Matching Attendants to the Bride and Groom
Getting the men in the wedding party coordinated is really quite easy. Whatever the groom wears is what the groomsmen should wear. If the groom wears a tuxedo, his attendants will also wear tuxedos. If the groom wears a navy blazer and khakis, then the groomsmen will wear that too. Some couples think that they should dress the groom a little bit differently to make him stand out from the rest of the men, but this really is not necessary. Everyone will recognize the groom, since he will be the one standing up at the altar kissing the bride!
There may be some additional touches that you want for the men in the wedding. If they will be wearing shirts with French cuffs, a very nice wedding gift from the bride would be a pair of cufflinks. You can have them engraved with his monogram, or perhaps your wedding date. A really fun idea is a pair of locket cufflinks with a picture of the happy couple inside. The groom can use this same concept when he is looking for gifts for his groomsmen. These days, a lot of young men do not own any cufflinks, and a silver pair makes for very handsome groomsmen gifts, indeed.
The bride and her bridesmaids will not wear the same dresses, of course. You do want the style of the bridesmaid dresses to be in keeping with what the bride will be wearing though. In particular, it looks best when the attendants match the bride in the degree of formality. If the bride will be wearing a satin gown with a cathedral length train, it would look very odd for the bridesmaids to wear above the knee cocktail dresses. On the other hand, if the bride is wearing a simple linen gown for an outdoor wedding, putting the bridesmaids into long silk gowns would also be a mismatch.
The wedding party should also complement the look of the bride and groom in terms of accessories and grooming. This applies more to the hair and makeup of the ladies, but the groomsmen are not exempt. For example, if you are having a barefoot wedding on the beach, it might not matter if the best man shows up with three days worth of stubble on his face, but for a ceremony at the Ritz-Carleton, he had darn well better have a fresh shave and a haircut!
Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: bridesmaid dress, groomsmen gifts, wedding attire | Comment (0)Chinese Lanterns at Weddings
Are you looking for a way to add color and illumination to your wedding? Are you also hoping to make your reception very festive without spending a fortune? If so, you are in luck, because you can get all of that and more when you decorate your reception with Chinese lanterns.
Outdoor weddings are a great place to use Chinese lanterns. The festive globes will look fantastic suspended from the trees, especially for a reception that will be going into the evening hours. You can hang them individually from branches of trees, or drape a long string of mini lanterns from tree to tree. Another idea is to create a grid of clear wire over the tables at the reception, and to hang the lanterns over the seating area for an intimate glow.
The lanterns are also a great addition to an indoor wedding. Naturally if you are having an Asian inspired wedding, you must have Chinese lanterns, but they are great for other themes as well. The lanterns can be used as accents over the reception tables in lieu of renting costly chandeliers. They will also give you a bright pop of color over each table, which means that you will not need to do as much with flowers and centerpieces.
Because the Chinese lanterns will make such a strong impact on your reception venue, you want to make sure that the rest of your wedding ties in with them. In other words, if you are using the lanterns as your main source of color, be sure to carry touches of those colors into the rest of your design. Your bridal party can wear your signature colors in the bridesmaid jewelry and the groomsmens’ pocket squares. You want to have a good balance.
You can’t beat Chinese lanterns for an inexpensive way to brighten up your wedding. Brides are finding that they are as versatile as they are festive. They are a classic fun party idea that is sure to add a great look to your reception space.
The Right Reception Venue
There is a lot that goes into choosing the perfect venue for your wedding. It has to be in the right location, fit the size of your guest list and budget, and match your personal style. These are some of the things that you should keep in mind when searching for that ideal site for your wedding.
Before anything else, you need to have a good idea of the size of your guest list. You always want to pick a place that will accommodate your guests, not try to adapt your guest list to fit into the space. You do not want to have to leave anyone important out of your celebration because you booked a reception venue that is too small.
When you are determining if a particular venue and your guest list are a good match, you need to ask some pointed questions. It is not enough to find out what the fire marshall considers the maximum capacity of a room. You will want to take a walk through with the site coordinator and have her show you where you would fit all of the different elements of your reception, such as the band, the cake, and of course all of the dinner tables.
