Picnic Theme Wedding Inspiration!
One of the great things about getting married in this day and age is that when it comes to your reception, there is no right or wrong way to go about it. Case in point, a picnic theme. While wicker and gingham might not be the first things that come to mind, there are endless ways to bring the laid back vibes of a picnic into a wedding, no matter how casual or formal you’d like it to be. And – great news is, no need to worry about ants or rain clouds when your “picnic” is inside!
Invitations
Brown kraft paper, simple doilies and the quintessential red gingham will leave no doubt in guests’ minds what to expect on your big day.
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Cocktail Hour
Why not let your guests loosen up a bit between the ceremony and reception with some activities? Face painting will be a hit with both young and young-at-heart.
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Photo Credit: Channing Johnson
No matter how distinct the cocktail menu is, fresh lemonade will always be a great idea to mix in.
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Photo Credit: Megan Evans Photography
Table Décor
Make it super simple for guests to grab and go with utensils wrapped in portable bags or tied together with string to keep the carefree theme going.
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Photo Source ThinkGarnish.com
Wicker will no doubt be incorporated into the décor. Even something as subtle as a miniature basket will do the trick.
Photo Source: Etsy – Item is no longer available and no shop listed.
Same goes for gingham. Go for small touches like napkins or a bold statement like a table runner.
Photo Source Photo Credit: Rustic Wedding Chic
Food
Picnic food is simple and comfort at its finest. Allow guests to mingle amongst stations or tables instead of a formal sit down meal. Or make it family style with dishes passed around. Either way, let guests know what’s for dinner with chalkboard menus.
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Photo Credit: Red Shoes Photography
And see them off with homemade or local jam topped with what else, string and gingham!
Photo Source Style Me Pretty
Are you throwing a picnic-themed wedding or event? Tell us about it!
Nautical Theme Wedding Ideas
For all the images that come to mind when one thinks, ‘summer,’ perhaps that of the sea is one of the season’s most quintessential. After all, most would say that beaches, boats and all things blue are best enjoyed with blue skies and a cool breeze.
Not every bride has the luxury of saying “I Do” on a sandy shore, but there are plenty of ways to give your wedding a nautical twist.
Invitations
Get creative with your invites. Use the coordinates of your ceremony location or antique map prints from bodies of water near where you live or either sides’ ancestry.
Photo Source Photo Credit: Gus & Ruby Letterpress
Attire
Keep things casual by having the groom and groomsmen wear boat shoes instead of the traditional formal dress shoe. This fashionable touch will double as a groomsmen gift, too!
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Photo Credit: Mike Larson
As for the bride, a pop of navy blue and white stripes make for a darling touch!
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Photo Credit: Katelyn James
Guest Book
Unrolling guests’ well wishes in this message in a bottle themed guestbook will aid in savoring your big day for many years to come. Large glass bottles should be easily spotted at flea markets and antique shops. Try buying a few in different sizes to make for a pretty display in your first home together as a married couple.
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Photo Credit: Keepsake Memories Photography
Décor
“Capture” guests’ cards in a lobster trap decorated with buoys that double as escort cards.
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Photo Credit: Laura Kimmerer
Stripes are for more than just clothing and table runners. Try decking out your dessert table with blue and white.
Sailors knots can be incorporated into almost any element of a wedding – from place holders to flowers and centerpieces large and small, they make a statement – you are tying the knot, after all!
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Photo Credit: Ashley Caroline
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Photo Credit: Alice Keeney Photography
Happy planning!
Vintage Theme Wedding Ideas
Out with the new and in with the old. No, it’s not a typo – it’s the theme of your vintage wedding. Whether it’s a love of nostalgia or a flare for romance that’s got you thinking of going back in time, a vintage theme can be carried out from start to finish. Consignment shops, antique stores and estate sales make for the perfect hunting grounds for décor and ceremony elements. They key is going in with a plan and the will to barter.
Invitations
Pink, cream, feminine and lace make for the ideal blend of characteristics for your invitations.
