Why pay top dollar for a wedding planner when you could plan your own dream wedding at half the cost? Use this wedding theme plan with ideas and define the most important day of your life in a royal way.
What makes this wedding a royal blue wedding? Royal blue invitations with a touch of class. Floral arrangements with hints of Blue Flower [name of flower], Bluebonnet [Texas state flower] in a soft blend of cornflower and chicory. Other considerations would be the royal blue gown, matching suit, sapphire wedding ring, wedding cake ideas with royal blue details, royal blue decor, and so on. The second dominant color should be pearl white. I’ll get you there. But first, the basics.
Each task and item required is highlighted then defined. Good luck and congratulations!
Wedding dates are important. It could be a birthday, a holiday, a day you two love birds first met, the day your parents celebrate their anniversary, a special day to your partner, the first day of spring, summer, winter, or fall. After someone pops the question, and you say yes, pick a date for your Royal Blue Wedding. Just make sure you give yourself at least 6 months to prepare for the big day.
Booking priest, minister, rabbi, or another licensed individual is a must in legally binding the marriage and may have more control over what time of the day the wedding could be held. It is all about whether the officiates are available. Some religious sectors require marital classes in preparation to the marriage which can also move a wedding date back.
Register through the state. Some states require a copy of birth certificates, form of photo ID, a blood test, past marital records involving divorce, death certificate of previous spouse [if any], documentation of non-US citizens, and so on, before a marriage could be granted. To avoid being swamped with local requirements at the last minute it is best to get a jump on things and contact your local government office to ask what is required in binding the marriage by law.
Once you and your partner have a wedding date, contacted an officiant, and registered in Public Records it is time to get creative!
Location, location, location! The measure of love must be larger than a small bathroom, rule number one. Below you will find some indoor and outdoor ideas on areas to hold the ceremony.
A family room, dining room, the screened porch are all good locations for two hearts to merge as one. Keep the dominant room color in mind. Royal blue doesn’t go with a yellow wall. However, if royal blue decor can make a difference it is not impossible. The second obvious factor would be if there is enough room to seat all of your guests.
Not enough room? Take it outside! But remember to prepare an inside room [plan B] for the ceremony should a threat of rain become reality.
A backyard can be spruced up as well. Dress the lawn and landscape as well as yourself by mowing, raking, trimming the bushes and trees. Watering the lawn the night before the wedding can offer a healthy green appeal to an already beautiful event. If you want to add some starlight to an evening wedding simply add mini-lights to a couple small trees and align mini-lights within the area the wedding is to take place.
What if you don’t feel like having a wedding near your home or do not want to clean up after anyone? Try the next option.
Most local clubhouses offer a spare room for wedding events. Contact your local clubhouse to observe the options. Ask about price, down payment [deposit], date availability, how long each wedding event is offered, does it come with entertainment a cleaning crew, if there are seasonal rates, and so on. Sometimes a clubhouse throws in decorations for an extra charge which is nice since it usually is still lower than it would cost for a licensed wedding planner and coordinator.
Best man and bridesmaid? Every wedding should have a pair. Most best men and bridesmaids traditionally are best friends or close relatives of the bride and groom. Pick a best man and bridesmaid then ask each person if they would comply. The head bridesmaid, matron of honor, should gather the other bridesmaids to draft a bachelorette and bridal party.
If the bride and groom wants items from a particular store the maid of honor and best man can set up a store registry with a gift list.
Other duties of a bridesmaid is to become the bride’s emotional backbone, to get the other bridesmaids together for their dress fitting, making sure each bridesmaid has the right bouquets, and other details and timely tasks involving the wedding day.
The best man does the same, but for the groom.
The guest list may get longer as days pass so give yourself plenty of time to come up with a solid list of guests. From family, friends, neighbors to those within the community, leave no loved one behind in this list [except rude ex-husbands and obnoxious ex-wives]. After everyone replies then use the list of attendees for the next step.
