How to Plan a Hippie Wedding

Plan the hippie wedding of your dreams.

A wedding is an event to remember. So when it comes time to plan your own, don't limit yourself to only the traditional. Make the day one that captures your personality. And if what you are is a hippie at heart, longing for the days of Woodstock and incense, don't be afraid to bring some "flower power" to your nuptials. With a little planning and some imagination, you can have the grooviest of all hippie weddings.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Select your wedding dress. Many vintage clothing stores have dresses from the late '60s and early '70s. Another option is to have a seamstress design and make a hippie wedding dress. You could even create one of your own by buying a plain white cotton dress that would have been worn in that era and tie dying it. (Fabric and discount stores sell tie-dye kits and supplies. Follow the directions on the package.) If you opt for a tie-dyed dress, be sure to go barefoot for that added touch. Or, instead of a dress, you could wear faded bell-bottom jeans with patches of happy faces and peace signs. Make sure your toes can barely be seen when you walk down the aisle--hippies' jeans dragged on the ground.

2. Select dresses (or jeans) for your bridesmaids and flower girl. If you're wearing a vintage wedding dress, the wedding party's outfits can be tie-dyed instead.

3. Select what the men in the wedding party will be wearing. Vintage clothing stores should have a wide selection of era-specific suits with wide collars to choose from. Or you could opt for more bell-bottom jeans. The groomsmen can even go shirtless, wearing vintage vests and large medallion necklaces.

4. Decide on the types of flowers you want. Wildflowers make wonderful bouquets, and they also look beautiful in a bride's hair. Although silk flowers can be lovely, fresh flowers would be best for a hippie wedding.

5. Select your wedding cake. A traditional white cake covered in flowers or peace signs and happy faces would make a beautiful centerpiece. You could opt for a cake frosted in psychedelic colors or even a cake with a tie-dyed look. Many bakeries can decorate cakes to meet their clients' needs.

6. Remember all the slogans and trends of that era when planning and making your decorations, and incorporate them wherever possible. Use all of the colors of the rainbow for a truly psychedelic effect.

7. Decide on the menu for the reception. A potluck buffet would impart a sense of communal living. An outdoor picnic can create the appropriate aura of nature and freedom.

8. Choose a band that specializes in Woodstock classic rock for the musical entertainment. Or you can make a mixed CD of tracks by The Mamas and The Papas, The Beatles and Janis Joplin to play in the background.

9. Depart for your honeymoon in a classic muscle car. Or you and your soul mate could grab hands and run off, barefoot, into the future together, your true vehicle parked out of sight.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't lose sight of your budget.

• Hire a wedding coordinator to help with all the little details.