Wedding Planning|Wedding Planning & Wedding Advice

Weddings are a great time to let your creativity show. What better way to celebrate creativity than to highlight the creative process? With an art-themed wedding, you can choose from endless options inspired by artists you love, favorite works of art, or even the creative process itself. Here are a few ideas:

Venues

Museums are becoming a more popular place to get married or to have your reception, and many more museums are opening their doors for such events. In addition to offering you a unique space in which to get married, museums also come with their own decorations. You’ll spend far less on flowers and other decorations! If a museum is too formal for you, or you can’t find one in your area that will host a wedding, other venues to consider include art galleries and studios. A real artist’s studio — either for painting, sculpting, or mixed media — is a unique venue that will make your wedding memorable for you and your guests.

The Dress

You don’t need an artist to create a masterpiece for you. Here’s where you can look to paintings and design for inspiration. Do you admire the gown in a certain painting? Have a reproduction created and where it as your wedding gown! You may find that there are less traditional options depicted in many paintings  — so  most gowns won’t be flowing, white ball gowns. You can also look for inspiration in your favorite styles of art, like this art deco-inspired gown from designer Jenny Packham.

You may have trouble finding off-the-rack options that suit your art-inspired theme. However, many options are available to have a dress custom-designed to your specifications. Depending on how intricate the design, you may even be able to have the dress made for less than it would cost you to buy it off the rack.

The Cake

The cake is another place where you can have some fun looking for inspiration. There are many beautiful paintings of floral and landscape scenery, which are ideal for traditional wedding cake styles. Think of Impressionist style painters such as Monet or Renoir.

The two cakes above were inspired by paintings by Van Gogh. If you want to try something a little edgier, look to pop artists such as Mondrian, Warhol, or Lichtenstein. Work with a clear picture and be specific about what you want with the baker. If possible, ask to have a small version of your cake – or even one tier – created as a sample so you can be sure of the final product and to make sure the baker properly understands your vision.

Favors

There are many great favors that can go well with an art-themed wedding. A very simple idea would be to print out pictures of your favorite paintings to make into magnets or bookmarks. You could also choose works of art that celebrate love, such as “The Kiss” by Klimt (pictured).

Frames perched on miniature easels would also make a cute favor that can double as a name card. Just insert the card with your guest’s name inside the frame, and later, the frame can be used for a favorite picture.

You could also promote the idea of creating art by offering nice pens, pencils, or brushes as favors. Tie two together with a nice string or ribbon, and attach a card with your wedding date or a suitable quote.

Activities

Besides the traditional dancing and toasting, your guests can enjoy a number of fun and unique activities at an art-themed wedding. If you choose to have your reception at a museum, there will likely be galleries that your guests can peruse and enjoy. The museum may even make a special exhibit available just for your guests. If you choose a natural history or science museum, there will likely be hands-on activities that can be fun for guests – especially kids – and get them more engaged.

No matter your venue, you could also consider hiring a caricature artist to create fun pictures of your guests, or you could set up small stations with easels and brushes for your guests to create their own work. Sketch pads and pencils at the tables could also give your guests an opportunity to create. Your guests could also be encouraged to create a picture especially for the couple, which could become a lovely memento later.

What other creative ideas do you have for an art-themed wedding? What have you seen at other weddings to inspire you?

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she’s written on online MIS program along with a piece on online gemology programs. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, playing piano, and working with origami.

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Today we start a new continuing feature here at weddingsetups.com: a look at wedding traditions from around the world. You can use these articles to honor your family’s heritage during your wedding ceremony, wherever it takes place. Or, you can celebrate the bride or groom’s culture during a pre-wedding party (an article with ideas for these parties will follow).

German Wedding Traditions

Festive Felony

In the smaller villages, the bride may be ‘kidnapped’. The groom looks for her in the local pubs, often picking up the tab for all of the customers or inviting them along in the search.

Housewrecker

There is a house party before the wedding that ends with all of the dishes getting smashed for good luck. The “lucky” bride and groom have to clean up the mess.

German Wedding Food

The bride and groom snack on bread when they first arrive at their home after the wedding, to symbolize that they will never go hungry.

Wedding Cake

The traditional wedding cake is Baumkuchen, which is often made in stacked rings but can also come in the shape of a rectangular cake or small squares. The one below is from konditorei-werner.de, warning: if you visit this site it will make you want to fly to Germany for some dessert!

German Wedding Attire

Tasty Accessories

Traditionally, the bride carries bread and salt to symbolize a good harvest and the groom carries grain, which is a symbol for good luck and health. This is also an aspect of traditional Polish Weddings, to read all about them please visit polishwedding.blogspot.com – a very useful and informative source. Photo: Polishwedding.blogspot.com.

Yes, but how far can you throw it?

In Germany the bride passes her veil on to the next woman to be married, rather than throwing the bouquet.

German Wedding Decorations

Sharing a Cup

Another tradition is for the bride and groom to drink from a special cup that lets them both drink at the same time. This is based on the “Legend of the Maiden Bridal Cup” and you can buy one of the beautiful cups at mayhemltd.com.This cup would also make a thoughful gift to the bride from the groom. The cup, and it’s beautiful story could also be used to propose!

Flower Horse Power

In Germany, real flowers are used to decorate the cars, rather than the ribbons, bows, and plastic flowers often used in North America.

