Weddings By Seasons and Holidays

Monday, April 28, 2014

Chinese New Years (Red, Orange and Yellow) Wedding

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday. The source of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors (Chinese New Year).

Chinese New Year

A couple doesn't have to be Chinese to get married on Chinese New Year or to have a Chinese New Year themed wedding. Chinese culture is rich in many countries including Canada and the United State. Some people believe getting married in certain years are good luck based on the Chinese Zodiac Calendar so why not get married on the New Year.

The Flowers:
Flowers don't always match the theme. Some brides choose to go with white flowers to match the dress, some brides choose to go with flowers that their husband-to-be is known to buy them. A bride's favourite flour is always a good choice for the bouquet and most flowers come in a variety of colours.

Calla Lilies and Roses

The Dress:
Chinese weddings usually include dress changes. Changing dresses can occur up to 30 times but traditionally in modern day bride's have 2-4 different dresses. Usually there is a dress for the tea ceremony, the wedding ceremony and than one or more for the reception. With this wedding being a Chinese New Year Wedding, it is up to the couple what they decide to do. Some may choose to not do the tea ceremony at all and just do a traditional wedding ceremony for them and a reception. Any combination is fine and completely up to the couple. Whatever they choose the bride and plan her dresses around that.

A Dress for the Wedding Tea Ceremony

Your attire for the tea ceremony doesn’t have to be elaborate, but should be simple and appropriate out of respect for your new in-laws as you serve them tea. In the past, brides from Hong Kong chose to wear a hong gua, or matching silken jacket and skirt outfit with rich embroidery. For modern brides, almost any type of simple, formal outfit or traditional Chinese dress is appropriate to wear to your tea ceremony.

Typically, this set of clothes is worn throughout the tea ceremony, after which the bride changes into her next set of clothes before returning to her family home.

A Dress for the Wedding Ceremony

There are two options for your wedding ceremony dress: a white western-style wedding gown and veil or a traditional red Chinese qipao. These days, most brides choose to wear the white western-style gown during the wedding ceremony as, often, a western church ceremony is also incorporated into the Chinese wedding events. Even if not, many Chinese brides enjoy donning a fancy white gown for part of their wedding festivities, and may also do a photo shoot in the gown.

A Dress (or several) for the Wedding Reception

It is during the wedding reception that most Chinese brides choose to wear a Chinese qipao, a long red silken gown, usually embroidered with a phoenix to symbolize the female partner in marriage. The qipao is traditionally a red floor-length sheath dress with a high collar and short sleeves, and usually the bride will change into her qipao sometime after the wedding ceremony but before the reception.

The Invitations:
The perfect invitations for this wedding is appropriately called Happy Chinese New Year by Zazzle. It highlights Chinese Lanterns and it has all the colour of the wedding theme. Another great option would be to get invitations that involve what year it would be (i.e 2014 is the year of the horse).

The Ceremony:
The Ceremony all depends on the couple. Just because a couple is using the theme of Chinese New Years, doesn't mean they have to have a Chinese Ceremony, or be Chinese for that matter. For example, a Catholic couple could very simply get married in their church and still have the Chinese New Year Theme for their reception.

The Reception:
The perfect place for a wedding reception would be a cozy Chinese restaurant in Chinatown but to rent out a whole restaurant would get quite costly and may not be a possibility. Depending on when and where in the world the wedding is taking place, a nice outdoor wedding would be a great option, with hanging Chinese lanterns hanging around a tent would be a perfect setting for a reception. However because Chinese New Year is usually in January or February it may be too cold to have an outdoor wedding. Other option is taking a plan hall and decorating it in a Chinese style. Hanging Lanterns are usually associated with Chinese New Year along with dragons, fire and bright colours.

