When thinking about the circus you will almost always think of big marquee tents, bright colours, flashing lights and entertainment. In this post we will go over how you can translate those ideas into reality for your Cape Town circus themed wedding.
Colours
A circus themed wedding will give you more room to play with colours. Weddings tend to feature a lot of white. While you would still use a lot of white a circus largely makes use of the 3 primary colours red, yellow and blue. The emphasis on red while yellow and blue serve to add contrast.
Circus Invites
Every wedding needs wedding invites. They should be informative, visually appealing and let your guests know what to expect on the day. Your circus themed invite could be designed like a flyer or another creative circus wedding invite idea is to design them to look like tickets.
Circus Fonts
Getting the right font will be key to setting the mood. Don’t be afraid to mix and match between fonts. These fonts would be used for all of your stationery from invites to table seating plans and every where in between. Below is a short list of circus fonts available for download so you can test with how your names will look in a circus style.
Font name: Egyptienne Zierinitialien
Download Egyptienne Zierinitialien
Font name: Cast Iron
Download Cast Iron
Font name: Carnivalee Freakshow
Download Carnivalee Freakshow
Font name: Coffee Tin
Download Coffee Tin
Tent / Marquee Rental
Marquee tents come into an array of sizes and styles. It is important to understand the number of guests and style before looking for a tent. You will need to pick a venue with enough space for a tent who also provides adequate facilities. Obviously depending on the size the prices will vary between R2 000 and R20 000.
Cape Town has a lot of companies who offer marquee tent hire. Not all of them will fit the circus theme though so make sure you ask the right questions. You can start your search at http://stretchinc.co.za/ or http://www.capemarquee.co.za/. Some companies include lighting, flooring or draping set up in their price. This will be important for budgeting and also attaching anything yourself may compromise the tent structure.
Decor Ideas
Lead the way in with a red carpet. The benefits of a red carpet is, it instantly tells your guests where to go. It also provides a stunning visual effect and ties into your red circus theme. Draping is another easy way to add colour to your marquee tent. Tie up some large balloons around the tent and especially at the entrance with a welcome board.
For your table center pieces why not place a couple of flowers inside a popcorn bag. Balloons will work well too, hanging just above your guests eye line.
Treat your guests to candy wedding favours and snacks. Hire candy jars filled with red & white sweets. Get a popcorn machine making your guests fresh popcorn on the go. If the weather is good have ice-cream served with a napkins that match your colours. Another option is candy apples wrapped and tied with ribbon ready for your guests to take home.
Entertainment
Keeping your guests entertained can be difficult especially when you off having photos taken. A circus theme will play well with all most any type of entertainment.
Hire 2 jugglers who can entertain small groups. Get your guests involved by having your jugglers teach the basics. They could then end their night off together, juggling items between the 2 of them.
If you having a night time wedding hire a fire act. Fire acts range from fire breathing, fire swallowing and fire dancing. If your venue does not permit fire acts you can opt for a led light dancer. While the led alternative does not feel as dangerous the various colour options make up for it.
If none of that suits your crowd have a close up magician perform a couple tricks in small groups. Similar to how you would see bar magicians walk up to 3-5 people, entertain them for a few minutes before moving to the next group.
We all know selfies will be taken but how can you take it to a new level? Have a couple warped carnival mirrors set up, also know as magic mirrors. You know the ones where it makes it look like you a tiny person with a massive head depending on the angle. This will guarantee tons of photos.
A circus wedding is something your guests will remember. While its not for everyone it is certainly a crowd pleasure. Hopefully this post has kicked started your circus inspired wedding. Feel like we missed something or have something to add? Comment below.
