Theme Weddings

Jeff and Nicole had been to a lot of weddings, so many that they all seemed to run together in their memories. So when they got engaged, the Southern California couple decided that their own wedding would certainly not be ho hum. Since their favorite holiday is Halloween (both actors, they love to dress up), they decided to plan a Halloween wedding. With such a theme in mind, they came up with enough ideas to fill a whole pumpkin patch: costumes for the guests, masks for the wedding party, jack-o'-lantern centerpieces, and eerie music.

A holiday theme can indeed feed your creative juices as you plan your wedding. The spirit of the holiday can inspire décor, attire, food, music and flowers. Guests can feel the flavor of the holiday from the moment they receive an invitation -- shaped like a heart for Valentine's Day, or stuffed with pine needles for a Christmas wedding. An added benefit of a holiday wedding is that it's easy to build on the sentiment of the occasion -- spookiness on Halloween, patriotism on the Fourth of July, romance on Valentine's Day, good will on Christmas. If you are a person of faith, a wedding tied to a religious holiday can enrich your ceremony with spiritual meaning. Here are some ideas to help you get into the holiday spirit.

Happy New Year. A New Year's Eve wedding is a great way for you and all of your friends and family to ring in the new year together.

Another plus: you'll never forget your anniversary.

For a New Year's wedding, throw a black tie affair and encourage female guests to wear their most glitzy gowns. Black and white with some metallic touches would be great for your color scheme.

Bridesmaids can wear black; platinum dresses would work well, too. You can wear a sparkling wedding gown and don't forget a glittering tiara in your hair. Hang an oversized clock in back of the band so everyone can watch as the minutes tick away until midnight. Start the festivities late, at about 9 p.m., so everyone is sure to be around for the big moment. Decorate tables with miniature top hats, tiny champagne bottles filled with bubbles, tiaras and noisemakers. Plan something dramatic for the stroke of midnight. Have silver and white balloons descend upon your guests. Or use a bubble machine to fill the room with bubbles. After you usher in the new year, the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" can bring on the time for sentimentality. Your best man can offer his toast. You and your new spouse can make a speech to your guests talking of the resolutions you are making for your life together.

Will You Be Mine? Valentine's Day, already a day of hearts and roses, is a perfect day for a wedding steeped in romance. Send wedding invitations that lend a Victorian feel with embossed hearts and flowers or try invitations that are reminiscent of the kind of Valentine's cards that children exchange. Choose reds and pinks for your color scheme. Roses can be everywhere at your Valentine's Day wedding: rose bouquets, rose topiaries on the tables (they can even be heart-shaped), rose petals scattered down the aisle by your flower girl. Heart-shaped conversation candies can be strewn on tabletops. Vintage-looking cupids can be placed atop centerpieces. For favors, pass out homemade heart-shaped cookies in small glassine bags, or try heart-shaped soaps. Present heart-shaped chocolates in charming heart-shaped paper favors at every place setting. Use lace tablecloths for a doily effect.

Easter time. How about an Easter egg hunt during your reception? Beautifully decorated eggs (made by you and your wedding party), along with elegant chocolate and candy eggs, can be hidden in centerpieces and under tables. Your color scheme is all pastels, of course -- pale yellows, greens, blues, pinks and purples are good choices. Lilies, paperwhites and tulips are splendid flowers for a springtime wedding. You can give out bulbs, a bulb vase and instructions for planting as party favors.

For the Fourth. Red, white and blue is the color scheme for your festive Fourth of July wedding. Plan a high-class barbecue of chicken, potato salad and the works, or an elegant summer meal of grilled foods -- chicken, fish, vegetables and roasted potatoes. You can even use red-and-white checkered tablecloths to evoke the feel of a summer picnic. An outdoor setting would be wonderful for a Fourth of July wedding, especially if you are in clear view of a fireworks display. Decorate with flags -- a huge one can be hung outside your reception site and mini-flags can adorn centerpieces. A Fourth of July theme might be particularly spectacular if you are planning a military wedding -- a special opportunity to recognize the man (or woman) in uniform.

Ghosts and Goblins. A Halloween wedding can be full of ghoulish pleasures, just take the example of Jeff and Nicole's monster mash. The Los Angeles couple sent out orange pumpkin-shaped invitations with an image of a couple in a coffin and the caption, "True love never dies." The RSVP card was shaped like a tombstone. Guests were invited to come as their favorite character from the history of cinema. At the wedding, Nicole wore autumn leaves strewn throughout her hair and Jeff dressed as Ichabod Crane, complete with a velvet top hat. The rings were brought down the aisle on a severed hand (don't worry, it's made out of rubber). The reception featured witches, cauldrons filled with candy, dry ice for a smoky effect and candles for ambience. Table centerpieces were jack-o'-lanterns carved by guests at the rehearsal dinner/pumpkin carving party. At the reception, Jeff and Nicole danced a tango a la Morticia and Gomez Adams, and guests danced to "Monster Mash."

For those choosing a Halloween wedding, black and orange is the perfect color scheme. Serve pumpkin or squash soup as a first course. Guests can take home candy corn or iced pumpkin-shaped cookies in little muslin bags for party favors.

