Inspiration for a Football-Themed Wedding

The England Men's Team has reached the final of a major tournament for the first time in more than 50 years. If you and your partner are both football mad, or if, like so many of us, you’ve caught the bug during the Euro 2020 tournament, you may be interested in including a football theme at your wedding. If that’s the case, read on for some inspiration. 

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The Venue

This year’s European Championship matches have been hosted in cities all over the continent, from Seville to St Petersburg. However, Sunday’s final will be held at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium, where England have played all but one of their games so far.

Wembley is the home of English football, and its name is synonymous with legendary moments throughout the history of the game. But the stadium isn’t only used for football, it also hosts a whole range of different events, including weddings.

That’s right! You can host your wedding under the breathtaking Wembley arch with a pitchside ceremony, followed by a choice of two luxurious event spaces for your reception. Your guests can even cheer you on from the stands as you say ‘I do’!

And of course, Wembley isn’t the only world-famous stadium that doubles up as a wedding venue. Liverpool’s Anfield, The Emirates Stadium, Stamford Bridge and The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Hotel Football at Old Trafford and The Etihad Stadium in Manchester all offer fans a chance to celebrate their special day at the home of their favourite teams.

In fact, just about every single big football club in England, as well as a few in Wales and Scotland, give fans the opportunity to host their wedding at their home stadium. Each offers its own unique take on traditional aspects of the wedding, tailoring the experience to make it as special as possible for its fans.

So, whether you want to dance to Blue Moon at Manchester City, You’ll Never Walk Alone at Anfield, or Three Lions at Wembley, there’s no shortage of incredible football-themed wedding venues!

The Fashion

It may seem like a difficult theme to fit into the fashion, especially if you still want a refined and elegant wedding, but there are lots of subtle ways you can introduce football-themed fashion into your wedding day.

For example, why not set the colour scheme to your team’s home colours and encourage guests to wear clothes which reflect this? Or, if you’re happy for the reception to be a less formal affair than your ceremony, you could encourage people to wear football shirts at the celebration. Just watch out for any rivalries!

The Dress

Even a classic white wedding dress can be adapted to fit the football theme of your wedding. For example, you could wear a sash in team colours, which will look especially striking if the rest of the wedding party is dressed to match. Speak to a stylist at your bridal boutique to explain what you are looking for they will be able to help you with the styling.

Bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen accessories in those same colours will give your whole wedding a coordinated and thematic look, without being over the top. If you're both fans of Manchester United, for example, you could both coordinate your accessories to add hints of red.

Accessories

Speaking of accessories, you have plenty of options when it comes to subtly bringing a football theme into your wedding look. Jewellery is a great way to do this, whether you opt for a pair of earrings or a dainty football necklace, or perhaps the groom may choose a pair of football-inspired cufflinks.

You can also represent your team in a more subtle way. For example, it's even possible to get wedding garters in your club’s colours!

Invites and On-the-Day Stationery

There are tonnes of great football-themed wedding stationery ideas out there! One of the most popular options is invitations in the style of tickets, often inviting guests to attend ‘The Perfect Match’ or the ‘Final of the Matrimonial Cup’.

Other fun ideas include naming the tables after different teams or leagues, and creating themed place cards for them. You could even make your table plan into a huge tactics board, showing the ‘formation’ of your guests!

And what if your wedding is on a match day? Well, you can't stop the proceedings! We love this wooden welcome sign from Just Lovett Designs for a couple who were marrying during the Euros 2021 tournament.

Music and Entertainment

Again, there are loads of ways to entertain your guests with a football theme. You could have games, like a penalty shootout, if your venue has outdoor space. Or, how about encouraging guests to show off their best goal celebrations on the dancefloor with a prize for the winner?

You could also do a football quiz, although it may be worth remembering that not everyone will be as much of an avid fan as you are!

When it comes to music, you definitely won’t be short of options. Most clubs have particular songs which their fans always sing, and who could possibly resist singing along with Three Lions by Skinner, Baddiel & Lightning Seeds? Or, for something a bit more dance-friendly, how about club classic Freed From Desire by Gala, which has been reinvented by football fans in recent years?

Top Tip: If you are having a live band perform at your wedding, make sure to give them time to learn any of your song requests, as these football-related songs may not be on their usual repertoire. 

Flowers

Your flowers can also reflect a football theme, either directly or more subtly. For example, you may choose a display that very clearly represents your team or centrepieces in their colours. You can even have a ball-shaped bouquet!

If for example, you are both Chelsea FC fans, you can incorporate the colours of white and blue into your bouquet. Find flower inspiration for every team colour here.

When it comes to incorporating team colours, we recommend speaking to your florist about colour matching. You may have some flower choices in mind already, but they will be the experts on what is in season for the time of year and what they can use to bring your vision to life.

Hen and Stag Celebrations

The football theme doesn't just need to be on the day, it could carry over into your hen and stag celebration. Whether you stay at Hotel Football, have a tour of your favourite stadium, attend a major football match or play a game of bubble football with your wedding team there are endless ways to incorporate football inspired activities into your hen and stag celebrations.

Wedding Favours

A great way to bring something football-inspired to your wedding is to incorporate football in your favours. These football-themed chocolate favour boxes are a sweet treat for your guests and the perfect little way to show off your love of the game at your wedding.

Image courtesy of ChocolateFavourBox on Etsy

Other great favour ideas include football-themed bottle openers. These could be the perfect personalised thank you gift for your ushers or ideal as a themed favour for all of your guests.

Cakes and Sweet Treats

A football-themed cake is one of the easiest ways to incorporate the game into your wedding celebrations. Wedding cake makers will be delighted to create the design you are dreaming of. That could mean creating the cake in the shape of a football shirt dedicated to your favourite team or adding decorative sculptures of a whole range of football motifs on your traditional cake. Speak with your cake designer to find out what is possible.

Or, if you would prefer a more traditional, tiered wedding cake, why not consider choosing a themed topper? For example, you could have figurines with a ball at their feet or perhaps a heroic scene of the couple playing a match. You could also opt for a tiered cake decorated in club colours and emblems, or choose specific icing colours which represent your team.

So, as you can see, there are plenty of ways you can include the beautiful game in your wedding, both subtlely and loudly. From incredible venues to delicious themed cakes, your guests will surely be singing your praises after your football-themed wedding day!