Archive for November, 2009

Wedding Colors and the Mood of the Reception

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Choosing a wedding color scheme can be difficult, and not just because there is an infinite rainbow of hues from which to draw inspiration. It’s simply that it can be tough to tell what impact your wedding colors will have on the mood of your ceremony and reception ahead of time. Unless you have your heart set on a palette, consider waiting until you’ve chosen your wedding reception venue to pick your wedding colors… particularly if the venues you’re considering all have colored carpets and other decorative touches that will stand out on their own.

However, even before you pick three or four or even more colors for your wedding, you should be thinking about the color families and levels of contrast that appeal to you in conjunction with the kind of wedding you want to have. Are you a bride who adores uber formal weddings? Or would you be happiest having a more rustic affair? Think carefully before you answer, because the colors you choose for your wedding palette will have a strong impact on the mood of your wedding!

To illustrate this point, I present what are essentially two identical wedding reception tables; the only thing very different about them is the color schemes used. First, a wedding reception table done up in pink and green.

pink and green wedding reception

My first impression is that of a daytime wedding, maybe one taking place either out of doors or in a light and airy greenhouse. The colors say springtime to me, though this particular color scheme would perfectly suit a summertime wedding. I’m picturing a bride in a not too elaborate wedding dress, maybe something a little shorter than is typical. The bridesmaids might be in a very light green or in unmatching white frocks. All in all, it strikes me a playful, fun, and not too too fancy wedding.

red wedding reception table

This red and white wedding reception table, on the other hand, looks more like it comes from an evening wedding to me, and I think it could be a much more formal function than the one pictured above. Why? For one thing, the colors are darker and deeper, and the lack of extreme contrast (red on red vs. pink on green) feels more elegant. I imagine the bride who chose this wedding reception table might also choose a more formal and traditional wedding dress for what would likely be a quite elegant wedding.

Isn’t that fascinating?

Images courtesy of Rebecca Thuss for Martha Stewart Weddings.

To Party or Not to Party

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

Let’s talk about bachelorette parties, shall we?

Thirty years ago, they pretty much didn’t exist. Twenty years ago, they were fairly rare. Now they seem pretty common. Still, they aren’t for everyone.

I well remember a wedding where I was the MOH about twenty years ago. One day the bride called me in a bit of a panic because the other bridesmaid was talking about whisking her off and forcing her to drink fruit daiquiris and watch male strippers. This was profoundly not the bride’s cup of tea.

Luckily, I was able to talk the other bridesmaid down from that particular ledge, and the bride was saved. I threw her a nice, quiet, game-free shower with tea and desserts instead.
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Twistie’s Sunday Caption Madness: The Winter Wonderland Edition: The Result

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

Oh my dear caption lovers! How I love all of you. Last week I assaulted your eyes with this…very special image:

Boy Bride on Skis and you sent in some superfantastic captions for it.

Alas, there can be but one winner. This week it’s the ever lovely Margo for a caption that’s both pithy and to the point:

“Let’s see J-Lo do this.”

Congratulations, Margo, and thanks to everyone who played!

And the Winners of Our Kohl’s Gift Card Giveaway Are…

Friday, November 27th, 2009

kohls gift card

AJ and jstar, as chosen by our friend the Random Number Generator! Hopefully they’ll both get in touch with me soon with their mailing addresses so I can pass those along to the people at Kohl’s. Cheers, and hope everyone had a happy Turkey Day!

Luis Diaz Santis vs. Magaly Guerrero Ramirez

Friday, November 27th, 2009

A certain Luis Diaz Santis and a certain Magaly Guerrero Ramirez (both computer scientists) were married earlier this year. I found their awesome (awesome awesome awesomex10) wedding invitation via Temple of Groom, and I just had to share it.

video game wedding invitation 1

Illustrator Carla Berrocal designed the wedding invitation for the Chilean couple. The graphics and text were created using both freehand drawings and Photoshop effects, which makes me think a layperson could put together something similar with a bit of effort.

video game wedding invitation 2

What do think? As a child of the 80s, I can’t but help love this homage to early side-scrollers. It makes me smile in a big way.

Happy Thanksgiving From Ntb and Twistie!

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

It struck me today that Thanksgiving would be a great time to propose for men or women who like things a little showy. Proposing on Thanksgiving would be seen by many people as a Big Gesture. And while you couldn’t really call a Thanksgiving proposal a public proposal, there does tend to be scads of family hanging about on this particular holiday. Soon-to-be brides- and grooms-to-be can get the asking and the announcing out of the way in one easy step by proposing in front of assorted moms, dads, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.

Thanksgiving_wedding_2

Then, assuming that a great many engagements last about one year, those who got engaged on Turkey Day could (if they so chose) easily get married on Thanksgiving or immediately thereafter. The Friday after Thanksgiving is actually a great non-Saturday day for a wedding in the States since a lot of people have off from work. Choosing this date doesn’t automatically mean you have to have a harvest wedding or a Thanksgiving wedding or an autumn wedding, but there’s no particular reason not to have one, either.

Plus there are lots of in-between options. Friends of mine had a butterfly themed wedding with a classic Thanksgiving dinner at their reception, complete with the trimmings. Modify this by putting together a traditional reception menu that incorporates your family’s Thanksgiving recipes or serving a modern interpretation of a Thanksgiving dinner (like squash soup shots and wine-smoked turkey). A Thanksgiving wedding cake might include flavors like pumpkin or cranberry, or one could ditch the cake altogether in favor of pie.

For a Thanksgiving wedding color scheme or theme, choose holiday-inspired wedding colors like chocolate brown, cranberry, tan, hunter green, wine, gold, and pumpkin, without any explicit mention of the holiday, or decorate your reception with Autumn leaves (faux or real), seasonal fruits, and cornucopias. Admittedly, that’s a lot more obvious. And for favors for the Thanksgiving wedding, how about maple syrup favors or fall cookies or Thanksgiving sugar cubes?

In fact, the only two things I’d definitely recommend that brides- and grooms-to-be planning Thanksgiving weddings do is send out save-the-date cards well in advance (which anyone planning a holiday wedding should do so guests can plan accordingly) and not be too, too disappointed if a goodly number of invitees decline because of family obligations.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Cake Whimsy

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

You’ll no doubt hear the words elegant and sophisticated much more than you hear the words adorable and cute when planning your wedding. Truth be told, this makes me a little sad. In the search for the magical and refined, it’s easy to forget about all things playful. Brides and grooms whose preferences lean toward whimsy and fun should let those preferences inspire them when it’s wedding planning time. They can’t all be chic evening weddings full of mystery and candlelight, right? If you love cute, plan a cute wedding with cute wedding cakes like these from Eat Cake Be Merry!

blue dot wedding cake

Polka dot weddings were all the rage a few years ago, and there’s no reason you can’t be the one to bring them back into vogue. A wedding cake like this looks great in pictures and can be made to complement any wedding colors you can imagine.

floral wedding cake colorful wedding cake

Here we have floral wedding cakes, done two ways. The first is cartoony cute and the second us ultra mod. If neither lights your fire, ask your wedding cake designer about a cake design that falls somewhere in between.

white and silver wedding cake

Cute and sophisticated? Yes, it can be done. Silver dragees paired with raised… well, barnacle looking thingies come together to form stylized flowers that have a playful edge. The silver on white color scheme, however, keeps this wedding cake from looking too quirky. Not that there’s anything wrong with quirky. You could always order this cake in purple and lime with black candies in place of the dragees and it would be just as yum delish.

(PS — Don’t forget to enter to win a $25 Kohl’s gift card by sharing your trashiest bridal find!)