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.
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!