Wedding invitations can be created at home through a printer or pre-ordered from a business. There’s much to choose from. What if you can’t afford the Ann’s Bridal Bargains set for $49.99 [100 invitations] or David’s Bridal Green Topaz & Clover Invitation #DBN9855I5H set for $185.95 [100 invitations], Carlson Craft’s wedding invitation book #FRMN9645-65 for $259.90 [100 invitation books]? Time for a wedding invitation kit which can be found at most craft stores.
A white card with royal blue designs and a royal blue ribbon wrapped around each invitation before placing into envelopes – all you need. You could also use royal blue cards with white lettering and a thin white ribbon instead. Once you have your invitations completed send them out – done!
A wedding gown and tux can be solved by purchasing from second hand stores or through online outlets. Remember, gowns are usually worn once. The condition can be in excellent shape for half the price. You could go with, for example, Lily Wedding. Lily Wedding shares a beautiful custom altered spaghetti strapped, partially beaded, royal blue [with hints of pink] satin gown for $278. Pricey but absolutely gorgeous when adding a long soft royal blue train and veil.
Helena Bridal gowns offer the royal blue color option of a princess, dropped waist, beaded / diamond ballgown [#WD0314] and an A-line, strapless, long sleeved, dropped waist, satin beading white gown with royal blue option [#WD1018]. Great choices if you have a couple hundreds to spare.
Alterations, alterations, alterations! Give yourself enough time to have an alteration if needed.
Rent a handsome matching tux. Contact your local tuxedo store for colors, styles, rental prices, including credit card and deposit requirements, how long you can rent the tux for and what kind of store deals are active.
Don’t rule out royal blue boutonnieres and corsages for others in the wedding party. You do not have to go full royal blue but make sure the boutonnieres and corsages remains close to the theme.
The isle andalter together make a huge deal! If you wish to add appeal to the alter focus on the walk towards the alter. When indoors, a royal blue long thin carpet leading towards the alter is a nice start. If you are outdoors try to place blue flower petals along the section the bride walks down to indicate the isle.
Seating design matters. Each chair, facing the isle, should have a bouquet and be separated in tradition with the bride’s guests on one side and the groom’s on the other. Each side facing the isle should have a long silk or cotton veil draping the bride’s entry towards the alter. For a beautiful visual visit Classy Weddings.
Wedding ceremony music should come with valued taste. You should not go with loud or subtle music from a blown out speaker or a pitch deaf brother who wants to sing his favorite songs. Invest in a speaker [or two]. Having music at a wedding makes a big difference in the quality of the wedding.
Both bride and groom should come up with six songs, it is a must. Each has a favorite song, a song for walking down the isle, another for the cake eating moment, for the first dance and the dance with parent(s). Create a disk for this purpose. Other songs added as background fillers should be soft and light. Reception music should be upbeat and festive with a sentimental mix.
Find someone who wouldn’t mind playing DJ if you can’t hire a professional DJ. You supply the music and they simply make sure it is playing on specific moments. Their most important job is to press play, stop or pause.
Decorations centering the theme should compliment the theme. Wedding bells, candles, ribbons and bows, floral vines and bouquets all make for a delightful atmosphere during the special occasion. Craft stores can assist in that avenue as well. You’d be amazed at all of the interesting wedding decorations on the market today.
Decoration ideas can vary depending upon where your wedding will be held. Below are some good choices for home weddings followed by decorations for rented halls.
Give your mailbox a touch of royal blue bows when having a home wedding. You could slide a flower through the center of the bow. You could tie wedding balloons to the mailbox as well.
If you really want to create a nice front door floral wreath simply gather a glue gun, a bag of glue sticks, a wreath for a couple of dollars from the craft store, some fake royal blue and white carnations then glue each carnation head to the wreath in a blue-white-blue-white formation until the entire wreath is full of carnations. Twist short wire on the back of the wreath then hang on the front door.
Holiday wedding? From a royal blue Christmas tree, a royal blue Valentine’s Day love theme to a royal Easter wedding, merging wedding themes and holidays can unleash further festive spirit.
