The Best Striped Wedding Ideas for Every Type of Celebration

By Shira Savada
July 27, 2011
Gayle Brooker

This linear pattern can be used in every aspect of your big day—from your stationery to your cake design.

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Gayle Brooker

There's no shortage of themes and patterns that you can use throughout your wedding, but when you stop and think about it, you'll realize that there's one motif that works for just about every style of celebration: stripes. The pattern may seem inherently classic or preppy, but because you can alternate any color combinations you like, stripes are truly amenable to any wedding's vibe. What's more, there are so many different ways you can use stripes throughout your ceremony and reception—and even in advance of the big day—meaning that you can go as subtle or as bold with the pattern as you like. Start by introducing them in your wedding stationery, then, on the big day itself, you can wear stripes, decorate with them, drink with them, or even eat them (you'll see!).

Striped accents also play nicely together. Need proof? Just look at this couple's reception tent, designed by Calder Clark. The planner introduced a variety of different striped elements—including a rug, a cabana, and a one-of-a-kind dance floor—in the print without the space becoming too busy. If you're not crazy about mixing striped elements, know that you don't have to. Make a statement with a striped runner on your reception tables or introduce a striped motif on your day-of paper goods, like your ceremony program, escort cards, and dinner menus.

Last but not least, it's important to call out the fact that there are several different types of stripes, including the pin stripe, the bengal stripe, the candy stripe, the ticking stripe, and more. That means that whether you're preppy, modern, traditional, or bold, you can choose the pattern that feels most like an extension of your personal style. To prove it, we've rounded up a number of our favorite ways to add the linear pattern to your wedding day. Here, you'll find everything from an all-over print to just a few lines at nuptials.

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Striped Menu

Rachel Thurston

Add some visual interest to a simple table with striped linens. These napkins were custom, but you can check out the rental options or consider buying napkins in bulk—and then you can split them up between your family or wedding party and have sets for future dinner parties in the years to come.

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Inviting Stripes

Edyta Szyszlo
30 Modern Wedding Invitations We Love

Cheree Berry Paper took an awning stripe and incorporated it into this classic invitation suite, shifting the orientation and scale on the various pieces.

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Striped Décor

Jen Huang
11 Cool Wedding Bars That Served It Up Big

If you love stripes, make them a key part of your big-day décor. This wedding featured a rented bar with a green-and-white striped front, but if you're not finding a rental you like, you can upgrade a classic white bar with painters tape or artists' tape.

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Stylish Sippers

Gayle Brooker

You can find striped paper straws in just about every color—Bio and Chic offers a large selection, meaning you can choose a combination that works with your signature cocktail, just as this couple did here.

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On an Angle

Amalie Orrange Photography

For these menus, stripes were turned on a 45-degree angle and printed next to an outline of the meal by LA Lovely Ink. This couple gets bonus points for pairing them with a matching table runner.

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Twice as Nice

Tec Petaja

Frosted Affair flanked a traditional wedding cake with a pair of smaller striped desserts. The combo provided a nice mix of feminine and masculine style to the table.

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Striped Shoes

Hillary Maybery

If you love stripes, wear them on the big day. This bride chose to wear striped shoes instead of a patterned wedding dress, but you can really introduce them in any way you'd like.

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Walk This Way

Jen Huang

A striped aisle runner was the perfect way for this couple to showcase their favorite pattern on the big day.

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Striped Accessories

Natalie Watson Photography

The groom (and even his groomsmen) can get in on the theme by wearing a patterned bow tie, just like this well-dressed groom did.

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A Colorful Runner

Rachel Red Photography
14 Beautiful Ways to Elevate Your Ceremony Aisle

Muted arrangements by Kickstand Events were a fun juxtaposition to the tasseled table runners at this poolside celebration. If you're going bold with your striped accents, keeping everything else subtle ensures your space doesn't become too busy.

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Subtle Accents

Justin Mutiis

Striped linens don't have to be bold. Ashton Events dressed these tables with banded tablecloths from Kate Ryan Linens that featured stripes only on the very bottom.

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Made in the Shade

Rachel Thurston

Give your guests a cool spot to hang during a sunny cocktail hour (or over a lounge area at the reception) with striped patio umbrellas. This couple and their parents actually hand-painted stripes on to theirs.

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Wear Them Well

Aaron Delesie

If you love to wear stripes in your daily life, why not wear them on your wedding day, too? This bride donned a banded wedding dress with a subtle white-on-white striped pattern.

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Down the Middle

Tec Petaja

To keep this reception table clean and elevated, just one color additional color was used beside a striped pattern. Greenery served as an accent on the black-and-white runners while complementary striped ribbons were used around the napkins, favor boxes, and even some of the centerpiece vases.

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Cocktail Hour Stripes

Belathée Photography
30 Cute Wedding Coasters & Napkins

This bride and groom traded in basic white napkins for striped ones with a hint of gold-foil. The result was a personalized cocktail hour without too much effort.

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A Multi-Colored Striped

Anne Brookeshire

Stripes can feature more than just two colors, as this invitation by Hip Ink Paper Co. goes to show. Here, the stationer used a gradient of teals to plums in a watercolor style, but any hues you like would work.

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In the Fold

Belathée Photography

On an otherwise neutral tablescape, small striped details can have a big impact. Here, it came in the form of a neatly striped napkin on each plate.

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Have a Seat

Hazelnut Photography

Fill the room with stripes without overdoing it by renting chair cushions in the signature print, just as this couple did.

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A Touch of Nautical

Gemma & Andrew Ingalls
Nautical Wedding Ideas

Stripes fit right in at a nautical celebration, which is why these bags of anchor-stamped cookies were tied off with navy-and-white striped ribbons.

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Colorful Centerpieces

Acqua Photo
The Prettiest Peony Wedding Centerpieces

Hot pink peonies look great in just about any type of vase or vessel. But why not give them an equally impactful container, like striped cylinders?

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Above and Below

Gayle Brooker

At this event, Calder Clark used stripes on the tables and above them. Neatly-folded striped napkins were set on each plate, while patterned lampshades were suspended over the head table.

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Swing Over

Bryan Gardner
Wedding Lounge Ideas Your Guests Can Cozy Up To

Stripes can help transform your lounge areas. Traditional furniture was customized for this event with striped cushions, pillows, and drapery. 

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A Banded Cake

Allison Kuhn Photography
25 Vanilla Wedding Cakes That Are Anything But Boring

Wow Factor Cakes upgraded this otherwise classic white wedding cake with a mix of both thin and thick black stripes. The striped pattern on the bow was the perfect finishing touch.

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On Your Seat

Emilia Jane Photography
40 Pretty Ways to Decorate Your Wedding Chairs

Adding this linear pattern in small doses can have a big effect. Here, Events by I Candy used striped sashes to mark just the bride and groom's chairs at the reception.

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By Shira Savada