Wedding Themes

Whether it's a traditional, formal or off-the-beaten-track wedding, you're putting the whole event together yourself by planning its every phase. These days, with so much available on the Internet, it's easy! All you need is some time and a clear idea of the feeling you want to get across.  Start with a theme and you'll have a coherent image you can use throughout the entire wedding. You may be surprised, in fact, how potent just a word or concept can be, once applied as your marriage theme.

Love football, for example? What could be more perfect than finding ways to incorporate football and your favorite team in every phase of your wedding?  From the flowers to the guest favors to the vows, you can find a way to carry out the theme through the entire event. Is it to be a casual wedding of two Renaissance types? The Renaissance theme is compatible with the wedding ritual, and makes for an unforgettable event.

Getting married in October?  Pumpkins, Gourds and flowers are perhaps the most traditional and best beloved of Fall wedding themes!  When you're planning your wedding, save time to choose the music with care. Get together with whoever is providing the music and talk about the right pieces for the two of you. There is nothing that sets the tone like music, and your wedding music will live in your memories for the rest of your lives.

The rings, the vows, the wardrobe all the choices you must make to create an intimately personal expression of your love, are made so much easier by following a theme. But the idea behind it all is what counts. 

You can choose one word to describe the spirit you wish to be your wedding, as if the coming together of two hearts creates a separate entity with one quality.  Is it joy? Is it contentment? Is it a giddy, bubbly, mirthful adoration? Pick a word or a phrase and keep it in mind. It'll tie everything together and make the experience more perfect. And your wedding theme can become a foundation throughout your marriage.

For your wedding.
For each other.
For your life.

............

Football Theme:
Photography: Jackie Blair / Planning, styling and execution:Gabbi Grace Events / Floral design Something Floral / Venue: "The Big House" University of Michigan

Fall Theme:
Photography: A Girl in Love / Planning,styling and execution: Gabbi Grace Events / Floral design: Parsonage Events/ Venue: Oakhurst golf and Country Club

5 Reasons to choose a Monogram Cake Topper

The figurines of the bride and groom have been the usual wedding cake toppers for centuries. Couples use these figurines to add a slightly personal touch to their wedding cake, but continue to do so as a simple act of tradition. Many couples are bucking this tradition for a new wedding cake topper tradition. These couples are using monogram wedding cake toppers for their wedding cake. If you are considering your wedding cake topper, there are four reasons to consider a monogram topper.
It's a Modern Look
The wedding cake has been a long-standing tradition for weddings around the world. The male/female wedding toppers have also been a part of this long-standing tradition. This tradition can actually make the cake look old. If you want your wedding cake to look new, use a monogram wedding cake topper. The materials that can be used help to make the topper look modern. In all actuality, any wedding cake with a monogram wedding cake topper will look modern when compared to a usual cake topper.

Better Off Wed

Colors to Match the Reception
If anything, you should choose a monogram cake topper to make your cake as personal as possible. The monogram cake topper actually features the initials of the couple. This helps to bring a personal touch to the cake as you are identifying the couple with the cake. While this personalization is not necessary, it is a fun tradition that makes the cake that much more enjoyable and interesting.

Paris Bakery Pretties

Design to Match Your Theme
You can actually design the look of your monogram to the look of your reception. There will be different designs for you to choose from. There will also be companies that can make a monogram cake topper for you. You may also opt for an edible monogram to be placed atop your cake. You should make a final decision that considers all of these options to make sure that the monogram will match your reception.

April Hiler Designs

Makes the Cake Personal
If anything, you should choose a monogram cake topper to make your cake as personal as possible. The monogram cake topper actually features the initials of the couple. This helps to bring a personal touch to the cake as you are identifying the couple with the cake. While this personalization is not necessary, it is a fun tradition that makes the cake that much more enjoyable and interesting.

The Pink Owl Gifts

New Traditions
Monograms are becoming more and more popular as new couples are interested in creating new traditions.  These monograms actually fit in with the theme of the wedding, and can easily look more elegant than the usual toppers. Consider these monograms for your wedding. The monogram can give your wedding cake a unique touch, and can be a great memento for later in life.

