Wedding Themes – Creating a Unique Affair that Epitomizes the Bride and Groom
Billy Idol sang that “It’s a Nice Day for a White Wedding” and for more than a hundred years, brides have been walking down the aisle in a white wedding dress. It seems to be the “proper” thing to do, with a formal wedding ceremony, and a very dignified sit down dinner reception afterwards. It can also be very boring, especially for young, vibrant couples who are willing to step outside the norm where weddings are concerned and embrace wedding themes that better represent who they are as a couple; their interests, hobbies and lifestyles that make them singular and unique.
Wild West – Western Wedding Themes with a Touch of the Romantic
We all love the romance of the Wild West, and the rugged beauty of the countryside. Maybe it is the spirit of the cowboy or perhaps it is just the allure of a simpler, although much rougher era. Cowboys personify what most men want to be and what most women are looking for in a man. They are tough, loyal, courageous and determined; which might be why western theme weddings are so popular – and not just for couples that come from rural backgrounds or have a mutual interest in horseback riding or cattle rustling.
From authentic full fledged western weddings or softer, more modern romantic vintage western wedding themes; catering your reception dinner with BBQ, corn on the cob, and potato salad followed by line dancing in a decorated hayloft, western themes are what you make of them. That is the beauty of western wedding themes – you decide what makes it work.
To pull off a western wedding theme, decide if you want an genuine wild west wedding (complete with horses, chaps and cowboy hats) or if you want to just use the subtle themes of a romantic vintage wedding collection, replete with vintage guest book, flower basket, ring pillow and pen set – wrapped in elegant suede with gold and silver horse shoes to embody good luck. Also, consider shooting your wedding photography in black and white for an Old West feel.
Autumn Splendor Wedding Theme
Many couples choose to get married in the autumn season and go with a fall wedding theme. This may be because of the cool air, magnificent colors and outstanding autumn atmosphere. Both elegant and memorable, autumn theme weddings can feature a variety of unique ideas. You also have the options of selecting a wedding gown in a variety of non-white colors with either long or short sleeves – deep copper and sleek platinum are stunning colors for an autumn silk wedding gown.
It is actually easy and affordable to put together an autumn splendor theme wedding. Stick with colors in the rich brown, red, orange, bronze, and gold hues – and then balance it off with a creamy ecru or off-white. A romantic, sophisticated or rustic mood can be created using warm fall colors and draping the church or reception venue in swathes of these colors.
Bronze and copper are ideal metallic accents for fall weddings, inspiring thoughts of copper kettles, fireplace décor and frolicking in fall leaves. Fill little bronze colored containers with dried flowers or chocolate covered almonds as wedding guest favors. Decorate polished copper vases with flowers to use as table centerpieces on your reception dinner tables. Scatter real or silk leaves around your cake display table and guest book signing station. You might also want to consider a traditional harvest theme for your wedding. Instead of having the wedding in a garden, park or backyard, rent a barn or pumpkin patch, complete with hayride and hot chocolate! Decorate with fall flowers, pumpkins, hay and black-eyed Susan.
Autumn splendor wedding themes, no matter which way you go, provides you with nature’s striking décor; all the breathtaking beauty you will need for your wedding day.
Winter Wonder Wedding Theme
Winter wedding themes reflect the unique magic of your love and the season. With snow, glittering ice and crystals, you can celebrate a wondrous time of year along as you start your married lives together. Many couples are pleasantly surprised by the amount of money saved by planning a winter wedding. Because the season is often less busy, couples can get the wedding date they want and the price they want at catering halls and restaurants. Popular winter wedding themes include snow, pines, poinsettias, holidays and fireplaces. Wedding dress options are virtually limitless, including long sleeve, short sleeve and sleeveless. With sleeveless gowns, add a trendy cashmere wrap for warmth and good looks.
A common winter wedding theme that everyone loves is snowflakes! Greet your guests with winter wonder place cards and seasonal snowflakes on the guest book. Include a snowflake cake topper for the perfect cake cutting ceremony pictures. Miniature snow globes would make the most winter wonderland guest favors. Decorate reception dinner tables with glass snowflake votive candle holders and sprinkle tables with silver confetti to carry the theme everywhere in a very subtle yet elegant manner.
A holiday theme for your winter wedding is a great way to bring in the kids. Serve hot chocolate and give out gourmet packets of cocoa to your guests. Decorate the reception area with Christmas trees. Give silver plated friendship ornaments to your guests as a lasting memory of your wedding for their Christmas tree when they get home. Winter wedding themes are a magnificent way to celebrate the season and start your new life together.
Beach Wedding Theme
Beach wedding themes are very, very popular in the summer months and for couples who are taking off to tropical destinations to tie the knot. Of course, in the middle of winter, your wedding party and guests will appreciate the escape to somewhere warm for a few days to attend your wedding. Even if your beach theme wedding is at home during the warmer summer months, a beach theme wedding means fun in the sun for everyone as they congratulate the happy couple on their eternal love.