Ceremony
A lace gown or classic hairstyle isn’t the only way to put vintage on display for your bridal party. Switch up the groomsmen’s boutonnieres with military medals or skeleton keys.
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Don your aisle with sprigs of baby’s breath – a simple, romantic touch.
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Photo Credit: Gladys Jem
Tableware
Estate sales make it easy to stock up on dish sets from days gone by. No need to buy matching sets, the beauty lies in the variety.
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Photo Credit: Beauty for Ashes Photography
Décor
While you’re at it, pick up some tea cups and fill them with wax for delicate table décor.
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Tie burlap around napkins, menus or chairs for an easy and affordable touch.
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Photo Credit: Daffodil Waves Photography
Baby’s breath can also make for a vintage glam look when placed atop a fixture like a stack of old suitcases.
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Photo Credit: Middle Child Photography
Old doors and shutters – or even a wooden palate – can display family photos or place cards. Another antique shop (or discarded builder’s materials) find!
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Photo Credit: This Modern Love
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Photo Credit: Hunter Ryan Photo
Send your guests home to sweet dreams with vintage-styled desserts like cupcakes or tea cakes adorned in pretty lace and flowers.
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Are you having a vintage theme at your wedding? Tell us about it!
Adding A Touch Of Glitter To Your Wedding Day
All that glitters is not gold – especially on your wedding day! Whether you fancy silver, pink, blue or the glow of yellow, you can literally accent any part of your ceremony or reception with glitter.
Invitations
Set the scene with glitter adorned invitations. No matter your color scheme, glitter makes a subtle statement while adding a little bit of glamour.
Attire
If you prefer just a touch of sparkle, try a headband or veil adorned with glitter. This works just as well with hair styled up or down.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gibson Photography
Coordinate your sparkly nails with your wedding colors.
Photo Courtesy of MADAME JULIETTA
Sparkle all the way down to your toes with decked out heels.
Photo Credit: Maria Vicencio Photogprahy
Décor
A little glitter goes a long way at your reception. Make a bold statement with glittered table numbers.
Found on Etsy
Candles and décor wrapped in a band of sparkles make for an elegant centerpiece. If your reception is in the evening, adding candles will exemplify the natural reflections.
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Food and Drink
Sparkle all around the reception with sweet straws or stirrers topped with glitter.
Photo Credit: Kate Preftakes Photography
Or give the same look to your wedding cake for guests to admire.
Photo Credit: Jennefer Wilson Photography
Send Off
When it’s time to say goodbye, let guests send you off in true glitter fashion with confetti instead of rice.
Found on Etsy
Or light up the night with a sparkler send off! Either way, you’re sure to leave a lasting impression.
Photo Credit: Janet Howard Studio
Gatsby Themed Wedding or Bridal Shower Ideas: Classic and Elegant!
The Roaring 20s may have been nearly a century ago, but the decade’s affinity to host a grand celebration isn’t likely to become a dying fad anytime soon. Overindulgence was more normal than rare for many – including the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The book has become synonymous with the times. If you, too, are a fan, here are some ways to bring it to life on your wedding or shower day. Just a few will easily carry out a theme, but if you’re staying true to form, you may want to incorporate every one!
Pay homage to F. Scott Fitzgerald by displaying one of his many poetic quotes about love during your reception.
Photo Credit: Dixie Pixel
Or use it as a backdrop for a dessert table or makeshift photo booth.
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Ostrich feathers were a standard of 1920s style. With their luxurious aesthetic, they can turn something as simple as a place card into an elegant talking point for your guests.
Found On Etsy
Use varying sizes to create a large centerpiece or add an element of flair to the tables.
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Dress the part! Adorn a classic 20s hairstyle – finger waves – with an ostrich fascinator.
Found On Etsy
No Prohibition laws here. Wow your guests with a champagne tower at the entrance to your reception. You may not be able to replicate the flow of bubbly, but your guests will certainly notice your nod to the times with these vintage coup glasses.