The Food:
Most catering companies can make Chinese food for a wedding, if that's what the couple wants and with this theme it is a good choice. Chinese food is also easy to make at home, so depending on the couples budget and what they want, having a reception outside (depending on the weather, location and time of year), or in a place that is special to them would be perfectly fine. Sometimes when the couple doesn't have a big budget for food, they have close family members and friends make dishes to serve buffet style. This may seem like a lot of trouble but the family can cook while the bride and groom take their pictures and serving them in warm trays would be a great way to do things. Chinese buffets usually have a lot of options, the main ones (in a North American Buffet) being Won Ton Soup, Egg Rolls, Fried Rice, Spare Ribs, Chicken Balls (and/or Sweet and Sour Chicken).

The Cake:
The cake for this wedding would depend on what style the couple is going with. If they choose to highlight the dragon part of the New Year celebration the red cake below would be the best choice, if they want just a New Year themed cake the yellow one would be a better choice. Flavour wise a nice choice would be a Cream Cheese Chocolate Layer Cake.

The Centerpieces:
One of the most beautiful Centerpiece/Table Setting I've ever seen revolving around the Chinese New Year theme was in a blog by Mary Grayson the Author of Bellissimo. This table theme is set with a black theme also but it is a great good and option for a Chinese New Year Wedding. The table this is set on is black which is an unusual colour for a table so a white or black table cloth over any regular table may be a better alternative. The decoration for the table is relatively simple and yet it looks amazing. A red table runner down the middle highlights the centerpieces which are simply tall hurricanes with lemons inside topped off but mini Chinese Lanterns. The runner can be decorated however the couple wants.. in the picture below there are branched and Chinese looking coins but any decoration that matched the theme would be perfectly fine.

Chinese New Year Table

The Guest Favours:
The perfect guest favour for this wedding has to be Fortune Cookies in a Take Out Style Box or these Yellow Take Out Style Boxes would fit the theme well also (and a nice Personalized Label would finish the look off). Most groceries stores now sell Fortune Cookies by the container and they shouldn't be hard to find. Another option is to make them at home (recipe here).

Thank You Cards:
For most weddings, any Thank You Card will do. It doesn't have to match the invitation set or the theme even, it's just the thought that counts. Some couples choose to sent pictures from their wedding as Thank You Cards, which is a wonderful idea. While some choose to send personal messages in cards with a picture, also a great idea.

Thank You Cards

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Fall Leaves (Red) Wedding

Fall weddings may be one of the simplest things to plan because of how many choices there are to go with. Even with only selecting the leaves and colours of fall as a theme there are so many beautiful things that could mix and match together. That being said in certain categories there will be a number of examples and options to look at. They are all beautiful and would all be great choice.

Fall Calla Lily Bouquet

Flowers:

The colours of fall are red, yellow, orange and a little green. Any combination of those colours would work great as a bouquet.

The Dress:
This is where options come in, with the dress there is never a reason to match the theme. The dress is about what the bride likes and what makes her look perfect for her big day. Some great options dress wise would be an Alfred Angelo dress. If the bride wants to add a bit of colour to her look, they have a wide range of colours and they match almost anything, even fall colours. Another great option would be a dress that flows great at the bottom and can mimic the falling of leaves from the trees.

The Shoes:
The shoes should match the dress at least in colour. If the wedding dress is white, the best option would be white shoes, it the dress is cream or pearl the same thing would apply. For a fall wedding, shoes are probably better than sandals because of the cold and because rain may cause a problem. For the same reason it may be better to stay away from high heels or too high of a heel in case the ground should be wet and soft in places.

The Groom:
Tuxedos can come either in a set or can be individually assembled. Either way Nordstroms has a number of options to choose from. And it can easily match ties and vests for any suit. The perfect boutonniere would be something that matches the bride's bouquet. In this case if the theme colour follows the burnt orange more, a nice calla lily would work great.

Invitations:
Any out of town/state/country guests would really appreciated a Save the Date card, especially if the couple really wants certain people there, it gives the guests time to make arrangements like flight plans, house sitters, booking days of work, etc so that they can make it to the wedding. After the Save the Date cards, a formal invitation should be sent to all the guests (even the ones that already got the Save the Date card). A great option for invitations would be the A Falling of Leaves set.