Having a space that is too large for your guest list is also to be avoided. Perhaps you and your fiance have decided to have a wedding for only your closest family and friends. The bride might be wearing a very simple wedding dress and jewelry, maybe without a veil. This type of small affair would feel intimate in a room designed to seat forty guests. On the other hand, if you put those same forty guests into an enormous ballroom, it would feel lonely and desolate. The right sized space is key to creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Because it will really set the tone for your wedding, the reception venue is key. If you keep those tips in mind, you will find it easier to find the ideal spot. When you find that perfect place, you will be able to have the reception of your dreams.
Filed under Wedding Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: Wedding Jewelry, Wedding Planning, wedding receptions, wedding venue | Comment (0)Wedding Rehearsal Tips
Many couples wonder if they really need a rehearsal for their wedding. They just want to spend that last night before the wedding celebrating with their friends and family, and the wedding rehearsal can seem like a big waste of time. However, if you have ever been to a wedding that was not preceded by a rehearsal, you would see why they are an excellent idea!
The ideal time to have your rehearsal is the afternoon before your wedding. That way your entire bridal party will be on hand. In addition, the details will still be fresh in everyone’s mind the next day. This will help your wedding ceremony to run as smoothly as possible when it is the real thing.
For a wedding in a church, the officiant will usually conduct the rehearsal. He will lead you through the order of the processional (in other words, who walks when). There will also be some instructions about where the bride and groom should stand, sit, or kneel on the altar. The officiant will give you a brief summary of the order of the service, as well. Feel free to practice when he says, “You may now kiss your bride”!
There will be enough going on at the rehearsal itself that you should not try to accomplish anything else at that time. For instance, don’t think that you can also hand out your bridesmaid jewelry gifts at the rehearsal. It will be too hectic, and you will not have the opportunity to express your appreciation for your friends in the midst of everything else that is going on around you. It would be a much better idea to set aside a separate time to give your bridesmaid jewelry gifts, such as a ladies’ luncheon held the day before the rehearsal.
Your wedding rehearsal will be an hour or two well spent. If you are organized in advance, you should be able to breeze right through it. And when you get to the morning of your wedding, you can arrive at the ceremony site with the confidence that comes from knowing what you are doing!
Filed under Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Uncategorized | Tags: bridesmaid jewelry gifts, wedding rehearsal | Comment (0)Regal Purple Weddings
Purple has always been the color of royalty. What better way to create a regal atmosphere for your wedding than by using purple accents? It is a rich and powerful color that can add a lot to the look of your ceremony and reception.
To really play up the regal feeling of purple, you can use it in combination with metallic gold accents. For example, picture a tablescape featuring rich purple dupioni linens with tall floral displays in various shades of light and dark purple. To really punch it up, layer in gold charger plates and white china with gold borders. You can even use wine glasses with a thin gold edge. This will create a very dramatic and royal looking wedding table, and the metallic gold will also help to keep the purple from being overwhelming.
Speaking of flowers, the bride will certainly want to carry a bouquet of purple flowers, and there are many gorgeous ones from which to choose. Roses come in quite a few beautiful shades of purple, from a silvery lavender to a deep rich true purple. Lisyanthus is another flower that you can get in a wonderful purple color. Tulips can be found in a purple so deep that it is almost black, for a very sophisticated bouquet. Consider mixing in other shades of purple, like magenta orchids to add dimension to your bouquet.
Even if she is wearing a traditional white gown, the bride can still put a little purple into her wedding day look as well. One of the prettiest ways to do this is with purple bridal jewelry sets. You can have sets of bridal jewelry created for the bride and her attendants that feature Swarovski crystals in the rich color of amethysts. The purple crystals look beautiful used in combination with clear crystals or white pearls.
When you have chosen a great color like purple for your wedding design, you will soon find that it is easy to incorporate it into all of the little details that give a wedding its character. The rich purple accents will tie your wedding together and give it that fabulous royal ambiance.
Filed under Bridal Jewelry, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: bridal jewelry sets, purple, Swarovski crystal bridal jewelry, wedding colors | Comment (0)