Photo: cacasantoro.com
When Jennifer Landa married Joshua Busch in Los Angeles early in 2015, she probably didn’t expect images of their wedding to pop up around the world, courtesy of the internet. But that’s what happens when you opt for a Star Wars-themed wedding that manages to combine both elements of the iconic film series with an overall look that’s still – in a word – “classy”.
“From the moment we started planning, my now-husband and I decided that we wanted our wedding to be intimate, fun, and a reflection of who we are as a couple,” Jennifer later explained. “In terms of the details and decor, we tried to create an atmosphere that was whimsical, romantic, and modern. Since I’m a lifelong Star Wars fan, I knew I had to incorporate my fandom into some of the wedding details.”
For the most part, however, the details were quite subtle: a sparkling Stormtrooper belt as part of Jennifer’s dress; her flower girls’ hair styled with Princess Leia “buns”; reception guests sat at tables designated for the likes of “Jedi”, “Rebel”, “Droid” or “X-Wing Pilot”; plus a discreet white-icing Millennium Falcon flying onto the top tier of the wedding cake.
That said, she couldn’t entirely resist the more obvious: her “cherry on the top” was having two Stormtroopers who greeted guests, escorted the bride up the isle and stood guard throughout the entire ceremony. Guests at the evening reception were given their own lightsabers; and, to Jennifer’s surprise, her father dressed up as Darth Vader – complete with breathing apparatus and lightsaber – for their dance together.
Importantly, Jennifer and Joshua’s big day still looked like a wedding, rather than a cosplay convention. (Though that’s fine too, if it’s what you really want!) “We both felt so loved and grateful to have all our family and friends there celebrating with us,” Jennifer added. “It was the perfect way to begin our new life together!”
“What made this specific wedding special was that the themed details were consistent with the elegant style of the wedding and the personality of the couple, so it was the perfect mix of geek and chic,” says photographer Cacá Santoro, who led the happy couple and their Stormtrooper escort onto the streets of downtown LA as part of their wedding portraits. “In general, what makes a photogenic wedding, in my opinion, is having the right amount of details that reflect the couple’s personality to make it interesting and unique but not overwhelming.”
While the traditional aspects of a wedding still have great appeal, more couples than ever before are looking to personalise certain aspects of the day by incorporating elements that express their particular interests. Given that several generations have now grown up watching the numerous Star Wars films – the first released back in 1977 – it’s hardly surprising that George Lucas’s iconic tales of Good versus Evil in “a galaxy far, far away” are now inspiring more and more people’s weddings.
“People are increasingly expressing their passions in their wedding cakes,” accepts Sammy Harrison, of Truly Scrumptious Designer Cakes in Linlithgow. “It can range from a subtle reference, which is just a nod, to a full-blown four-tier black-iced Batman cake! Sometimes people want to have a classically elegant three- or four-tier cake, but maybe place character figures on every tier. Sometimes, they just want a little in-joke subtly placed.”
Harrison hasn’t yet been asked to make a Star Wars-themed wedding cake, although some of its characters have already featured in birthday cakes she and her team have produced in recent years. Still, it’s probably only a matter of time. “Usually the customers have an idea and they bring images with them for us to use as reference, and we’ll interpret them in cake and sugar, but of course help with researching if they say they’re struggling for ideas to incorporate, we can certainly come up with new ideas for them,” she adds.
It’s worth noting that if you really want a somewhat more “bespoke” cake for your big day, it’s best to plan well ahead. Not that everyone does. “People book from between two years and two months in advance; the average for us is between six and 12 months, and that includes the kind of cakes we’re talking about,” Harrison says. “The style of cake doesn’t seem to affect the lead-times that people expect.”
Not that having a Yoda or Darth Vader cake is your only option. As websites such as Pinterest and Etsy clearly show, wedding organisers have no shortage these days when it comes to sourcing Star Wars-themed wedding paraphernalia, even in the UK. You can purchase Star Wars-inspired confetti, Star Wars-styled wedding invitations and cards, and even beautifully made Death Star or droid-styled “his” and “her” wedding rings. Many of these reference the famous scene from The Empire Strikes Back (1980) in which plucky heroine Princess Leia tells the roguish Hans Solo: “I love you.” (His characteristic, and seemingly anti-romantic response, improvised by actor Harrison Ford while filming, was: “I know.”)
Brides can wear a Star Wars wedding garter, while grooms can opt for Stormtrooper cufflinks; happy couples can raise a toast with Star Wars-styled champagne glasses, or subsequently rest their weary heads on “His and Her” pillows – again riffing on that “I love you”/“I know” theme and the films’ distinctive title font. Hand out sufficient lightsabers and any couple, no matter how they’re dressed, can progress through a neon processional archway. If you’re really splashing out, you can even deck out your venue with an aisle runner complete with romantic message in the style of the films’ scrolling introductions!
While there are a huge range of Star Wars fancy dress costumes available to buy and to hire, many are perhaps of the slightly cheap-looking, one-size-fits-all variety, so if that’s your preference than it pays to be careful, and to individualise them where possible. Arguably, if you’re such Star Wars fans that you already have your own costumes, then one option – which can help keep the costs down – is to follow the lead of Duncan Thomson and Sammi Gardner who, in 2009, invited family and friends to dress up as characters from the films. Not only that, but they exchanged vows inspired by some of their favourite scenes: so, for example, Duncan promised to protect his wife “from carbon freezing and promise to protect you from the Dark Side, through hyperspace and into the far reaches of the galaxy.”
Given the number of costumes among the congregation, Duncan and Sammi’s celebration certainly stands towards the more extreme end of Star Wars-themed weddings, but you could follow them in a more subtle manner too. The date they chose was what is increasingly known as Star Wars Day – 4th May. Not because it was the date on which any of the films were originally released, as it turns out; it’s simply down to the potential pun on arguably Star Wars’ most famous phrase: “May the Force be with you.” If that’s the date you choose, you can forever afterwards reference it as “May the Fourth be with you!”
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First published in Tie the Knot Scotland, January/February 2015, #43.