The Rings:
MinterandRichterDes is a ring shop that will help custom make wedding rings. They use unusual matterials like wood, and stone to make their rings unique. This may be the only real way to get a orange wedding ring or fall themed at all. Of course the rings don't have to match the theme by any means and the couple can always go for something more traditional. The Meet You in the Middle (left) band is beautiful and the Molten Love (right) band would also go great with this theme.

The Reception:
An amazing idea for an unique guest book for a fall wedding would be a wishing tree. Simply finding a fake or real tree with no leaves, just branches. Cutting or printing out the shape of leaves in which ever colours the couple wants and punching holes in them at the top and adding ribbon is all that is needed. The guests sign their names and write anything they wish to say on the leaf and then tie it to the tree.

Food:
A good option for any wedding is a buffet style meal. This way all the guests get just what they want and they don't have to worry about dealing with things they don't like. Everyone has their little food habits, some people can't have their food touching some people like everything mixed together it's just a simpler way to keep everyone pleased. A few options are always a good thing especially when having a buffet, small servings are a good thing too because some people want to try a little of everything. Chicken is always a safe bet and a stuffed chicken breast would be enjoyed by most, another option would be a roast of pork. Great side options would be mashed sweet potatoes, carrots, and/or squash possibly macaroni and cheese for the chicken. For the pork garlic roasted potatoes, with root vegetables would be a perfect combo.

Having a veriaty of desserts on a buffet is normal and some great options are Sugar Leaf Cookies, Fall Muffins, Pumpkin Spice Cookies, and Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Holes.

The Cake:
For a fall themed wedding what better cake or cupcakes to have then ones inspired by fall flavours. Great cupcakes for a fall wedding would be The Everything Fall Cupcake, the Apple Pecan Cinnamon Cupcake, and the Carrot Cake Cupcake. The serving set and champagne flutes to make the theme can be found here and here.

Fall Wedding Cake

Guest Favours:
Guest favours don't have to always be something that matches the theme perfectly. Anything with a leaf on it would work just fine for this wedding there's no need to be crazy with it and give rakes because the theme is fall and leaves. Perfect examples of great gifts would be a leaf bookmark or leaf themed coasters.

Centerpiece:
Centerpieces don't always have to be a big thing in the middle of the table. Sometimes simply a table number sign and little table decorations around it work just as well. To make the table more festive and themed, Beau-Coup sells personalized Fall Leaf petals and that would just add a little something more to a plain white table cloth.Also a great option for the table would be candy trays in the shape of leaves. They can easily be filled with candies for the season like Sweet Crunchy Nuts, Cinnamon Walnut Brittle,or Cinnamon Sugar Candy Nuts. A great addition to the table would be candles but these can be fire hazards so some thought should go into whether they are a good idea or not. Another option would be filling small glass bowls with water and placing floating candles in them or tall enough candles just on the table in their own holders (tea lights aren't the best choice for this because of how small they are). Place cards are a great option for a wedding that include a meal. It is less confusing and easier to work with. Place cards can be just plain pieces of card with a theme matching holder like the ones below.

(Leaf holder)

Thank You Cards:
Thank You Cards don't always have to match the theme of the wedding, some couples choose to send a card with a picture of themselves, or from their wedding day. It all depends on the couple, some chose to send a picture in the card. Either way a couple can never go wrong with a beautiful card, so if it matches the theme or colour scheme doesn't really matter in the end.

Fall Leaves (Orange) Wedding

(Autumn Wedding)

Flowers:
The colours of fall are red, yellow, orange and a little green. Any combination of those colours would work great as a bouquet. However if the couple wants to focus on one of the colours it would be best to stick with that colour. Like the bouquet above completely in orange.

