An 80's Theme Wedding Can Be Awesome

I am a wedding DJ, so I see lots of weddings. Did you ever notice that later on in life, the many weddings you have attended all seem to blend together in your memory bank?

If you really think about it, the traditional wedding with tuxedos and the big white dress is a theme now, in itself. Everyone does it. So if you really want to be different, you have to take a risk.

If you remember the 80s and grew up in this crazy time, having a theme-based wedding set in the 80s can be, like, a totally awesome idea. This campy decade saw the rise of Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and even one-hit-wonders like Nu Shoes. Here is an across-the-board comprehensive idea list of 80s wedding theme tips that will make your 1980s wedding stand out and be momorable for years to come.

INVITATIONS – when you send out your RSVP’s, setting the mood from the start. A great way to figure out what your invitations should look like is to research 80s pictures on Google Images. Looking at pictures will give the opportunity to really examine the marvelous neons and pastels that are the trademarks of this colorful time. Pictures will also bring overall ideas to the table.

Color schemes of the 80's and images for your information are key. Any that you choose to pick are great, but just remember to tell everyone to dress in the 80s, or even to come dressed as their favorite 80′s star.

ENTRANCE – You know that your wheels are everything. If you can find one, it would kick to drive in, a blast from the past, in a "Back to The Future" DeLorean as your limo! (A DeLorean complete with a flux-capacitor would be even better.) A Trans-Am or any iconic 80s ride would also work. Imagine how “rad" a Knight Rider entrance would be! If you need something bigger, a customized A-team van is the way to go.


CLOTHING IDEAS- TV proved to be the biggest inspiration behind 1980′s fashion, as a whole. For a wedding with an 80's theme, I would suggest black and white lace like Madonna for the brides maids. For the groomsmen, think Duran Duran meets Miami Vice; smooth pastel-colored jackets with the sleeves rolled all the way up to the elbow.

The key to success in a theme wedding is to encourage guest participation. Have your guests dress up to fit the role. If they ask for what is appropriate, some trends worth mentioning include: bleached and torn up jeans, fancy neon legwarmers, heavy eyeliner and excessive makeup, and teased up hair styles. For trendy 80's accessories, pull out the Risky Business sunglasses, jelly bracelet’s, and the beautiful Swatch-watches.

Some guests will not plan to dress up, but will wish they once they get there after seeing the other guests. For the unprepared guests, make sure to have a stashed duffle bag full of extra jelly bracelets, ugly bright neon t-shirts, fishnet gloves and punk rock wigs.

Your clothing can really make or break the 80s theme. Opt to break... breakdance that is. The 80s wasn't only rock. Hip hop became very popular in this timeframe. Another way to go is to have the guys dress up in "mack-daddy" Adidas jumpsuits and Run-DMC gold chains, you know, def dookie ropes, and maybe some Kool Moe Dee sunglasses. Your Fly Girls need baggy overalls, big buckle belts and stupid fresh gold jewelry. Word up!

WORD LISTS - Get people talking. Try putting 1980′s dictionary sheets around the dinner tables comeplete with all the slang and catch phrases you can find. Valley Girl was huge back then, dude… Narrly.

DECORATIONS – If you are going to go 80’s, why not go all the way? Try pink and blue streamers all over the room, like they did at the dances in all the teen movies. Or, perhaps, decorate everything in neons and pastels.

Make sure you check with theh all before pinning up anything. If they are against posting, you can always use foam boards and make little displays. Once you have a means to display stuff, go crazy. Put up posters and pictures of Indiana Jones, Back To The Future, Footlose, Silver Spoons, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, and The Ninja Turtles are a must. Old Teen Beat magazines pin-ups and pull-out magazine posters.

You could also post vintage 80′s clothes like band shirts, pearl-encrusted Michael Jackson gloves or leather zipper jackets. Other iconic findings like Cabbage Patch Kids, cardboard cutouts and movie posters like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club and Revenge of the Nerds.

Another good idea is to incorporate music into your décor. That’s what it is all about, right? Look for 1980’s record singles, that’s right, 45′s from the eighties and hang them everywhere, from the light fixtures to the head table.

FAVORS - Another idea for the nostalgic romantics, why not make Custom Mix tapes? If cassette tapes feel too much of a waste of time to you, you can cheat. Burn a CD with top 80’s movies and tv show themes, as well as some of the number one hits of this era.

CENTERPIECES & TABLE FUN – Who needs confetti? How about tossing garbage pail kids collecting cards all over the tables? You can also decorate your tables with 80's album covers and the 45 singles themselves.

A basket full of 80’s retro junk is totally awesome. As a centerpiece, a bin full of 80’s goodies would make for great past-times and conversation pieces. Make sure to include magic eight balls, rubik’s cubes, pop rocks, Star Wars and He-Man toys and whatever else yard sales and eBay can help you find.

You can give your centerpiece away with a Rubik’s Cube Contest. Locally, Yankee Dollar and The Dollar Stores now have pretty decent Rubik Cube knock-offs available. While the Rubik Contest could be done several ways, probably the best and quickest payoff is to award the winner as being whoever can solve the most sides done within one particular song.

ACTIVITY OPTIONS – You can still have a great time with your traditional bouquet and garter toss activities, but have the DJ work in songs of this time. There are other 80s activities you can do as well. Once the dancing begins, an impromptu “Breakdance Contest,” is also a must-have at an 80’s wedding.

Jeopardy Challenge – During the meal, Jeopardy questions could become a big party favorite. All you need are some standard 80s trivia questions, here and there, and the people will love it. (Make sure to ask your DJ if he can grow an Alex Trebek mustache to sport during the audio daily double.)

Lip synching was a big deal in the eighties. There was even a show dedicated to it. This activity could be a great option for your temem wedding as well. Since many guests will be dressed in gear anyhow, you could put the spotlight on a few of your guests and hand them a microphone. I can already picture a Risky Business Tom Cruise impersonation.

Name that Tune - Or even better, Name That 80′s Theme. Before the dancing portion of the reception, the DJ could play a sample of an 80′s television show theme for whoever is paying attention, and the first correct guess, wins some cheesy eighties toy.

Drinking Games - Take The Pepsi Challenge! Coke vs. Pepsi: Can your guests tell the difference, blindfolded? Pour some rum in one of the glasses last second and then you can really get the party going!

Also, if youc an get a bartender like the ones in Cocktails, who flip the bottles all over the place, this would be a great added extra touch.

Video Game Challenges - Remember the ATARI 2600?! Atari just recently released a new game system with the the old feel. It's a pretty black and wood grain, and comes complete with all of the old school games built in and the original joysticks. The new "Atari Classic system" plugs right into the a/c jack. Imagine having a Asteroids, Combat, or Space Invaders on big screen TV, or digitally projected on the wall, during the cocktail hour. If you have the big bucks, how about renting or even buying an original 1982 Pacman arcade game by the bar?

Picture Booths - A lot of people rent photo booths for weddings now, and set up a table of little props to make the instant pictures come out even more interesting. The wedding photo booth has really turned into a fun ongoing activity at weddings and can be a big smash at any theme wedding.

MUSIC IDEAS - A year or two ago, I posted a great music list here to help you get your 80's on, appropriately. Here is a link to that list of songs that jump started MTV back, in the day.

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE TOP 100 80's MUSIC PLAYLIST


For more of our wedding tips, msic lists and reviews by DJ Kenny Casanova ... check out www.theDJservice.com


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