Gift ideas for the Groom

Photo Credit: Amy & Jordan Photography

It is traditional for the bride to give the groom a gift on the wedding day. Although the wedding rings that the couple exchanges can be considered gifts, many brides choose to honor their groom with an additional gift that suits his personality. The idea of the bride and groom exchanging gifts is beginning to fade as many couples who spend a great deal of money on their wedding or honeymoon may decide that there is no need to exchange gifts in addition to the wedding and honeymoon. If you do decide to honor your groom with a gift on your wedding day, it is more important to choose an item that he is sure to enjoy than it is to spend a great deal of money on the gift. It is also important to discuss budget constraints prior to purchasing gifts for each other.  A wedding is already a financial strain on most couples and it is important to realize that your love for each other is enough and that you don't have to exchange gifts on your wedding day if you don't wish to do so.
One great gift idea for the bride to give to the groom is a homemade photo album. The bride may wish to collect pictures of them as a couple from the day they met until now and arrange them artistically in a photo album as a souvenir of their relationship. Although the groom may have already seen the pictures in the album at one point or another, arranging them in a new way gives the illusion that they are new because it lets the groom view the pictures in a new way. This gift idea is ideal if the groom is the nostalgic type.
Another popular gift idea for the bride to give the groom is tickets to a sporting event for him and his best friend. This is a truly thoughtful and selfless gift that lets the groom know that you understand his interests and that you want to assure him that you will not try to minimize his relationships with his friends. If your groom is a sports fan, he is sure to enjoy this thoughtful gift.
Any item that relates to a specific hobby that the groom enjoys is a great idea for a wedding gift for the bride to give to the groom. This is a popular choice because giving a gift that relates to one of his hobbies demonstrates that you understand his likes and that you want him to continue to engage in activities that he enjoys.
Another creative gift idea that a bride may choose to honor her groom with is a short video depicting their relationship together. If the couple used their video recorder often, the bride would be able to edit the video into a concise video and possibly even set the video to music. This creative gift idea gives the groom an easy way to look back into the past and remember the good times that the two of you have had together.
An MP3 player loaded with downloads of the grooms favorite songs or songs that have a special meaning to the bride and the groom as a couple is another suitable gift for a bride to give to the groom on their wedding day. This is a gift that is sure to be appreciated by the man who enjoys gadgets as well as music. It is also significant because the ability to select songs that your groom will enjoy shows how well you truly know him.
Although the tradition of the bride and groom exchanging gifts on their wedding day is beginning to fade, many couples still wish to honor this tradition. Many couples spend so much money on their wedding and reception that they feel as though they cannot afford the additional expense of buying gifts for each other. While it may be true that the couple cannot afford one more extravagant gift it is also true that a truly thoughtful gift for the groom does not have to be overly expensive. If the couple is partaking in this tradition it is advisable that they exchange gifts that truly reflect the personality of their spouse.

October Flower of the Month: Calendula

Photo Credit: Bows and Arrows

Calendula is the birth flower of those born in October.

The meaning of Calendula is grief, sorrow or sympathy.

The Calendula is also commonly called Marigold or  "Mary's God" by early Christians.

The Calendula is easily grown making it affordable for the Bride who has the patience to grow their own wedding flowers. It is avaiable in shades of orange and yellow which makes for the perfect fall wedding flower!

Photo Credit: Bows and Arrows

 Calendula leaves are edible and are used for seasoning and coloring of  food by some and as a healing medicine by others.

Photo Credit: Adventures of a Whole Wheat Pastafarian

Real Detroit Wedding: Blue, Peach and Ivory

When I first met with this client to discuss the details of her wedding she had no theme and no idea of how she wanted it to look what she did know was that her favorite color is blue as a matter of fact she told me to do what I want in terms of decorating...As a wedding planner it is never my goal to take over a client's look and feel of their wedding it is my goal to pull out of them how they want it to look and this Encore bride loved monograms and the color blue she wanted small and intimate and not over the top and elaborate. It was also important that both families were represented with the design and decor. This is what we came up with.

The couple had a small intimate wedding with 65 guests when it came to their cake they wanted elegant. Custom Cake Boutique did an amazing job designing their wedding cake.

The Couple incorporated their initials with a custom monogram design on their wedding cake.

The Bride wanted a little bling so we decided to use a custom ring pillow with the couples initials blinged out. 

 To honor the Bride's deceased mother we placed a small peach and blue bouquet on her chair.

The couple wanted low centerpieces nothing too much but you know me nothing too much means lush and vibrant and the bride and groom LOVED their centerpieces. 

 Finally to tie everything and everyone together the bride,groom and her two sons participated in a sand ceremony.

The Bride wanted to share some part of the planning with her future mother in law who also happens to love to make crafts on her Cricuit machine decided she would let her handle the guest favors and she made the sweet little favor boxes and the custom "R" to personalize the boxes with the couples first initial of their last name and o make it a little sweeter she added the gold tulle favor bags filled with gold foil Hershey kisses! 

Here is where I added my two cents... Two of these beautiful Orchid and Hydrangea trees and draping were the backdrop for the couple as they took their vows and during the reception the backdrop was used for the head table! 

Photo Credit: Sarah Lugo Photography

Floral Design: Something Floral

Wedding Planner and Event Design: Gabbi Grace Events