Friday, 5 July 2013

How to find your Dream Theme:

Struggling to tie it all together? Read the handy guide and panic no more...

Winter Wonderland

For Narnia magic any time of year...

Think… glitter balls and sprayed willow; white roses and mistletoe; flickering church candles and a crackling fire.

Details… mulled wine and quince pies (the foodie ingredient right now); faux fur wraps and diamante brooches; midnight-blue marquee liners dotted with fairy lights.

Personalise with… a cake covered with white meringue icicles and tables scattered with paper snowflakes (find snowflake hole punches at art shops).

Rustic barn dance

For a folksy farmyard feel...

Think… hay bales in a field; barrels of cider; a hoedown band and caller.

Details… wellies, watering cans and wheelbarrows full of flowers; a festive hog roast; homemade twig hearts; centrepieces of colorful fruits and squash.

Personalise with…heart-shaped blackboards where guests can scrawl messages and doodles and pose with in groups (great for the guest book).

Versailles

For a day of theatrical flourishes

Think… Marie Antoinette and terraced ballrooms; gilt mirrors and chandeliers with table names in ornate frames.

Details… lavender bags and pretty fans; silver flower bowls of lilac and violet; sherpherdess crooks wound with ribbons for flowergirls; bouffant hair with diamante pins, and dresses with big bustles.

Personalise with… antique ivory invitations decorated with a cameo brooch motif, and names written in elegant 18th-century-style calligraphy.


English country garden

For your midsummer night’s dream...

Think… wisteria-clad walls and Pimm’s on the lawn; a string quartet; elderflower wine and strawberries with cream.

Details… roses or peonies in classic vases; flower girls with fairy wings and trees draped with pretty lanterns.

Personalise with… pots of fragrant lavender and herbs for favours, and raffia-tied napkins with sprigs of rosemary.

Around the world

For couples who love to travel...

Think… world music and steel drums; an international menu; colourful flags; vintage-cool passport stamps.

Details… airmail-style invitations; mini suitcases as centrepiece containers; a kaleidoscope of coloured flowers, cake layers decorated like luggage; boarding-card place names.

Personalise with… tables named after cities or countries you both love. Use a giant world map on an easel as a table plan and attach a list of guests’ names to each location with pretty pins.

By the seaside

For chilled-out, sand-between-your-toes romance...

Think… a blessing on the shore; beach huts; his and hers flip-flops; multi-coloured pinwheels and pebbles as decoration.

Details… orders of service printed on fans; piles of rustic daisies; driftwood table names; storm lanterns; jars of seashells; fresh oysters and an ice-cream truck.

Personalise with… a unity sand ceremony. You and your groom each pour sand of a different colour into a single vase to symbolise your coming together as one.

Old Hollywood

For all-out glitz with a hint of nostalgia...

Think… classic starlet style a la Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe; an ornate ballroom; sophisticated up-dos; black-tie and floor-length bridesmaids’ dresses.

Details… smoky eyes; white calla lilies; crystal candelabra; pearl-and-rhinestone hair combs; a lace-patterned cake; laser-cut invites; live music by Big Band-style group; a vintage Rolls Royce.

Personalise with… a chic cocktail bar where a white-jacketed mixologist shakes up classic martinis, Manhattans, Whisky Sours and Sidecars.

Autumn romance

For a harvest vibe with a quirky Halloween twist...

Think… falling leaves; golden light; bowls of apples; burnt orange accents.

Details… Witches Brew cocktails; gingersnap biscuits; carrot wedding cake; masquerade-mask flavours; carved pumpkin table centres; warm candlelight; an outdoor campfire with toasted marshmellows and blankets for guest to wrap up warm in.

Personalise with… a message tree. Instead of a guest book, have guests write well wishes on hand-crafted paper autumn leaves and tie them to the branches with bits of twine.

Fairytale

For the princess inside every bride...

Think… voluminous satin ball gown and elbow-length gloves; a horse and carriage ride to your historic-mansion venue; romantic arrangements of roses.

Details… scroll invitations sealed with wax; a harpist; vintage editions of fairytale classics; tall glass vases filled with gypsophila; glass-slipper favour boxes.

Personalise with… an ice sculpture or wedding cake in the shape of a castle for a dreamy focal point during the reception.

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