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A string of pearls can dress your space just as well as it can you. Turn an ordinary piece like a candelabra or the bride and groom’s chairs into décor draped in class.
Photo Credit: EVENTful Moments
Photo Credit: EVENTful Moments
Leave your guests with a lasting impression of indulgence and glamour by sending them home with a slice of art deco wedding cake. The ultimate over-the-top send-off to ensure the sweetest (and most decadent) of dreams!
Photo Credit: Gaby J Photography
Update from Willow Writer Danielle: Food Selections!
This month has been quite eventful! We tasted the amazing food for the reception, and to say the least I was stuffed when we left! I personally like the idea of giving guests a choice between a beef and a white meat. We chose the Chicken Marsala (it was so flavorful and tender) and the Beef Tips (it literally fell apart it was so tasty!)
We started the meal off with Potato Leek soup, Wedding soup and the Wisconsin Beer, Bacon and Cheese soup! (All of them were amazing!) However, I wanted to think as one of our guests and what they would want so we chose the Wedding soup.
After, the delicious assortment of food tasting the Chef came out to meet us, and my husband-to-be commented how the cheese soup was the best he had ever had in his entire life, but that he got over ruled by me.
After we were almost finished with our meals, the Chef came out with two quarts of cheese soup and told David this was his wedding gift from the Chef and to enjoy! Well, after we got home and ate the entire two quarts of soup that evening we both decided that this was going to replace the Wedding soup option for our dinner menu!!
Our other sides are going to be the Potato Cups that reminds me of a twice baked potato and the Glazed Carrots with no nuts because David is deathly allergic!!!
I just really appreciated how The Willow Room went the extra step to make us both feel so special on that day and we got free soup! Can’t wait for what April has in store…….choosing invites, favors and more!!!
All About Flowers: Wedding Ideas
No doubt about it – flowers are quintessential to a wedding. Whether you’ve got a green thumb or you can’t keep a houseplant alive, the centerpiece and bouquet are not the only way to spread their beauty throughout your big day.
Ceremony
Adorn the pews or seating with sweet bunches of baby’s breath or wild flowers.
Photo credit: Richard Bell Photography
Create a romantic aisle with loose petals and candles.
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Decor
If you like the idea of flowers, but find the scent to be overwhelming, try incorporating them into art and decoration. This works anywhere from the dessert table to signage.
Photo Credit: Greer G. Photography
Photo credit: Alicia Thurston Photography
Embrace your inner craft queen and try your hand at paper flowers.
Photo Credit: Lia Griffith
Photo Credit: Tara Dennis
Cake
Whether you prefer fondant or the real thing, flowers can add elegance or whimsy to your cake.
Photo Credit: SMS Photography
Photo Credit: Cotton and Crumbs
Favors
Send your guests home with an eco-friendly (and budget friendly!) reminder of your day with a packet of seeds. Easy-to-plant options include poppies and sunflowers. Or make the flower memorable – literally – with forget-me-nots. Include a sweet phrase and your wedding date to add a personal touch.
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St. Patrick’s Day / Irish-Inspired Wedding Ideas
Whether you’re decked out in shades of green or simply offer a nod to Irish heritage by way of a Guinness toast, celebrating your wedding with a St. Patrick’s Day or Irish-inspired theme practically guarantees fun.
The best part of this theme is you can go as little or as big as you’d like – whether it’s the traditional “Top of the Morning” breakfast (think: sausage, baked beans, soda bread) with your bridal party or offering an Irish blessing over dinner. Here are some ideas we love.
Ceremony
Have your guests take and hold a smooth stone while you say your vows. Irish tradition believes this to be good luck and so the words said at this time are, in fact, “set in stone.” Further remember this by asking guests to write their names and well wishes on the stones before returning them – a great alternative to a guest book!
Photo Credit: Marissa Rodriguez
Another “literal” touch? Bind your hands with your bride or groom during the ceremony, a Celtic wedding tradition called hand fasting that is thought to have given way to the phrase “tying the knot.”
