Wedding Themes Continued

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Black & White/Damask:

Black and white wedding ideas are easy to work with: many decorations are naturally white (tents, linens, plates, etc), which means working with black accents. In many ways, this is a great budget wedding idea since white things cost less and are much easier to find. The appearance is still classy and elegant, though, as you can work with so many different patterns background! For a black and white wedding theme, I highly recommend getting bridesmaid shoes, accessories, and dresses from White House Black Market. Their prices are reasonable, and your bridesmaids will be grateful to have a little black dress they can reuse after the ceremony.

The cake is from W.O.W cakes. She is fantastic!!
The picture coaster wedding favors are from myweddingfavors.com. When planning with this design in mind, patterns are easily the most important part. Two patterns damask and toile work well. If look for these in the form of vases, ribbons, plates, candles and other items, you should be able to find them easily.

Beach/Seashore:

BEACH. If you're heading to the ocean for your nuptials, some beach wedding ideas are in order! For starters, check out the August wedding ideas section, but BEACH hey, you can never get enough ocean inspiration. First, I'll go with a nautical theme in traditional colors of navy, silver, and white. An engraved compass would make a great gift for the groomsmen. Consider using maritime flags to decorate. They're a little hard to find, but you should be able to find something on Ebay.

For cake, you should be able to get a sandcastle style design.
For a venue space, look to the Boathouse. To really heighten the lime accents, use actual limes in beverages, cakes, and centerpieces. The same is true using fresh tropical fruits like pineapples and mangos for drinks. If you can, go with seafood for the main course.
Lastly, consider a sand ceremony - instead of lighting a unity candle, you each pour colored sand into a glass to form a unique design. The jar can be saved for years, and you can use any color. Kits are available, but since it's just colored sand and glass it's not difficult at all to make one yourself.

I was surprised at the number of pretty cute favors out there in a nautical theme. Many of these you might be able to make yourself, like the sand ceremony and customized shells. It's worth a look for some inspiration.

Patio/Courtyard:

For budget brides wanting a backyard wedding reception, check out these backyard wedding ideas:

To find the perfect backyard, now is the time to "borrow, beg and steal." Or, if you happen to have a lush backyard, by all means, use it! Another option is to rent a house for the weekend in an upscale part of town--you'd definitely have to clear it with the owners and make sure you're abiding by noise ordinances, but if the yard is out in the country it could be perfect.

Here are the benefits to having a backyard wedding reception:
1) You can bring your own food and alcohol
2) It's way cheaper as a venue space
3) You can feel right at home and not the least bit awkward
4) No preferred caterer list, DJ, etc
5) The accessibility to things like a computer, kitchen, bathroom, changing room, are already built in.

I'm going to stretch the idea a little farther, now... some great backyard wedding ideas can be for apartments, too. Many apartments have clubhouses or a gathering space that could be perfect for a wedding.

Another backyard wedding idea is to use an old historic site. These sites usually owned by the state and have few rules. The most ideal is to have a home with a garden as a backyard. The theme is casual and quirky.
Think about using white table cloths, but using many different colors and prints for the centerpieces, lanterns and candles. Think of your wedding like a dinner party that is laid back and classy at the same time. Great paper lanterns from the Paper Lantern Store can be used everywhere!
Use butterfly candles from Top Wedding Favors, though you could just as easily raid an antique store or dollar store to get multi-colored candles. Use common patio decorations like tiki torches or wrought iron candleholders.

I think a simple dress from Alix and Kelly is charming.

For food, I'd use Fondue makers and chocolate fountains. They're a ton of fun; each person can have their own individualized meal if you lay out assorted meats, vegetables, cheese, tofu, etc... You might have to get several of the fondue makers, but it could be a really fun, interesting idea. Plus, it would be unforgettable.
Some perfect flowers to use are tulips--bright, colorful, and inexpensive.

Hot Summer Days/August:

August is a beautiful time to get married. If you're planning a wedding outside, here are a few August wedding ideas full of unique outdoor wedding options. Also consider an indoor "country club" look too, since you may not be near a lake. Bear with me on these ideas, since August weddings can be just about anywhere with any theme. For colors, your possibilities are endless. I would opt for delicate pastels in yellow and pink. When my sister got married in the summer, she chose bold colors in purple, yellow, orange, and fuchsia. In fact, I'll try to recreate her wedding in my picture using her own summer wedding ideas. When she told me her wedding colors, I thought she was nuts... but together, they look awesome. For drinks, lemonade in glass jars (maybe spiked with vodka for a refreshing alcoholic drink) is a good choice.
My sister used beta fish centerpieces at her wedding... who ALL got good homes with a long life after the wedding was over. Her house was full of fish, each in their own home, but they looked stunning. Fish can be a nice look, but just remember that they are living creatures who need attention. So, fish can be a good August wedding idea if they get good homes afterwards! Think about using bubbles, too. Bubble wands are relativly inexpensive, and can look beautiful. Or, get a bubble blowing machine to play when it's announced you're officially husband and wife.

So, are you thinking of something a little less casual and less outdoorsy? Country clubs/Golf courses can be a good pick, since they offer the best of both worlds: the location is nice, guests can walk the well-manicured grounds outside, and you're completely sheltered in case of bad weather. They're also very... Great-Gatsbyesque: think 1920's roaring summer party. That's what I think of when I do a country club wedding.
For colors, country clubs are nice since they're essentially a blank canvas. In continuation with the roaring 1920s wedding theme, I would choose gold, black and white for a design. I recommend having sparklers to light at the end of the ceremony, and driving off to the reception in a classic vintage car.

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