Themed weddings are becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. From fairytale castles to rustic barns, the possibilities are endless. But how to plan a themed wedding that’s both creative and personal, yet tasteful and classy? Check out Joanne and Luke’s fabulous Lord of the Rings themed wedding – the perfect combination of intricate planning and thoughtful DIY touches.
The Inspiration & Wedding Planning
Luke and I are both self-styled Mega Geeks. We love everything fantasy and our home is filled with memorabilia, figurines and books etc. We met at London Film & Comic Con, where I was dressed in a costume she had made as Daenerys from Game of Thrones. For our wedding we needed to find a theme that suited both the venue and was a passion for both of us in equal measure.
We tried to infuse our themes throughout the wedding without being too over-the-top and were absolutely thrilled with the result, which we felt really reflected us and our passions. Lots of guests commented that the days was very “us”, which was lovely to hear. everyone had a wonderful time!
The Venue
Had we chosen a castle venue, Game of Thrones was the obvious choice of theme, but when we found Bourton Hall we absolutely fell in love and no other venue then would do!
It did, however, require a theme re-think, and so we picked the obvious (to us): Lord of the Rings! A lifelong obsession for both of us – both the books and the wonderful movie trilogy, as well as The Hobbit – it was a theme we could both throw ourselves in to fully! We felt it lent beautifully to the gorgeous wood panelling and natural feel of the venue and lent to decorating with wonderful greenery, white, natural flowers and wooden accessories.
The Decor
Luckily, Luke is an artist (check out his beautiful creations here), which meant we could design so much of our stationery ourselves (and saved a fortune in the process!).
He created our invitation suite entirely from scratch using the fonts and styles of the Lord of the Rings, and even wood-burned our table names himself, all places from the world of Tolkien.
Our top table was Rivendell, complete with a golden dragon to keep an eye on us. We couldn’t find an actual Smaug, so Viserion from Game of Thrones did a wonderful job of filling in for him!
Luke also created an amazing table plan, fitting in with the maps of Middle Earth (Rivendell, Erebor, Hobbiton, Mordor, Lothlorien and so on), which everyone commented on!
We decorated the lounge tables with piles of old books rather than flowers to give the area a cosy, “Hobbity” theme, and hidden around the beautiful floristry were some little hanging Hobbit holes.
We created some guest bags to go in the rooms of our guests that stayed overnight, and made labels for items with relevant quotes from the books to decorate. And finally, we had a photo booth in the evening, for which we collected various Lord of the Rings related props and costumes which leant to some wonderfully funny moments in the evening!
The Accessories
I had ordered a replica of Galadriel’s Nenya ring to wear on the day, which came in a beautiful wooden carved box. I also contacted Weta Workshop (who created all the props, costumes, and pretty much everything for the films), and they very kindly sent a second ring box – which we were completely blown away by – so that both the bride and groom’s rings could be kept in style!
Some little finishing touches were Luke’s cufflinks, handmade little wooden Hobbit holes which were a Father’s Day gift from Charlie, who also had a Leaf of Lorien brooch on his little suit.
The Music
We created playlists including music from all of our favourite films and TV shows.
Whilst waiting for the bride to arrive, there were some Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings musical pieces, and during the wedding breakfast we had created a playlist using acoustic versions of various themes, including Harry Potter, Star Wars and even Pokémon!
Joanne and Luke’s Suppliers
- Venue: Bourton Hall
- Photography: The Kensington Photographer
- Stationery, table names, artwork, paper flowers: Luke Fielding
- Bride’s dress and accessories: TDR Bridal Birmingham
- Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits: TDR Menswear Birmingham
- Floristry: Solihull Wedding Creations
- Hair and makeup – Louise A’Ness Makeup Artist
- Little boys’ suits: Next
- Rings: H Samuel (Joanne’s) & Ernest Jones (Luke’s)
- Ring boxes: Weta Workshop
If you’re looking for a wedding that’s personal to you and your partner, why not have a fantasy-themed wedding of your own? With careful thought and plenty of research, you can – like Joanne and Luke – incorporate your favourite elements in a manner that’s both creative yet tasteful.
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