The question has been posed and you’ve decided on forever. And while getting to this exciting place—be it by an extravagant and well-planned proposal or inspired moment of passion—was a huge decision in and of itself, the planning has only just begun. Whether you are getting married, having a commitment ceremony, or renewing your vows, there are any number of decisions to be made as you plan your big day, from when to where, and most intricately, how.
Wedding planner Vicki Weed of Déjà Vu Event Creations says that a wedding “celebrates who a couple are. It should express their personalities.” While some couples choose to limit the theme of their celebration to location, décor, and color scheme, other couples may want the celebration to pay homage to some element of their lives together. Theme weddings are a creative opportunity to celebrate your history, style, or shared hobbies and interests. “All weddings have a theme,” insists Judy Lewis, owner and webmistress of wedding resource HudsonValleyWeddings.com. “But is it a small t or a capital T?” If you’re going for the latter, you’re incorporating your theme into every element of the celebration, the food, music, decor, favors, wardrobe and perhaps even your vows. Dangerous for the detail lax and Type As alike, when it comes to theme weddings, the devil is in the details.
From the wacky and offbeat to utterly romantic and sweet, there is no theme which is off-limits. Though you may be the first person in your sleepy, little town to have a leather and lace soiree to celebrate your union, as long as you feel it unequivocally represents who you are as a couple, go for it! One couple, who had met at a zoo, used their black-tie wedding to pay playful tribute to a mutual love of penguins. A penguin graced their invitation, sat atop their wedding cake and the groom’s aunt made a series of large white ceramic penguins for centerpieces. The décor was kept tastefully black and white, as was the guests’ attire. As favors, the bride and groom arranged for the New York Times to be delivered to the late-night reception; each guest was given a paper, bag of coffee and a coffee scoop as they left the reception in the wee hours.
Ethnic or culturally inspired celebrations have become increasingly popular, says wedding planner Anh Sobo of Hudson Valley Events. She recalls a beautiful Hindu-Indian wedding she did where the bride and groom incorporated traditional Indian wedding customs, with a tangerine and hot pink color scheme. They wore traditional dress, were married in a Hindu ceremony beneath a mandap (wedding canopy), and served traditional Indian food at the reception.
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