Ancient Greek Wedding Theme

Is your man, "Your Greek god?" Why not celebrate with an Ancient Greek inspired wedding theme? Not to be confused with a college toga party, the Ancient Greek theme wedding has been mostly overlooked in recent years. This is probably due to its popularity for frat and sorority parties on college campuses across the country. Those events are not about elegance and the result is often tacky. So it's not hard to understand why the theme is not on the tip of a bride's tongue when it's time to pick out a theme for the wedding.

Still it can be fun and rewarding to play with the ancient Greek architecture and fashions when designing your wedding celebration:

Of course, pulling off any theme reaches beyond the decor of the room. Just like a theater event, the average individual’s ability to embrace an atmosphere depends largely on the appearance of the principle players. That doesn't mean that in order for you to pull off an ancient Greek themed wedding that you have to get married in a toga - no way! In fact the toga isn’t even Greek. It’s the Roman addition to the culture.

Choosing such a wedding theme does mean that your gown and the dress of the rest of your party should be tastefully reminiscent of the styles favored by the Ancient Greeks. As such you should start by commissioning a wedding dress based on a design inspired by the sculptures of Aphrodite and the timeless beauty of ancient Greek clothing styles in general. Then add an elegant bridal sandal to complete your wedding theme and accent your look.

Build your Greek wedding theme decor with pillars. It's usually most practical to have the big pillars you need made from Styrofoam if you can’t find a facility that was built with columns or you need more for the ambiance of the room. You can have them professionally made or if you know a wood worker that person might be willing to cut them for you with his lathe. Then it's just a matter of painting them to your satisfaction. For most, the spray paint designed to give a stone finish will work, but ultimately every bride should play with a few pieces of scrap Styrofoam and a variety of paints before deciding. The small pillars, for the basis of your table centerpieces can be found at most any craft store.

Accent your ancient Greek themed wedding with some elegant looking urns placed strategically around the room. These too can be easily found at most craft stores. After the wedding, keep the urns in your home or apartment with dried flowers in them or just as accent pieces by themselves – there is little that will make your wedding budget go further than identifying these rare opportunities to buy something for your wedding that you can use to better your life afterwards.
Assuming the management of the facility hosting your wedding agrees, rent a fog machine to give the "Top of Mount Olympus" feel to your event - either for your ceremony, or for the dance floor at your reception - or both!
Of course there are so many other things you could do to pull off the Greek theme. Hire a Greek restaurant to cater your wedding. Hire Greek dancers and musicians as entertainment and let them help you segue way into your dance. As always, the trick to pulling off an ancient Greek Wedding is to think through every detail just as you would if it wasn't a wedding at all but a theatrical show you were staging. Yes, its work - but your lifetime of memories will be worth the effort.

Brunch Morning Wedding Reception

Q:

My fiancé and I are planning on a morning reception, sort of a brunch type, from 9 to 11 am. I have many questions concerning the colors for this time of day. I had thought of using flowers such as lavender, daisies, wild flowers, and lots of greenery, baby's breath... but I wonder if that would look well. I am also in need of ideas for menus, and an itinerary for a wedding at that hour. We thought of having music played in the background while guests eat, talk, and we take our pictures. Please, I would be very grateful for any ideas and suggestions you can give me.

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We are happy to help relieve some of the mystery and confusion in wedding planning if we can.  You don't mention what time the wedding will be, so I assume that it will be quite early. 

A few things are different at a brunch or a lunch reception than at one held later in the day.  People don't dance early in the day, so you don't need the expense of hiring a DJ unless you particularly want one.  You can also dispense with the first dances unless doing them is important to you.  If it is, that will be all the dancing that probably occurs.

In the morning, people don't drink either, except perhaps a champagne toast.  That saves you the cost of alcohol.

I agree that it would be a good idea to have music playing in the background while guests are eating and you are taking pictures.  You don't mention where the reception will be held.  If it will be at a restaurant or a facility that has background music, that is all you will need.  Otherwise, bring in a CD player and several CDs.

Your choice of flowers sounds lovely.  They will brighten up things nicely.

If you want to serve wedding cake, do so.  If cake isn't your thing, you might choose to serve another type of dessert more suited to the hour.  I had a wedding last year where the couple served German obst kuchen, a light sponge cake covered with a thin layer of sweetened cream cheese, then covered with sliced fruit.  Do you like cinnamon rolls? You might have a giant cinnamon roll made for you to cut for pictures, then serve.  You could have several large ones or one large one and many smaller ones.

For your menu, you might serve two or three varieties of quiche or frittata, mixed fruit salad, and muffins with coffee and juices to drink.

With only 2 hours, you won't be able to do many things, but you won't need to.  You can eat, then cut your cake or dessert and have it served, do toasts if you want to, then mingle with your guests until about 10:40 or 10:45.  Do your bouquet and garter toss at that time as a signal that things are coming to an end soon.  If you want to have guests blow bubbles as you leave, or toss rice, birdseed or flower petals (assuming that the facility allows it), that can be passed out to guests just before you leave.

It sounds like it will be a lovely time.  Congratulations!

I  hope this helps,

Michele - Lead Planner

A Unique Wedding Sweet Tooth

Every special event should include a playful, sweet side, a chance for guests to truly absorb the fun and joy of the celebration. Your presentation of desserts and sweet favors is just the place to introduce a playful element, such as wedding cotton candy.  Cotton candy will be one of the most popular sweet wedding treats of 2011. Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss or candyfloss, is a form of spun sugar that melts instantly in the mouth. It is a surefire way to transport your guests back to their childhoods, and an affordably elegant way to make your wedding reception guests smile!

Candy buffets, step aside. The child in me would kill to have cotton candy at a very posh, ever-so-elegant wedding! Imagine it … sipping champagne while oh-so-delicately pinching the most delicious bites of pure silken spun sugar from the freshly made confection! Mmmm… I’d totally do it! And enjoy every moment of the splurge!

Unity Sand Ceremony Vows Affirm Love

The perfect wedding is more than just a stunning gown and a stellar guest list. For brides and grooms who have a strong Christian faith, the Lord is the center of the ceremony. Couples who want to show their unity in the Lord and their bond with each other can do so through the 21st century wedding sensation known as unity sand ceremony vows. Mixing tradition with innovation, the unity sand ceremony allows couples to demonstrate both their love for each other and their love for God.

You may have attended weddings where the bride and groom light a Unity candle. The unity sand ceremony follows a similar principle, but instead of sparking a flame, the couple creates an artistic masterpiece by pouring different colored sand into a unity vase. The wedding keepsake that results in a treasure that can grace the dining table in the couple’s first home.