The Dress:
This is where options come in, with the dress there is never a reason to match the theme. The dress is about what the bride likes and what makes her look perfect for her big day. Some great options dress wise would be an Alfred Angelo dress. If the bride wants to add a bit of colour to her look, they have a wide range of colours and they match almost anything, even fall colours. Another great option would be a dress that flows great at the bottom and can mimic the falling of leaves from the trees.

The Shoes:
The shoes should match the dress at least in colour. If the wedding dress is white, the best option would be white shoes, it the dress is cream or pearl the same thing would apply. For a fall wedding, shoes are probably better than sandals because of the cold and because rain may cause a problem. For the same reason it may be better to stay away from high heels or too high of a heel in case the ground should be wet and soft in places.

The Groom:
Tuxedos can come either in a set or can be individually assembled. Either way Nordstroms has a number of options to choose from. And it can easily match ties and vests for any suit. The perfect boutonniere would be something that matches the bride's bouquet. In this case if the theme colour follows the burnt orange more, a nice calla lily would work great.

The Invitations:
Any out of town/state/country guests would really appreciated a Save the Date card, especially if the couple really wants certain people there, it gives the guests time to make arrangements like flight plans, house sitters, booking days of work, etc so that they can make it to the wedding. After the Save the Date cards, a formal invitation should be sent to all the guests (even the ones that already got the Save the Date card). A great option for invitations would be the Autumn's Palette set or the Autumn Themed set.

Food:
A great option for this wedding is simple comforting sit down meal. A great soup to start with would be a cream of squash soup, its hearty and its very seasonal. For a main course a roast of lamb with roasted potatoes and root vegetables would be a perfect pairing with the soup and the whole theme. For dessert a nice idea would be Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches, specially if it's more of a casual setting.

The Cake:
For a fall themed wedding what better cake to have then one inspired by fall flavours. A great cake would be an Apple Cobbler Cake with Pumpkin Pie Frosting.The serving set and champagne flutes to make the theme can be found here and here.

Apple Cobbler Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 C brown sugar

1/4 C sugar

2 eggs

1/2 C sour cream

1/4 tsp lemon extract

2 1/2 C apples, roughly chopped and loosely packed

Instructions

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger.

Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, sour cream, and lemon extract until blended.

Mix in flour mixture.

Fold in apples.

Divide batter evenly among 12 cupcake liners (they will be filled almost all the way to the top).

Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

Pumpkin Pie Frosting

3/4 C sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 large eggs

15 oz canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)

12 oz evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large bowl, beat eggs.

Stir in sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Mix in pumpkin.

Mix in evaporated milk.

Pour into 9" pie plate (no crust needed).

Bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for another 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out dry.

Remove from oven and leave on counter for two hours before use.

Fall Wedding Cake

Centerpiece:
Centerpieces don't always have to be a big thing in the middle of the table. Sometimes simply a table number sign and little table decorations around it work just as well. To make the table more festive and themed, Beau-Coup sells personalized Fall Leaf petals and that would just add a little something more to a plain white table cloth. Also a great option for the table would be candy trays in the shape of leaves. They can easily be filled with candies for the season like Sweet Crunchy Nuts, Cinnamon Walnut Brittle,or Cinnamon Sugar Candy Nuts. A great addition to the table would be candles but these can be fire hazards so some thought should go into whether they are a good idea or not. Another option would be filling small glass bowls with water and placing floating candles in them or tall enough candles just on the table in their own holders (tea lights aren't the best choice for this because of how small they are).Place cards are a great option for a wedding that include a meal. It is less confusing and easier to work with. Place cards can be just plain pieces of card with a theme matching holder like the ones below.

Backyard Summer (Yellow) Wedding

A backyard wedding doesn't have to be plain and just family Barbecue style, it can be very elegant with white tents and tables a dance floor and lighting to make it all work together. It all depends on the backyard, what the bride and groom wants and the budget. A great colour theme for a Summer Wedding has to be yellow, the colour of the sun!

