we want to have a safari themed wedding....any ideas?

Question

me and my fiance want to have a safari themed wedding..I"M in school to become a zoo keeper and i love anything to do with animals..and since my fiance says its what i want i liked this idea...does anybody have ideas about everything to do with a safari themed wedding

Answer 1

Tell everyone to wear khaki.

Use a lot of dried grasses, palm fronds, and bright tropical flowers. Decorate with vines and coconut shells.

Send out invitations like jungle animals.

Get a tape of animal sounds to play at your reception.

Wear Tarzan and Jane outfits when you get married. Chase Jane up the aisle. People will talk about it for years!

Instead of a traditional reception, have a pig or side of beef roasting with all the side dishes to go with it like tropical fruit salads.

Set up tents and a beer\drink oasis.

Get married at the zoo.

Instead of wedding gifts ask your guests if they would like to contribute to a zoo fund for a new animal or something similar.

If you know people with Jeeps use them to ride around in after the wedding.

Have a few dances where it's just jungle drums and tom-toms.

Invite Sigfried and Roy.

Answer 2

What a fun idea!! How bout zebra striped table cloths at the reception. You could go with any color to offset them. Any way you could speak with a zoo and actually rent some animals in cages to sit around the reception? I don't know! Lots of Palm trees, trees etc. strung with white lights. Fish in fish bowls at each table surrounded by tea lights. Use the term Feeding time or Don't feed the animals in different places. Have your groomsmen dressed as zoo keepers. Have a great big popcorn machine at the reception. Leave the wedding on an elephant!! I don't really know but it sounds like so much fun! I wish you both the very best. One thing for sure, just enjoy it, it is all about you two!!

Answer 3

Depending on where you live, see if you could arrange to have your special day at a wild animal park. There's one in Southern California...not sure where you are or if you have one local. Not sure if Disneyland allows weddings, but pictures by the Jungle Cruise and/or Tarzan's Treehouse, would fit your theme very well.

My wife & I had a pretty traditional wedding, so I'm partial to that, and my 2 cents would be to keep the dress, and ceremony traditonal, and just keep the decorations, and perhaps location, exotic.

Would a local zoo have a meeting hall that could be rented for your event?

Alternatively, you can have a traditional type wedding, and instead of traditional wedding gifts, ask that the gifts be in the form of a contribution to a fund for an ACTUAL SAFARI honeymoon!

Good luck!

Answer 4

I own a country club and handle all of the wedding planning. We do many themed weddings including Hawaiian Luaus and a wedding with a hunting theme in our tent, although we have never done a safari wedding. It's an interesting idea.

I'm not sure about live animals, but if you had your wedding in a tent you could decorate the tent with tropical plants which can be rented from a florist. Any banquet tables that you have for either your cake or food could have a grass skirting around them.

I would definetly have khahi/sage/ brown linens in some combination. Centerpieces involving coconuts, pineapples and other tropical fruits and candles in some arrangement.

You could also put mosquito netting over your cake by hanging it from the tent supports. Maybe you could hang mosquito netting in other areas as well.

You would want to set up some sort of elaborate bar that had a lot of grass skirtiing and either mosquito netting or some sort of thatched roof. Have custom drinks made up for your wedding. Any good venue would be willing to work with you to come up with some creatively named cocktails with a safari theme for example Jungle Fever or Lions Lair?? Maybe hand out African style beads or bead necklesses to each guest when they arrive which could be used for a free drink at the bar?....just an idea.

Of course you would want the entrance to your tent to be lined with tiki torches. Maybe have some African spears or drums at the entrance as well. For background music, during dinner you could choose nature sounds or African drum music.

A bonfire or fire pit would add a nice effect but may not be legal.

I'm not sure how far you want to go with this theme, but your grooms men could wear khaki colored safari clothing and the brides maids could dress a little more sexy in something that would be reminiscent of native attire.

As far as food, I would think you could think about a steamship round that would be carved in front of your guests. Other dishes on the menu would be geared around a more rustic concept.

If your venue allows it, perhaps the staff can get into the act as well and dress in safari themed attire. My staff does that for our Luaus.

Answer 5

I tihnk at every table you should ut a little animal either stuffed ot a statue. Go to the zoo with your husband and take pictures and put them on the table in a picture holder for a vase. You can blow up pictures of animals that you have takes or you can get painted pictures. Use green table cloths. And just add things to make you feel like your on the safari of your dreams,

Answer 6

A friend of mine did the displays for a rental supply business. She had done up a table using primairly the colours black and (bronzy) tan. The table skirting was black and she had an overlay of material with tan & black zebra striping. In the centre she had a lamp or candle abra that featured mini lampshades (tan) with black boa-like trim. There may have been some crystals incorporated too. White plates and crystal wine glasses broke up the pattern on the table. The chairs were also covered (in black) just to polish off the look.

I was so impressed with the set up that I wanted to host a party right there and then. She knew exactly how to do it up right without going overboard and making it look tacky.

Answer 7

Some zoo let you have wedding there that would be nice. For the reception: Table clothes with different prints would be nice. If you know someone who sews you could just go to a fabric store and they have prints that look like a zebra, lion, lepord and just have them cut several yards and all you would have to do is cut little bigger then the tables and sew the edges under for a seam. Also I have seen cute frames with black and white stipes that you could use for table placements for each family. Good Luck and Congrats!

Answer 8

If you're having an indoor wedding:
-large ferns and exotic flowers
-zebra striped ribbons
-bridesmaid dresses in leopard print
-men wear leopard print ties
-a safari themed wedding cake
-find a large stuffed lion to set next to the guest book

If you're getting married outside:
-have it in a flower garden or butterfly garden in a zoo
-if you have a job in the zoo, ask other zookeepers to stand around with large birds or animals from the zoo

Answer 9

Be inspired by Movies, Like Out of Africa or Coming to America.

http://www.take2weddings.com/themes/jungle.asp

Use Animal Prints or earthy colors or giveaways and Bright Golds & Reds to enhance things.
Make the food Buffet of an African nature - Like A Luao or just give the dishes unique names. Tiger Kebabs, and Monkey Brew

Heck Most Zoo's ect will allow you to rent out an area and that'd be a SUPER Treat.

Answer 10

First, I would like congratulate you on the engagement! I would recommend getting married outside. Have tiger lilies and other exotic flowers (orchids etc.) and plants. Depending on how adventurous you are you can go with animal print in for your table linens, chair covers even your aisle runner but if that is too much go with yellows and oranges to represent the outdoors. Then you could have a dance floor with many print rugs. Create a buffet and label they food with safari names like zebra meat, elephant salad etc. (of course it would actually be that). Table names could also be named after animals, place cards could also have some sort of leopard or zebra print. The cake could have prints on it, http://www.dreamcakesoc.com/cake_images/safari_thumb.jpg, like this. The attire could be yellow, orange maybe even prints. Your dress should be white but it doesn't have to be. The ties could be animal print etc. I would recommend for flatware to be solid colors but that is your choice. Your honeymoon vehicle could be some sort of zoo cart decorated with colorful ribbon. Your invitations could have animals on them or animal print. The music could be animal noises or you could hire an African drum band to do traditional African music. Lastly, check with local vendors about what all you can make safari themed. Congrats again and good luck!!