While stag and hen night costumes might be common fare these days, one Teesside couple recently went one step further and had a whole fancy dress wedding! The couple chose this unusual theme because they wanted something unconventional but also because they wanted something fun that would make others smile. The fancy dress rule only applied to their guests, and not the bride and groom themselves, meaning that you could still have your traditional wedding photos with the beautiful white dress and top hat and tails if you so wished, but then have a lot of fun taking photos of your wedding guests in their fancy dress costumes at the reception!
Of course, fancy dress is no stranger to key events throughout our lives. A great way of celebrating a birthday, particularly an 18th or 21st, it has also become a popular choice for sporting events such as marathons or fun runs. The Isle of Wight music festival Bestival, held in September, is also well-known for its fancy dress theme, which incidentally is ‘wildlife’ this year if you’re planning on going. Check out our great selection of animal face masks and ears to help you complete your costume.
So why is fancy dress so popular here in the UK? With Halloween being perhaps the most popular occasion for adults and children alike to dress up as real and fictional characters and become someone else for the night, this is the perfect example of how much we love the creativity and imagination associated with taking on a new identity. For adults in particular it’s a chance to go back to childhood and relive the fun of opening up the dressing up box.
However, with the popularisation of fancy dress comes the need to make it even more unusual and creative. Hosts are always looking for a way of making their party stand out from all the rest, so if you’re after some fancy dress party ideas of your own, read on – we’ve put our thinking caps on for you.
- Book characters – while film and TV fictional characters are popular choices for fancy dress, characters from books and novels are less so. Of course, many of these will cross over, as so many books have been transformed into films or TV dramatisations now, which will make it easier to find popular costumes such as Alice in Wonderland or Snow White.
- Objects – rather than dressing up as real or fictional people or characters, have your guests dress you as household or everyday objects. This will really require some thought, and perhaps even some creativity, unless you check out our fabulous range of ready-made Rasta Imposter costumes, which includes creations such as a champagne bottle, banana or toothpaste costume.
- Alphabet – either choose a single letter of the alphabet for your guests , or allow them to use their first initial (which may or may not be easier, depending on their names!) to provide inspiration for their costumes.
Check out the rest of our site for plenty more costume ideas for whatever event you’re hosting.