Giving Thanks. A Thanksgiving wedding can use the cozy time of autumn as its inspiration. Beautifully colored fall leaves can be strewn everywhere. The wedding party can wear deep hues of burnt orange, brown, hunter green or deep red. Try to find a reception site with a view of vibrantly colored trees or use an outdoor location such as an apple orchard or vineyard. Your invitations can be embossed with pressed autumn leaves or have decorative botanical motifs. Dip apples and pears in sugar and glitter and display in elegant heavy glass bowls for centerpieces. Decorate with pomegranates and gold ribbons. Your menu: a traditional New England Thanksgiving with turkey, cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce. Use some unusual autumnal flowers -- "Love-Lies-Bleeding" are deep red cascading flowers that would be dramatic coming out of a tall antiqued vase for centerpieces. Or opt for a more raucous Thanksgiving wedding and include a bobbing-for-apples station and a hayride for guests.

Hanukkah. A wedding during Hanukkah time can be a true festival of lights. Use lit menorahs to adorn the room. Decorate in blue and white and serve traditional potato pancakes, sour cream and applesauce. Scatter Hanukkah gelt on the tables. Play Israeli music.

We Wish You a Merry Wedding. The great part about a Christmas wedding is that churches and many reception sites will already be decorated for the season, which helps your wedding budget. You can opt for a traditional red and green color scheme, or an elegant winter white wedding. Comedian Joan Rivers' daughter Melissa went with a lavish pre-Russian Revolution winter party theme for her holiday season wedding. For a more intimate affair, you can rent a historic house for the reception so the party will have a homey Christmas feeling. Decorate with pepper-berry wreaths and use eucalyptus garlands for their lovely smell. Hang mistletoe. Have your ceremony take place before a Christmas tree, or a group of trees, elegantly decorated with tinsel snowflakes and other shimmering ornaments. If the weather is chilly, be sure a roaring fire is ablaze in the fireplace. Place cards can be presented in adorable snowglobes set on a bed of pine needles. Serve cranberry martinis with cranberry swizzle sticks. Or serve hot chocolate and eggnog. Consider a Christmas dessert buffet with a traditional French Buche de Noel, or yule log. Hire a group of costumed carolers to lead your guests in your favorite Christmas carols. You may even want Santa to grace your affair -- the kids will love it. One Christmas couple was serenaded by their bridesmaids, who did a rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" rewritten to be about the couple and their courtship. They gave guests personalized tree ornaments -- with the bride and grooms' names and wedding date -- as favors. Now, every year, the memory of their wedding is a part of their guests' holiday celebrations.

A few things to note before planning your holiday themed wedding: invite guests early because many people make plans for family gatherings during holidays -- you want your guests to be available for your nuptials. And check to see if the reception site you choose charges extra-high rates during certain holidays. If so, a holiday wedding may not be cost efficient. If you do choose to celebrate your wedding and a special holiday together, enjoy spreading the holiday cheer.


Holiday Theme Weddings Tips

Planning a wedding for the holiday season can be a lot of fun. There are so many locations already decorated for the holidays. Take advantage of the FREE ambience to make an enchanted wedding to remember.

Your wedding dress should reflect the joy of the season. A deep red or green velvet cape is a wonderful garment to toss over your shoulders for the reception or on your way to the ceremony. A candlelight or even ivory color dress appears much more dramatic at ceremonies illuminated with candles or soft twinkle lights. Tuxedoes are perfect for evening weddings -- look into tails for these formal affairs. For a daytime wedding, strollers and waistcoats are more appropriate.

Floral arrangements can include the flowers of the season -- poinsettias, roses, and ivy blend with the greenery adorning the ceremony and reception sites. Your bouquet might include deep red or ivory roses in a bed of trailing ivy. Boutonnieres could be made of a single rose or even a sprig of pine with a small cone.

Greenery is an inexpensive way to add aroma and atmosphere to the ceremony and reception. Drape boughs of pine, holly, ivy, or other greens over doorways, mantelpieces, windows, and the altar. Fill baskets with greenery and pinecones and place near the doorways or at the base of stairways for simple decorations with an aromatic impact. Don't forget festive colored towels in the powder rooms.

Your ceremony should reflect your personal beliefs. The holidays are a time of religious significance, and you may want to have a traditional ceremony in your faith. Talk with your pastor about what traditional elements you want to include in your holiday wedding. Some traditional holiday music helps to set the mood. You could have your guests sing carols while they are waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Your reception can be anything from a few light snacks to a full-blown dinner. For a lighthearted reception, serve hot cocoa and snack foods while you have a holiday sing-along. With your guests already in the holiday mood, it won't take much for this reception to turn into a long-lasting memory for you and your guests.

A more reserved reception would be lovely as a sit down dinner with ballroom dancing afterward. Serve traditional holiday foods -- roast turkey, ham, or beef. You could also serve something out of character for the season such as chicken or pork, or even elegant French and Mediterranean cuisine.

For favors, find small stockings and write your initials with glitter. Place a tiny tree at each place setting with the names of the guests written on ribbon banners wrapped around the base. Get your bridesmaids together and have a paper snowflake party. Use them to decorate the reception site and perhaps as toppings for small silver cake boxes.

A sleigh ride away from your reception makes a grand exit, and is the cue for your guests to shower you with bubbles or birdseed.


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