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.

For an evening indoor-wedding reception string up clear Christmas lights from the ceiling, to mimic a starry night on the open range. Place white pillar candles in jelly jars, and set them about the reception site, for romantic lighting. For more cowboy details place old pairs of cowboy boots (thoroughly cleaned first) around the reception site, as well as old wagon wheels and tin lanterns. The cowboy boots can double as vases, by placing plastic or glass jars inside with bouquets of fresh flowers.

Cowboy Wedding Dinner

A cowboy wedding wouldn't be complete without some rib-stickin' down home food. Hearty dishes, such as beef chili and barbeque ribs go great with lighter fare, such as fresh greens, fruit platters, and salads. Serve authentic cowboy fare, such as cornbread, grilled steaks and baked beans along with dried apple pie and hot coffee. For beverages, a root beer punch is a fun non-alcoholic selection, while grown-ups can enjoy specialty drinks made with whiskey and gin.

The wedding cake can be adorned with fresh wild flowers (be sure they are organic so they are edible) and topped with a pair of miniature cowboy boots. Accompany the cake with homemade ice cream, or root beer floats. Along with cake (or in place of cake) serve fudgy nut brownies, jam turnovers, or old fashioned bread pudding.

A cowboy themed wedding reception can be as elegant and formal as a traditional wedding, or it can be as informal as a backyard barbeque. The choice is yours.