Are you and your honey both hardcore gamers? No shame in that. Here’s how to plan your dream arcade backyard wedding where everyone will have a blast!
The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is more than $30,000. If you’re a guest, you’ll be happy to know most of that money gets spent on making sure you have a good time.
But, what about the bride and groom?
With 41% paying at least part of their wedding costs and another 10% paying for all of it themselves, it’s no wonder that couples are choosing to have non-traditional weddings.
So, what constitutes a non-traditional wedding? In general, a wedding that’s not held in a religious institution. This could be a beach wedding or even on a family member’s property.
Sometimes, couples get really creative. How creative, you ask?
One of the newest trends this year is having a video-game themed wedding. And why not, with more than 50% of adults playing video games these days?
If you and your betrothed are gamers and are thinking of a unique idea for your nuptials, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at 10 ideas for an arcade backyard wedding that promises everyone will have a blast!
1. Set the Tone with Game-Inspired Invitations
The first thing you and your fianc? need to decide on is what kind of video game-inspired wedding will you have?
Will you be console specific? Will your favorite game be your inspiration?
Or, will you take your inspiration from our favorite bunch of kids from Hawkins, Indiana? You could have a true old-school backyard wedding by renting a Galaga arcade game.
After you figure out exactly what video game niche you’re going with, it’s time to start planning!
Get the party started right by kicking it off with game-inspired invitations. Your guest list will be intrigued — and blown away — when they receive your Mario-inspired invite in the mail.
You can even toss everyone some bonus coins and use your video game theme in your engagement photos or “save the date” cards.
2. Get Creative with The Dress
Picture this: The music starts, the guests stand and turn, and Princess Peach starts walking down the aisle!
Of course, you could always go with Princess Zelda, Princess Kitana, or Ashe. You don’t even have to go with a video game princess dress. Why not Mercy or Lara Croft? The sky’s the limit.
Whatever your favorite female character is, there’s a wedding dress inspiration waiting for you. You’ll just have to decide on going with a custom gown or the cosplay version.
3. Let Them Eat Cake
Cake has a reoccurring theme in video games — especially Nintendo titles. It’s also one of the jaw-dropping aspects of a wedding reception that everyone enjoys.
So, why not combine the two?
Instead of the traditional several-tiered white cake with delicate flowers, power up with a game-themed cake instead.
The hardest part of this will be picking out which amazing design to go with. You’ll also need to prepare yourself — customized cakes are even pricier than a normal wedding cake.
Don’t forget the wedding topper!
4. The Menu: So Many Options
A lot of couples love taste-testing all the different menu items available for their reception, but you’ll really love sampling a video game menu!
Think of your favorite game, then incorporate some of the treats into your menu. Even if you aren’t creative enough to come up with an entire menu, why not infuse some inspiration in the hors-d’oeuvres?
You could have mini strawberry cakes a la Harvest Moon or sea salt ice cream bars inspired by Kingdom Hearts II.
5. Transform Your Backyard Wedding into a Video Game
If you can think it, you know someone out there will make it.
Think about transforming your tent or wedding space into a video game location! There are so many iconic worlds to draw from.
Whichever you choose, start looking early — especially if you plan on recreating something intricate like The Forgotten Realms.
6. Entertainment? Level Up!
Forget paying a DJ hundreds of dollars to play a preset list. Put that money to better use. What’s better than listening to songs you’ve never heard of or liked on your special day?
Well, if you have a huge budget, you can set up monitors, consoles, a large catalog of games. You can create a video-game den at your reception!
Or, you can save yourself a lot of headaches and rent arcade games instead.
7. Centerpieces / Table Arrangements
Instead of boring flowers as centerpieces and plain-Jane place settings, you can take your love of gaming to the next level by going with your wedding theme.
People have recreated the iconic boxes from Super Mario Bros. with their guests name on the outside and filled with a treat.
You could have treasure boxes as centerpieces or even plants inspired by your favorite gaming world.
8. Flower Power
Forget roses and tulips. Why not Fire Flowers or sunflowers?
Circling back to centerpieces — if you aren’t afraid of terrifying pint-sized guests, how about putting Plant 42’s on all the tables?
There are flowers in plants in almost every video game, and each one has a special meaning. What do you want your flowers to say about you?
9. Photo Props
Everyone has photo booths at their reception these days. But you can take it to another level by putting your own video game spin on it.
Have props at the ready for your guests to indulge in your theme with masks or hats. Talk to the sales rep and find out if they have any video game theme downloads to make the photos even more personalized.
10. Ice Sculptures
A wedding ice sculpture usually comes across as a little too extra. But, if you’ve always dreamed of having one on your special day, a video game-inspired one will be the perfect touch.
How’s That for a Gamer-Inspired Backyard Wedding?
One of the best parts of video games is that you’re transported to a realm where you can live out your adventure fantasy. So, if you and your soon-to-be are both into gaming, why not bring a touch of that world into your wedding?
Your backyard wedding spot can transform into any video game world or location you can imagine. You just have to use your imagination!
If you still aren’t sure about how to pull this off, give us a call at 1-800-757-6332! We have arcade games to rent, photo booths, inflatables, and more.
If you can think it, we can help you reach your goal. What else would you expect from a company named Fantasy World?
To see more of what we bring to your wedding or event, check out our media page.