During the 60's, the hippies' revival of old ethnic crafts resurrected the art and put a new spin on tie-dye. The hippies' tie-dye was no subtle handicraft-they tie-dyed with several colors, layering one on top of the other for wild bursts of color and crazy visual trips. Hearts, peace signs, bulls eyes-anything could be done with a little creativity. Tie-dyeing became the ultimate sign of the times.

Barbie Dolls - wedding favor possibility? - By 1965, one hundred million dollars of Barbie merchandise was sold. Barbie is the one to help make Mattel the biggest toy company in the world. Created by Ruth and Elliott Handler (owners of Mattel), after watching there daughter play with paper dolls, realizing there weren't any 3-dimentional dolls to play with and dress. Barbie was names after the daughter for the idea. Barbie Dolls are highly collectible and, with some being valued in the thousands. Hey, don't forget KEN!!!!

Troll Dolls - wedding favor possibility? - Created by Thomas Dam, the inventor of the Dammit doll, names after Thomas. The dolls were established into a company called Dam Things in 1964. A year which more than one million of these trolls were sold in the United States. The doll was made for his daughter, cause he couldn't afford to buy her a birthday present. The doll was inspired by the legend of trolls whom inhabited deep dark forests and brought good luck to the human that could catch one. It would seem many humans at that time were catching them.

Smiley faces - use to decorate table???
Started in 1963 by creator H.R. Ball. He was working in Massachusetts for an ad agency when one of his clientele asked him to come up with a way to soothe employees. He was only paid $45 for the drawing, which he never trademarked. The Smiley Face has appeared on millions of items since, including a United States postage stamp.

Go-Go boots - what a great picture this would make during the reception! Created in 1965 by Andre Courreges, a leading French fashion designer. Worn by women from Los Angeles to New York, at nightclubs all over. Nancy Sinatra also chopped the charts with "these boots are made for walking" establishing her as the poster child for go-go boots.

Lava Lamps - possible table decoration and prize?
Invented by Craven Walker in the mid 60's, people were entranced with this device that consisting of illuminated glass cylinder within which a colorful, wax like substance was heated.

Black Light - Many DJs offer this lighting effect... very cool. In the late sixties, black light put things in a new perspective - adding a fluorescent glow to the room. White T-shirts and teeth would light up the room with their bright white glow. Black light would reveal secret symbols or slogans on posters located in college dorm room. These lights also appeared in nightclubs and theater productions around the country, creating a surreal atmosphere. Coupled with a strobe light, black lights created a disorienting purple haze. Nowadays, you can still find these black lights in nightclubs. There are more fluorescent materials on the market - paints, dyes, and clothes, markers - that seem to come to life with the existence of the black light.

Ouija Boards - possible party game? First brought about after many viewed the movie "The Exorcist", where a young girl was possessed by the devil while playing with a Ouija board. A once thought dangerous game that in the late 1960's outsold the venerable game Monopoly. Thought to believe that we could communicate with the dead through a Ouija board, the game was born in the mid nineteenth century brought upon by a spiritualism craze that sweeped through Europe and spread to New York.

Hope you have a grooooooovy time at your wedding!

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