Kick off your marriage with a sports-themed wedding

Stereo-typically, guys are the ones who love sports, but there’s no rule that says a girl has to be all dresses and lace.  Girls can love sports just as much! If you and your partner are sports fanatics, consider having a sports-themed wedding! There are many great ways to incorporate sports into your reception and plenty of ways to keep your guests entertained with this theme. You can choose almost any season, depending on which sport you pick, of course!

Color Palette

It’s easy to pick a color scheme for a sports themed wedding.  Simply pull from your favorite college or pro team! And since most teams’ colors don’t clash, you won’t have to worry about overwhelming your guests’ senses with color.  Be sure to stick to two main colors and limit your accents colors to ensure your palette is cohesive throughout your wedding.

Favors & Decor

You have tons of options here: sport-shaped cookies, baseball cards, peanuts and cracker jacks, or even hacky-sacks as a nod to college. Homemade treats like chocolate buckeyes are a great way to tie in the name of a sports team such as the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Don't forget the decorations.  Try to incorporate as many team related details as possible.  The cake, banners, streamers, tablecloths, flowers, and napkins all come together to tell a story.  For a unique twist, items like personalized cups and team pennant banners double as both decoration and guest favors.

Invitations

Start out by ensuring your guests are prepared for a sports theme: design invitations or save-the-dates to look like tickets to a sporting event or baseball cards.

Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties

Make team jerseys with names like bride, groom, maid-of-honor, and best man.  Have both parties go to a game together and then split up for the after party.

The Guest Book

Instead of having your guests sign a traditional book, have them sign a football/basketball/soccer ball, jersey, or helmet. This will look great displayed on a mantel after the wedding!

Location

Consider having your wedding and/or reception in a stadium. Imagine getting married on the 50 yard line or on home plate. You won’t have to worry about decorating, the menu (most stadiums require you to use their own caterers), or having enough space for everyone. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to reserve the stadium at least a year in advance.

Reception

Have plenty of games for your guests to play – backyard football, cornhole/bags, and Frisbee are all great games your guests can enjoy.

If you’re getting married on a game day, consider having a TV in the reception hall so you can all cheer on your team. You’ll have to schedule your first dance, cutting the cake, and other traditions for the commercials, though, so make sure your DJ plans for this.

Image Credits: Redskins Jersey, Football Cups, Bachelorette Jerseys, Baseball Wedding

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.