Folktale Themed Wedding

A folktale themed wedding ceremony is one of a kind and truly magical. A gallant horse with a beautiful wreath of posies, a cake decorated in peonies – these are just two ways to create a magical wedding full of lore. The photos in this wedding portray a German folktale theme and are a wonderful starting point for your folktale wedding plan.

Planning a wedding in Manchester, with its stately architecture like the Manchester Cathedral and lovely green spaces in the Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden, is going to be a fun task. Imagine a luxurious mansion or a medieval church as your wedding venue, and add your special folktale themed touch!

What to Look for in a Venue for a Folktale Theme Wedding

Consider a German folktale theme, and opt for a wedding venue with gazebos, open spaces, green backdrops, or hilly locations. Sticking as close as possible to a natural area will allow you to decorate the surrounding expanse to fit the theme.

It is also ideal to select a venue that will enable indoor and outdoor access to the wedding party so that everyone can enjoy the German folktale inspiration. To make the wedding venue look more authentic, deck the space with roses, lily of the valley, wooden furnishings, and folktale-style furniture.

Wedding Invitations for a Folktale Theme Wedding

Wedding invitations can be highly personalised for a folktale theme. The invites set the tone for the whole wedding. Couples who choose this theme can opt for caricatures on the invitation cards in the forms of their preferred characters and include all the details of the wedding, reception, and other festivities in a gorgeous script.

This is also the time to convey any colour themes or special dress codes to the invitees. Couples should be aware that while presenting the invites, they may be served scrambled eggs to honor the age-old German folk wedding tradition of never leaving a couple hungry!

Wedding Dresses & Accessories for a Folktale Theme Wedding

German folktale theme inspired shoots can be fun! The dresses and accessories should match accordingly. Typical German brides opt for white wedding dresses in a ballgown style. Traditionally, German brides do not opt for long trains and instead go for fingertip veils. Folktale inspiration for accessories for both bride and groom is usually centered around traditional bracelets, rings, and white ribbons for the brides. The groom can wear suspenders or garters and hats with the rest of the wedding party.

Accessories in orange, and headdresses in regional flowers are lovely for the bride and her party, and edelweiss for all the men is a common accessory. You can also borrow the orange socks and kerchiefs from popular German folktales to create the look.

Food for a Folktale Theme Wedding

German wedding food revolves around great taste and presentation. With time, most of the ingredients, methods of prep, and individual preferences have evolved. However, the fun and beauty of enjoying a traditional folktale inspired feast still remain. Die Hochzeitssuppe, which roughly translates to wedding soup, is usually served as the first course. It is traditionally a chicken broth with vegetables but has been adapted to suit different palates over time.

The remaining dishes are a mix of wedding food from children’s folktales and other happy tales told by elders and grandparents. Remember to include lots of sweets, fruitcakes, and beer on the menu!

Bouquets & Boutonnieres for a Folktale Theme Wedding

A bouquet of German wedding flowers will add beauty and authenticity to the big day. Flowers like orchids, lily of the valley, and roses are age-old choices. Traditionally, a bride carries a hand-tied floral bouquet given to her by her fiancé at the ceremony. According to lore, the bridegroom wears a boutonniere of edelweiss (a native wildflower of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria).

Once the ceremony is complete (like in many countries), all the unmarried women line up behind the bride, and the floral bouquet is thrown backward sight unseen. It is said that whoever catches the bridal bouquet is next to get married! You can cheat and have your best friends stand in front of the crowd for some good-natured fun.

Reception Decor for a Folktale Theme Wedding

Folktale theme inspired wedding receptions are incomplete without a brewery. Couples who opt for a brewery as a wedding venue should visit the local converted barns or functional breweries to host their receptions. The reception decor and floral decorations could match the wedding theme with a German band playing traditional wedding songs.

For the wedding reception decor, the band can also dress up in stylish lederhosen to add to the lively and upbeat wedding atmosphere. The table decor should be a mix of colours and flowers to fall in with the theme of a dreamy folktale inspired wedding.

Details for a Folktale Theme Wedding

The most vital parts to remember about details like the wedding dress are authenticity and originality. You can borrow heavily from your favourite folktale for the wedding dress as the bride. Many brides will make a list of everything from the dress to the place settings in order to get the details just so.

Another purely German tradition is that brides start collecting pennies (even before getting engaged) to purchase their wedding shoes! This age-old custom of Hochzeit Schuhe (purchase of the wedding shoes with pennies) is that she always starts with the right foot forward.

Portrait Props for a Folktale Theme Wedding

Some excellent portrait props are the age-old traditions of Baumstamm sägen or sawing a tree log. How does this make sense? It is meant for the newly wedded husband and wife to show their love and commitment to overcoming obstacles together. Once they pass this challenge, the prop can be used for some fantastic wedding photo shoots.

Another fabulous prop for the folktale inspired wedding is the strategic placement of smashed ceramic plates and dishes. This is done as part of the Polterabend ritual to signify that negative spirits are repelled from the ceremony. The prop photo shoot can show the bride and groom cleaning up the pieces and posing for funny shots with a broom and a dustpan!

Wedding Cake Ideas for a Folktale Theme Wedding

Kaffee and Kuchen (coffee and cake - lots of it!) are considered homely and personal, yet significantly in line with the wedding theme. German folktales have a tradition slightly varied from regular weddings, where family members, friends, and loved ones bring lots of different cakes for the couple.

Different types of flavored cakes, coffees from other regions, and a mix of slices are what make folktale inspired weddings so unique. Why spend so much money on a single cake when you can have fun while cutting and eating fifteen or twenty delicious cakes?

Outdoor Wedding Ideas for a Folktale Theme Wedding

German folktale theme inspired wedding venues should ideally be outdoors. The location should add beauty and magic to the wedding theme and be extremely special. When considering wedding venues, couples should opt for rustic cottages, wineries, old barns, and of course, castles!

Outdoor wedding venues with spectacular views will make all the wedding photos look more authentic and help stick with the folktale inspired theme of the wedding. When searching for wedding venues, you should ensure that you know the history of the place, if they have accommodation for guests (if needed), and functional washrooms and areas to freshen up.

German Folktale Editorial

Set at Burg Graefgenstein – a 13th century castle near Dusseldorf in Germany, this stylish bohemian wedding inspiration shoot from Vicki Grafton Photography was among my favourites in the first edition print issue of the Magnolia Rouge Magazine!

Dreamed up to take place during her stay in Germany with Stefanie Kapra Photography, this editorial is overflowing with unique details, gorgeous floral design, and a certain kind of age-old magic that only German folktales have.

Wasn’t that inspiration shoot amazing? I just adore it. The horse’s floral garland, perfect natural lighting, the big pink peony on the cake, and the bright orange balloons – it’s all so wonderful. And that groom? He’s just as stylish as the bride!

Credits: Photography: Vicki Grafton Photography // Planning & Design Coordination: Frieda Theres // Floral Design: Lily Deluxe Blumen // Calligraphy & Paper Goods: Betsy Dunlap // Headpiece & Belt: Emmy Ray Designs // Dress: Perera / Rusche // Hair & Makeup: Les Allures // Cake: Dehly & deSander // Horse: Palmito und Conrads Hoss // Venue: Burg Graefgenstein in Eggerscheidt, Germany.