Wedding themes? Love ‘em. But I’ll admit that they don’t always work, and I can’t say that it’s necessarily the fault of the brides and grooms. Weaving some element basically unrelated to weddings into a ceremony and reception (not to mention things like wedding stationery or a wedding web site) can be pretty difficult. Too little, and your themey stuff can look out of place. Too much, and your wedding might not feel like a wedding anymore. I’m not talking about color themes – or season themes or holiday themes, both of which are pretty easy – but rather the themes that might already be a little confusing to your loved ones. Steampunk, for example. 1940s cinema. Drag racing. Anything that could be considered well outside the wedding box.

The images below of a wedding that subtly integrated a Superman and superhero theme into a wedding themed wedding were taken by the talented team at Philadelphia wedding photographer Hoffer Photography. I think it’s a great example of how to weave something special to you into your wedding without sacrificing the modern-traditional wedding aesthetic.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a big crazy overt wedding theme if that’s what you want! Personally, I like wedding themed weddings and weddings where guests are invited to come in costume and weddings that take place in unusually themed venues and pretty much every other kind of wedding, as long as the food is good. I think the key to making a wedding theme work is either keeping it simple and subtle or taking it all the way. In each case, some of your wedding guests will get it and some won’t, so make your planning focus creating a ceremony and reception that’s special to you, not necessarily a ceremony and reception every one of your loved ones will understand.

As is the case with many great finds, I stumbled upon Dream Catcher Studio by accident and was hooked. For those brides who have chosen un-embellished wedding dresses but want to add a touch of old Hollywood glam, the design team behind the shop makes beautiful decorative belts and sashes. But what really tickled my fancy is the one-of-a-kind bridal headpieces that make great bridal veil alternatives. Here are four that caught my eye:

A pretty hand-beaded bridal head piece reminiscent of a lace handkerchief that might be pinned over a woman’s hair in church. Imagine it paired with a vintage wedding gown, maybe one from the 40s.

Cluster pearls and crystals come together in this pretty headband that is like the glamorous older cousin of the Roman civic crown. It works with a variety of bridal hairstyles and can be worn with shorter hair.

How about a romantic bridal aigrette made of elegant ivory Alencon lace instead of a veil? Perfect for the bride who wants something smaller in her hair, but still very striking.

Headbands are a great choice, especially for brides who aren’t sure they have enough hair to pull off a clip or comb. This lovely example is made of vintage beaded applique-medallion with vintage Swarovski crystals.

Yum! Are you opting for an alternative to the traditional bridal veil?

We didn’t have a lot of options when it came to our wedding ceremony and reception seating – that we knew of, anyway. Our outdoor venue wasn’t near an urban center, and pretty much all of the rental outfits serving the area had the same selection basic folding chairs at different price points. And who knows if we’d have even been able to afford something more interesting. Still, it’s interesting to think about the seating possibilities, and seating is probably the most overlooked detail in wedding planning. After all, they’re just chairs, right?

But they can be more if you want them to be! Check out these gorgeous and interesting reception seating options:

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There’s no shortage of information out there concerned with shopping for wedding rings, custom made wedding rings, or choosing the right wedding rings. And there’s no shortage of wedding rings! How about photo wedding rings or profile wedding rings? Then you have skinny wedding rings, engraved wedding rings, silver wedding rings, and wedding rings made out of everything you can imagine, from wood to bone. And meteorites and tattoo ink and techie stuff! It would be easy to say that there’s a wedding ring out there for everyone, but maybe you’ve just read over my little list and there is nothing on it that speaks to you.

Okay, then how about a wedding ring you make yourself, using whatever metals – all recycled – and techniques you want? That’s what the Wedding Ring Workshop is all about. In their classes, over the course of six hours or so, you and your intended make each other’s wedding rings by hand, from scratch, under the tutelage of experienced jewelers. Unless you want stones mounted in your bands (which the jeweler will do for you) you’ll walk away from the Wedding Ring Workshop with your rings in hand, ready for your wedding day.

Interested? While the Wedding Ring Workshop seems like a good bet – they’re in the U.S. and the U.K. and have a lot of participating jewelers – there are other DIY wedding rings opportunities out there. New York Wedding Ring comes to mind, as does The Devil’s Workshop in Toronto. Googling around will help you find one close-ish to you that has the range of service you’re looking for. Keep in mind that some DIY wedding ring classes don’t allow for a lot of customization, while others allow you design custom wedding rings as long as your design can be created in the allotted time.

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Yes, After Six, the tux rental giant has fallen… again. This is actually the third time since 1993 that the company has gone under and its name has come up for grabs.

Multiple changes in leadership and direction have failed to keep the company afloat, however. And why is this? Some point to corporate greed that drove manufacturing overseas decreasing flexibility, others to lack of fashion savvy on the part of the last few owners resulting in design doldrums on an epic scale, still others to the trend away from tux rentals and toward less formal attire for men at the altar. Perhaps it’s all three. Perhaps there’s another reason. I’m not a business major, and I’m not intimately acquainted with the situation at hand.

We’ll see who – if anyone – picks up this ball and runs with it. If they do, I wish them the very best of luck. This is not an easy time for tux rentals, what with the economy in the dumpster and a lot of couples either scaling down their wedding plans or putting them off for more fiscally optimistic days.

It is, however, kind of odd to me to think of a world without After Six.

How absolutely adorable is this balloon save-the-date?

And not too pricey, either, when you compare it to the cost of other save-the-dates if you print the cards yourself. This could even make a fun wedding invitation for a couple who doesn’t take themselves too seriously!

Remember this awesome picture of a bridesmaid in stripey socks? Turns out, it’s not just a bridesmaid who’s a little quirky. Those are the namesake socks of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Socks – a group of people who send around that very pair of tootsie warmers and post photographic evidence on Flickr. I’m not sure if the group is still active, but if wouldn’t matter much to me if it was. Turns out the Sisterhood is closed to new membership except to those with a contact already in the group.