Last updated on May 11th, 2025
Getting married? Want to arrange an opulent affair that will live on in not only your memories, but everyone who attends, memories forevermore? Here’s what you need to do:
Setting the Stage
Imagine you, decked out in tulle and sequins, stepping onto a red carpet that would make Hollywood jealous. That’s your cue to start planning an opulent wedding day. It’s not about breaking the bank, it’s about sprinkling fairy dust on every detail. First up, choose a wedding venue that feels less like a hall and more like a storybook palace. Think grand staircases, manicured gardens and ceilings so high you’ll worry about vertigo. If you fancy, you can even suggest guests stay in luxury wedding hotels nearby so everyone can gossip about your ceremony over champagne at breakfast.
Guest Glamour
Your guests deserve their moment of glory, too. Send invitations printed on heavy cardstock with gold foil—no one needs an app invitation for this occasion. Encourage guests to dress in their finest; if someone turns up in jeans, simply assume they misunderstood the dress code. Place name cards that do more than just point them to their seat. Perhaps include a witty quip or brief horoscope prediction for entertainment. Nothing says ‘opulence’ like witty commentary on Aunt Marge’s decision to wear neon pink.
Décor and Details
This is where your inner magpie comes out. You might choose oversized floral installations that rival the Taj Mahal’s gardens or cluster candles in every nook so the venue looks like a woodland glade at dusk. Don’t be shy with crystals and mirrors. If it reflects light, it belongs on your table. Consider a dessert station with edible gold leaf and macarons in pastel shades that coordinate with your theme. And if your florist raises an eyebrow at your request for peonies flown in from a specific farm in Japan, just remind them that the budget is a suggestion.
Feasting Like Royalty
Forget the usual chicken or beef. Go for a tasting menu that showcases five courses of culinary wizardry. Options could include beetroot carpaccio with fennel pollen, lobster thermidor served tableside and a cheese trolley that looks like it’s competing in a beauty pageant. Serve it on fine china imported from an estate sale in Florence. Lastly, rather than a basic dessert buffet, present a chocolate fountain shaped like an abstract sculpture. Your guests will Instagram it before they even think to taste it.
Entertainment and Fun
You might hire a harpist for the ceremony and switch to a jazz quartet for drinks, but why stop there? Consider magicians popping up between canapé trays or a caricaturist sketching guests as they flirt with the bar. For night owls, arrange a silent disco on the lawn. Guests don wireless headphones and dance beneath fairy lights in an otherworldly glow. It’s a great way to avoid noise complaints while simultaneously looking like an end-of-the-world rave.
Rest and Recharge
After all the glitz, ensure you have a sanctuary ready. A honeymoon suite in one of those luxury wedding hotels nearby provides the perfect backdrop for collapse. Think deep soaking tubs, plush robes and room service capable of delivering croissants at dawn. With caffeine in hand, you and your new spouse can relive every over-the-top moment in peace.
There you have it—your blueprint for an opulent wedding day that your guests will talk about for decades. Now, raise a glass of champagne and toast your impending married life, secure in the knowledge that you’ve absolutely nailed the art of extravagant celebration.Saved to Drive