Outside Wedding

The Flowers:
A beautiful flower is the Frangipani flower. In it's yellow shade it is soft and has white tips more often than not. It is a quiet flower that doesn't call too much attention to itself but it is just as beautiful.

Yellow Frangipani

The Bride and Groom:
This beautiful A-line Ankle Length Gown is a great option for a Summer Wedding. It is strapless and light so the bride doesn't overheat and it is gorgeous. If the bride is going traditional, the groom has to also. A tuxedo with a shirt and a yellow tie would be what the groom should wear to match his bride and their wedding theme.

A-Line Ankle Length Dress

The Shoes:
Flip Flops are always the best idea for any Summer wedding. They are open and breeze and easy to walk in. With flip flops the bride doesn't have to worry about sore feet, dancing all night or tripping in heels.

Rhinestone Bridal Sandals

The Invitations:
When having a wedding in the backyard it is so important to know how many guests to expect. The number effects how many places need to be set up for the meal and if the ceremony is taking place in the same area how many chairs need to be set up. This is why RSVP Cards are so important when sending out invitations. The invitation below would be a great option for this wedding, the invitations are white with yellow accents just like the flowers and they match the theme well.

Bright Modern Wedding Invitations

The Rings:
The yellow diamond is a beautiful gem and is rarely used in wedding rings, but it is a perfectly good option especially for a yellow themed wedding. Of course wedding rings never have to match the theme of the wedding, any ring will do.

Yellow Diamond Wedding Ring

Yellow Diamond

The Reception:
When deciding to have a wedding in a backyard, usually the couple assumes they aren't having a big wedding. If the guest list is short then a great alternative to a guest book is a picture guest book. The guests sign the white area around the picture and it makes a great way to display not only a wedding picture but the guests that were there. A box for cards is always a good thing to have just in case, but it isn't always needed.

Personalized Signature Frame

The Food:
Having a wedding in the backyard seems simple but it is far from it, especially when it comes to food. No bride or groom wants to be cooking on their big day and as much their family loves them, none of them want to be doing it either. Having someone cater is always best because they are professionals and know what to do and the bride and groom can worry less about how the food will turn out and no one has to miss the wedding because of it.

A nice way to start the meal would be a Broccoli Salad, it's light with classic flavours and a healthy option without having to be traditional. For a main course, Ribs and Wings scream Summer time and would be a great option for a backyard wedding. Ribs and wings can be heavy and filling so if the couple decides to serve both to their guests a smaller number of ribs and wings would be a good idea and a light salad on the side (coleslaw possibly or a type of potato) would be a good idea.

An amazing desert for a Summer Wedding would have to be Deep Fried Ice Cream. It's easy to make and being in the backyard, the ice cream won't have time to melt.

The Cake:

Cupcake Tower

A great option for a Summer Wedding when it comes to cupcakes would be lemonade cupcakes. There is a pink version and it can easily be adapted to a regular lemonade version also. There are pink lemonade cake mixes out there which would work perfectly fine, or a white cake mix with 2Tbsp of a lemonade powder mix would be just as delicious. And there is a simple Lemonade Icing to go with the cupcakes.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Lemonade Icing:

3/4 cup of butter, softened

3 1/2 cup powdered sugar

3-4 TB milk

1/2 tsp lemon extract

2 TB powdered lemonade (Yellow or Pink)

1-2 drops of food coloring (Red or Yellow)

Centerpieces:

A great way to add colour to any centerpiece is by adding small fruits like lemons and limes, small oranges. Their size work well in even small centerpieces and they are bright natural colour.

Lemon and orchid arrangements

Guest Favours:
Mason Jar Drinking Glasses are a perfect guest favour for a Summer Wedding. They are cute and they scream summer time especially if the couple chooses to fill them with lemonade for their guests to enjoy. And Engraved versions of the same thing would be a perfect gift for the wedding party and the parents of the bride and groom.

Engraved Old Fashioned Drinking Jars

Yellow and Gray Thank You Cards