Photo credit: Stacy Reeves Photography
Green may be your favorite color, but if you’d rather keep the touches subtle, try adding a brooch to your bouquet or shoes.
Photo credit: Katelyn James
Reception
Whether your guests decide to partake early on or as a nightcap, indulge them with an Irish whiskey tasting bar.
Photo credit: Sara & Rocky Photography
Remember, green is not the only color choice – gold and white make perfect complimentary hues. Check out this gorgeous cake – it almost looks too good to eat! Almost…
Photo Credit: Sara & Rocky Photography
Before the night ends, send your guests home with a sweet favor like green and white M&Ms.
Found on Martha Stewart Weddings
Or personalized mints with a Celtic knot or four-leaf clover.
Sports-Themed Weddings – Part 2
We wrote a blog a few weeks ago featuring some awesome sports-related wedding ideas. This week, we take a look at basketball, hockey, tennis, and running.
Basketball
Check out this awesome centerpiece for a basketball-themed wedding. It’s illuminated from below! It won’t interfere with your guests’ space at the table either!
Image courtesy of Sports Themed Weddings
If you want a more subtle approach to your sports theme, how about this basketball inspired ring bearer pillow? You can custom order a lot of great items from this Etsy shop!
Image courtesy of jbconaway Etsy
Hockey
These gold puck escort cards are a perfect way to add hockey action into your wedding. And what a cool souvenir for your guests!
Photo by Ned Jackson Photography via Style Me Pretty
How about this prop for the back of your Mr. and Mrs. chairs? Use a men’s skate for the groom and a women’s skate for the bride.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs
Tennis
Favors are a great way to incorporate your theme and give your guests a gift to take home. These tennis-inspired favors included favor packets of Sugarpova gumballs and a deck of racket-adorned playing cards.
Photo Courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings
And how adorable is this cake topper? Such a personalized way to show your love of the game. Find Genefy on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Pinterest
Running
We love this shoe box card holder. A simple way to add a running element to the big day!
Photo found here.
And here is a really cool cake with a running theme. A sweet way to show your love of the sport!
Image found here.
Well, we hope you enjoyed our sports-themed blog part 2. If you want to see a certain theme or idea explored, let us know! Thank you for reading!
Willow Writer Jenna found her dress and bridesmaid dresses!
When I got engaged in September of last year, one of my first thoughts about my wedding was finding my wedding dress. I had been watching TV shows like David Tutera’s My Fair Wedding and Say Yes to the Dress and I knew how excited brides would get when they found the one dress that made them feel like a bride. I couldn’t wait to go out with my mom and my bridesmaids and try on hundreds of dresses to find the one.
Not long after I had got engaged, my mom, Jodie, Ashley, and I had gone out shopping to a few craft stores to get ideas for the wedding. While we were out, we decided to stop at a bridal store to get ideas for bridesmaid dresses. I had no intention of looking for my dress that day, but as soon as we walked in, we saw a beautiful princess dress hanging in the middle of the store.
“Jenna, it is so beautiful. You have to try it on,” Jodie exclaimed.
So I agreed and we got a changing room for me so I could try the dress on. For as beautiful as the dress was, I hated it on me. I did not feel like a princess or a bride. I was disappointed and Jodie and Ashley picked out a few more for me to try. Everything I tried on that day I hated. I did not like how I looked and even though I probably only tried on five to ten that day I felt discouraged.
One evening a few weeks later, my mom and I went to Alfred Angelo’s just to have fun trying on dresses. I did not go with any intentions of finding a dress. This night was purely a girl’s night out with my mom. The girls at Alfred Angelo’s in Monroeville were very nice and really helpful. They gave me a catalog to look through and I marked the dresses I wanted to try. I knew I was looking for a ball gown type dress because I wanted to look like a princess on my wedding day. Alfred Angelo’s had this line of dresses called the Disney Collection and I was determined to try all of them on.
