An Ancient Egyptian Wedding Soiree

Onida Cruz

Opulent Creations Events, LLC

As an event designer my clients come to me with a simple idea with the expectation that I develop their abstract vision into a full scale design concept. One such idea is an Egyptian themed wedding. When I think of Egypt: the majestic pyramids, elaborate hieroglyphics, the Eye of Horus, henna, and an abundance of gold comes to mind. To begin the process of designing a wedding theme I begin with the fundamental elements. These elements include: Location, décor, attire, and stationary.

The location for your wedding ceremony and reception dictates the style and ambiance for your entire day. For instance, you would not wear a full length ball gown for a wedding on the beach. Location is vital and must be considered first. For an Egyptian theme the opulent and picturesque Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theater in Atlanta is fully replicated to model a Middle Eastern palace. If Atlanta is out of the way here are a few design elements that will make any venue fit for an Egyptian soiree.

1. Integrate the ornate colors of gold, silver, lapis Lazuli, turquoise, malachite, yellow, indigo, red, and black into your event. During ancient Egypt colors were often paired. Silver and gold, red and white, green and black were considered complementary colors.
2. Locate a production company that can create an Arabesque entrance for your ballroom complete with rented palm trees and silk-flame burners.
3. Decorate using obelisk, famous Egyptian monuments figurines, and cartouches. Home Goods is one of my favorite stores for unusual décor elements. (Cartouches are the oblong enclosure with a horizontal line at one end. Written on them were the Egyptian hieroglyphs of royal names.)
4. A decorous idea is to use the names of famous Egyptian monuments and places to label each of your guest tables. For instance, Cairo, the Sphinx, the Nile River, Giza, Luxor, and Valley of the Kings.
5. At each place setting a small pyramid shaped favor box with a hieroglyphics flash card (Etsy merchant: Asrtiegyptos) tag is a nice conversation piece. The flash card would contain your wedding date, names a hieroglyphic and the glyph description.
6. Search for lotus flower votive holders (Colonial Candle has a wonderful clear glass replica).
7. Use hemp or linen table linens.
8. Create a lounge setup in the fashion of an Egyptian bazaar with large floor cushions, short hammered brass tray tabletops, rugs, and lanterns.
9. For added entertainment for your guests consider a Sphinx ice sculpture, belly dancers, and henna artists.

The night before wedding day, in traditional Egyptian culture, the relatives, the friends and the neighbors got together to celebrate with a Henna Night. Incorporating a henna artist into your wedding reception would be an ingenious way to represent true Egyptian customs and serve as a wedding favor. Another favor idea would be to give each guest an ampoule of fragrant Nofret oil. Nofret oil is a perfume once used in the ancient kingdom of Kush. Nofret, an ancient Egyptian name means “Beautiful Woman”.  Accompany the oil with a label stating the purpose of the oil and its origin for guests. Esty merchant, AmandaJones, sells this natural oil.