For centerpieces, Glenn Comp, director of catering for the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California, suggests using multilevel scratching posts to form the base, then adding flowers, candles and stuffed cat toys in playful positions. After the reception, these centerpieces can be given to guests with cats — minus the wedding-day trimmings — to be used for their intended purpose.

Couples who are considering using a money bag or bridal mailbox to accept guests’ well-wishes may want to use a kitty condo for the same purpose, Ludewig says. Other feline-themed wedding ideas include serving a nine-course meal for the wedding dinner (including a pate course); adding pussy willows to floral centerpieces; using animal print or fake fur-trimmed table linens; and painting paw prints on the runner that the bride uses to walk down the aisle.

Fun but elegant ideas include carving ice sculptures into cat shapes; having the band or deejay play musical selections from the Broadway musical “Cats;” serving cat-fish as the entree; and adding cat-related items like bells to napkin rings.

To help make weddings and bridal showers as festive as possible, Flamingo Surprise, known for its premier lawn displays, added cats to its repertoire, which includes swans, hearts, dogs, and other animals. A spokesman for the company, which has five locations across the United States, says placing a multitude of three-feet-high plastic cats on a lawn would certainly tell that world that the couple shares a love for cats, in addition to the love they share for one another.


Copyright © 1998 by Susan Bard Hall. All rights reserved.

This article first ran in the March 1998 issue of Cat Fancy®.