Danielle, the girl who was helping me in the dressing room, was super nice. Based on my choices she was able to select other options that she thought I would like. My mom and I were having a fun time and I liked the dresses at Alfred Angelo’s a lot better than the other bridal store. I felt pretty in the dresses, but I hadn’t got any special feelings with the first few dresses I tried on. I didn’t think I would cry when I found my dress, but I was expecting to feel something. I tried my way through the Disney Collection and I really liked the Snow White dress, but I still wasn’t sure. I found a dress in the catalog that I liked, but it was not in the Disney Collection so I decided to go out of the box and try it on. Danielle helped me get into it and I came out to look in the full-length mirror. The dress was amazingly beautiful and I loved it on me. The dress was strapless and it had embroidered lace with metallic accents and crystal beading. The train was longer and is considered a semi-cathedral train and the lace and beading covered the whole train. I spun around in front of the mirror and my mom looked like she was going to cry. I did not feel overly emotional about it, but I knew I really liked it. My mom picked out some veils just to see what the dress would look like with one. I stress the fact that I really liked it, but I still wasn’t sure. I had also liked the Snow White dress. I continued to try on dresses until Alfred Angelo’s was about to close, still unsure of the dresses I had tried on.
As I was leaving Danielle said, “You’ll know you found your dress when it’s the one you can’t stop thinking about.”
When I went home I thought about the Snow White dress and the other dress that I had really liked. I couldn’t decide if I liked one more than the other so I called Jodie and Ashley and asked them to come to Alfred Angelo’s to see both dresses. I wanted to see what their opinions were. That night when I fell asleep I dreamt of my wedding and in the dream I was wearing one of the dresses.
So on Saturday, Jodie and Ashley went with me to Alfred Angelo’s. I tried on the Snow White dress first and they both agreed that it was pretty and that they liked it. Looking at the dress on again, I did like it, but I felt like a little girl that was about to get married. Then I put on the other dress. When I came out of the dressing room I had a huge smile on my face. This was the dress I had dreamed about. Looking at this dress again I felt like a woman not a child. I felt like a bride who was about to get married.
Both Ashley and Jodie were smiling and my mom was crying again.
“You’re glowing in that dress,” Jodie commented.
“I don’t think she could smile any bigger,” Ashley said.
“I really love this dress,” I admitted.
I twirled in front of the mirror again feeling beautiful and like a bride. “I think this is my dress.”
“Are you sure?” my mom asked. “This is only the second place we looked.”
I nodded. This was the dress I had not stopped thinking about.
Since I got my dress from Alfred Angelo’s, my bridesmaids would get a discount on their dresses if we found them there. I ended up finding two styles of bridesmaids’ dresses that I really liked and I felt they would go with the formal theme of my wedding. Plus both styles complimented my wedding dress. I told my bridesmaids that they could pick either of the dress since they were very similar in style. I just didn’t want three girls in the one style and only one girl in the other style unless Jodie, my matron of honor, was the only one in a different dress.
No matter what dress they picked, I knew we could get it in the cherry red to match my wedding colors. The first dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a diamond broach on the waistline. It was made of satin and had pockets on the sides of the dress. The second dress was a satin A-line gown with a white ribbon that was tied around the waist. When all my bridesmaids tried on both dresses I was surprised that they all liked the same dress.
For my wedding all my bridesmaids chose the first dress, number 7166 in Alfred Angelo’s catalog. I was glad that everyone had actually had the same opinion on the dresses. I knew shoes were going to be another matter. Some of my bridesmaids loved wearing stiletto heels and I knew that others would be more comfortable in flats or low heel shoes. To keep everyone happy and comfortable, I told my girls that they could pick whatever shoes they wanted as long as they were silver sandals.
I am very fortunate that I have been able to find my dress and that my bridesmaids have been able to agree on a dress. With the bridal fashions taken care of we can concentrate on other aspects of the wedding.
Words of Willow 