Start by finding the ideal location and make sure it is available for weddings so you can secure arrangements for your desired date. Make arrangements for your guests in case of rain. At outdoor weddings, you can have rented tents and gazebos for shelter from rain or sun. Restaurants and yachts offer indoor and outdoor spots for your guests to relax.
Get the right accessories to get your guests in the mood for a beach theme wedding. Give out flip flops and leis for everyone to wear. Reflect your beach theme wedding in your stationary, place cards and thank you notes. Casual beach theme stationary gives your waterfront wedding an informal feel. Add a seafaring flair with embroidered seashells and starfish designs. Include a ring bearer pillow, flower girl basket, cake topper, garter set, pen set and guest book with seaside allure for a waterfront feeling from the ceremony to the reception. Shell silver place card holders or silver plated starfish shaped wine stoppers could make elegant and theme appropriate wedding favors for your guests.
With beach wedding themes, the bride and groom have more freedom with what they wear. Many beach ceremonies see the couple wearing casual linen beachwear or bathing suits. Other couples choose semi-formal wear such as a long flowing cotton or linen wedding dress in azure blue or crisp white. Formal wedding attire is generally not appropriate with beach weddings.
Butterfly Kisses Wedding Theme
Butterfly wedding themes are especially popular when the wedding is held outdoors; such as a botanical garden, lavish lawns or your parents backyard. Butterflies evoke feelings of relaxed summer days, breezy fields of wildflowers and the whisper of wonderful times to come. When you think about it, it’s no wonder that butterfly wedding themes are so trendy. For a bride that wants to take a theme all the way, a butterfly tiara crown and handkerchief could be added to her wedding ensemble or bridesmaids could have butterflies in their hair, tucked in their flower bouquets, or hanging gingerly from a corsage.
At the wedding ceremony, there are many tasteful ways to include your butterfly theme in accessories for the nuptials. Available in a multitude of soft pastel colors, butterfly collection wedding décor items are readily available; including flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillows, keepsake and toss garters for the bride, traditional guest books, and elegant satin wrapped pen sets.
Butterfly kisses at the ceremony are achievable by giving your guests real, live butterflies to release at the ceremony. This is a spectacular way to celebrate as a group, right after the wedding vows are exchanged. Keep in mind that butterflies need to be released at certain times of the day (they don’t fly after dark) and the temperature needs to be warm but not overly hot%u2026 they are finicky creatures but for a butterfly theme wedding, well worth the trouble!
A butterfly wedding theme is one of the few themes where you can incorporate other themes, such as a color theme or seasonal theme and still work perfectly.
Happily Ever After Fairy Tale Wedding Theme
Since you have found your Prince Charming, your wedding day is set and you are well on your way to living happily ever after, a fairy tale wedding theme may be just right for you. A fairy theme wedding is one of the few wedding themes that really must use a great deal of white to make it work well. This would include white everywhere from the wedding dress and church décor, to the floral arrangements and table settings at the wedding reception. However, feel free to use another single color as an accent – velvet red, royal blue, or emerald green all work well. Even the floral arrangement can be all white, and combined with baby’s breath and greenery, will look lovely in a tall glass cylinder vase or single flower bud vase.
Aside from white, use lots of crystal, sterling and plated gleaming silver and cut glass. These are all elements, like a guest book that has “Happily Ever After” embroidered on the front that will help you pull off the perfect fairy tale wedding day. If you look hard enough, there are companies out there that rent stagecoaches for the final touch on a fairy tale wedding. Choosing the right décor and accessories for your fairy tale theme wedding, from silver place card holders and Cinderella wedding carriage candle, to a classic silver plated cake serving set and fairy tale dreams castle cake toppers will make your wedding story end happily ever after …
Pulling it all Together with Class and Elegance
This article cannot cover all wedding themes – it would take an entire collection of books to do so! The purpose was to cover some of the more popular over the past few years. Other couples choose more subtle wedding themes such as Asian, Celtic, Irish or Jewish to honor their culture and heritage. Some modern couples base their wedding theme on a specific color such as black and white, green, orange, red, gold or silver. Essentially, you should decide on a wedding theme that will make you happy and that best reflects the couple getting married.
The key to any wedding theme is setting the stage in just the right way. Wedding decorations, accents, accessories and the overall mood of the venue location should work together to set the stage for entire event. The goal should be to create and maintain a mood that personifies the interests and personalities of the bride and groom, but is not so pervasive as to become intrusive or overpower the bride especially.
Source: Tracey Smith is an expert article writer on the topic of weddings, we hope you enjoyed her writing on wedding themes.
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