Important German Words

Wedding: Hochzeit

Bride: Braut

Groom: Brautigam

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Flower Motifs in Wedding Decorations

Fresh flower arrangements, bouquets, and boutonnieres – flowers play a big role in your wedding (and, possibly, your budget!). However, a Spring or Summer wedding can also include flowers in other decorating ideas as well.

Tips: Pick one type of flower and stick with it. If you do this, the flower can become a symbol for your big day and a subtle theme for all aspects of your wedding. Do not mix and match different flowers unless they are from the same group (i.e. wildflowers), and even then be very careful.

White Rose Fabric

Consider using the flower as a subtle design on some decorations – a raised pattern of white roses on a white background would be the kind of elelgant detail that people notice. For example, use a print like this one from cloaksofireland.com for the table linens (if the rose has a slight sheen to it and the background fabric is matte, it will be more noticeable.)

White Rose Petals

Use flower petals to decorate the church or reception hall. You can use fresh petals or purchase fabric petals, like these from wholesaleflowerandsupplies.com.

White Rose Stamps

You can include rose motifs right down to the smallest details, like using these stamps from zazzle.com on your invitations.

The Bride and Bloom

Tip: Keep in mind that even a white rose can have very different looks. Try to stick with the same shade of white and the same style so that your wedding doesn’t start to look unorganized.

Rose Wedding Favor

This delicate looking rose candle holder from hotref.com is made from resin and clear rhinestones (it includes the candle).

White Chocolate Rose Wedding Cake

A delicious and delightful white chocolate cake adorned with roses, from justscrumptious.co.uk.

DIY Delicious

You can make your own white roses from modeling chocolate, instructions at pastrychef.com. Leave them at each place setting as an edible decoration, or nestle each delicate rose in a favor box and send the guests home with one. Apparently, you can make them months ahead of time as long as you store them in a cool, dry location.

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Baby, it’s cold outside…

You can really heat things up when the temperature outside is cool – it’s all about contrasts. Imagine a white wedding…

White Church

This historic white church, built in 1822, is set high on a hill in Blandford, Massachusetts. It is available for weddings (thewhitechurch.org). Consider a white carpet down the aisle, white flowers, and white fabric (tulle?) draped every where…

Or, scatter white petals outside the church and along the aisle. Or, use red petals and then have the flower girl add white petals when she walks down the aisle.

White Linens

www.vitaintl.com

As an added bonus, white linens are readily available from party rental companies (and are often less expensive than specialty colours). Your venue may even include white table cloths and other linens in the rental cost. Also, white dishes are now intentional and not just the every day plates used at every other event…

White Wedding Cake

www.sweetart.co.uk/

If your wedding cake is going to be completely white, it can be ornately decorated without seeming over-the-top. Consider textures, flowers, designs…

White Flowers

You can make a white bouquet interesting by using several different flowers – you have a wide selection to choose from. Consider: roses, lilies, and gerber daisies together, for example.

White Carriage

www.whisperingpinesranchandcarriage.com

…drawn by white horses of course! Another option: use white cars and decorate them with white flowers.

RED DRESS

The Bride is supposed to be the centre of attention, right?

Now the wedding day is really all about you!

Note the white fingernails – a french manicure or something equally subtle is appropriate when you are wearing a red dress to your own wedding. Simple jewelry is also best – avoid white pearls or any other colour. Diamonds or red stones work well.

Make sure you have the personality to pull this off, not everyone should wear a red wedding dress! This is for confident, scene-stealers only!

For the very brave: Ask all of your guests to wear either black or white only so that you really light up your special day.

This is the second installment in a two part series about monogrammed items for weddings.

Last time we featured wedding cake toppers and provided you with some guidelines and etiquette for creating a monogram (Monograms Part 1: Let Me Spell It Out For You).

Today we feature everything else wedding-related you might want to monogram…

Wedding Invitations

Here is a wonderful example of modern monogramming on a wedding invitation, one of many amazing creations by Kate at weddinginvitationdesigner.com. (This is an example of one of my favorite wedding color schemes, too, by the way.)

weddinginvitationdesigner.com

Here is a another invitation that caught my eye – you can order it online and customize the colors to match your wedding theme. I have a weakness for cherry blossoms when it comes to weddings…

urbanitystudios.com

Cake Decorations

Monograms can be right on the cake rather than placed on the top layer as a wedding cake topper. Look closely at the cake below to see the monogram piped on to the second layer for an understated, yet personal touch.

ritzoflasvegas.com

Cookies, Cupcakes

Everyone knows I can’t resist a cookie, and these custom colored cake cookies are so cute I feel like getting married all over again.

beatricegiftservices.com

These cookies come individually wrapped in their own fancy box and can be ordered in various shapes and color. They look good enough to eat!

cookiesandcrumbs.com

The Cookie That Really Takes The Cake

Check out this lovely wedding cake and cookie combo by Melissa a blogger who also makes custom cakes and cookies (check out her site thegoodapple.blogspot.com – her work is right up there with those reality TV cake shows if you ask me!).

thegoodapple.blogspot.com

Cupcake Toppers

Here is another sweet idea – monogrammed cupcake toppers handmade by Etsy seller lilbooandco –  you get to pick all of the details for the design (monogram, color, circle, square, scallop, flower, etc).

etsy.com

Another option for wedding cupcakes: a monogrammed cupcake wrapper.

paperorchidstationery.com