Seating charts are important! You don’t want any family fuss on this day so sit potential enemies as far away from each other as possible. If you need to rent chairs for your event try your local party supply store or go online and search for party chair rentals. Rent them and have them delivered either the night before your wedding or at least 6 hours before the wedding so you can have some time to work with.
Always leave yourself two hours to wash up, pamper yourself, dress and prepare to walk down that isle.
Who’s giving the bride away? Your dad, mother, brother, son, daughter, grandmother, grandfather, cousin, old boyfriend, girlfriend? It is time to choose and ask the lucky person.
Ring bearers could be pets. When the bride or groom whistles, their pet gallops down the isle. Around the pet collar is a small box. Inside of the box are two rings. The ring bearer could also be a young child, or children, who walks towards the bride and groom to hand them the rings that sit upon a royal blue pillow.
You could also have a surprise guest appear to deliver the rings as they walk the rings down the isle witnessing happiness of their arrival. The person could be a grandmother or a long lost friend missed for quite some time.
Flower girl basket can be created by using white and royal blue ribbons with tucked satin or soft white cloth and royal blue flower petals inside. The flower girl spreads the flower petals prior to the bride walking down the isle.
Rice bags, small bags of dry rice, could be supplied to guests to toss after you and your new spouse walk down the isle together, hand in hand. Place a large bowl of small decorative dry rice bags, created by you, next to a note as to what they are used for. If you feel that dry rice is bad for birds than use another worthy confetti.
The bridal bouquet may take some time since it stands out more than any floral arrangement at the wedding. Keyword “royal blue bridal bouquet” for some fitting choices or to gather ideas in crafting your own. You can wrap flowers together to create a bouquet. Simply visit your local craft store to seek that option.
Bouquet toss! And we all know what happens there. A bunch of ladies, and a couple of men, gathering in a crowded oxygen depleting circle to catch the chance of being noted as the next potential Mrs. or Mr.. But that’s not all – it is all in the game. It is a dog eat dog world out there and everyone wants to catch the thrill of snagging that bouquet away from hundreds of fingers.
A bouquet toss requires some space, massive space! And possibly a search team. Choose a location which best fits the requirement. A space where there are no holes on the ground for people to trip or objects getting in the way of arms reaching would deem compatible.
Photographer position can be given to the one who really enjoys taking photographs. We all know at least one natural photographer. The kind of sharp shooter who takes pride in snapping 100 frames just to capture the Holy Grail of photographs. Make sure you leave room for error because not all photographs come out perfect. Have the photographer take photos during the entire event. Also, have them take a set of nice photos of the bride and groom in various locations of the wedding without any distractions.
Guest books are great for weddings. Have one open with a nice pen next to it for all who attend to sign and add a special message to the bride and groom.
Reception follows a wedding where you could hire further entertainment and have a better opportunity in sharing the next wedding traditions. Now, open bar or closed bar?
Champagne should be offered at the reception but not at the wedding itself. If you do decide to hold the reception and wedding at the same location then yes, that is the only time placing glasses of wine and champagne out for your guests is appropriate. The reception is the perfect time to toast the bride and groom.
A nice main dish layout with side dishes, drinks, plates, cups, utensils and other party needs are required if you are not being served by a catering business. Tables and chairs are also required if not supplied. Make sure you have enough tables, chairs and supplies for everyone attending, absolutely.
Garter time! The garter should be the color which best matches your wedding dress. Feel free to go with another color but make sure it fits the scheme of things. Decorate the chair royal blue for this event.
The bride sits in the highly decorated chair with a sexy song played by the DJ as the groom takes off the garter belt and tosses it to the bunch of men circling the trajectory course.
Wedding cakes are a huge deal! But you don’t have to purchase an expensive $1,000 cake for this event. Visit Cake-decorating-tips.com for an idea of what you can create. The color of this cake can be established by using thick blue food coloring with white frosting. You can also go full white with royal blue buttons, flowers, and other details aligning the sides.
Cake tiers are usually a traditional addition to a wedding cake. You can purchase a floating tier stand or a tier cake display set to assist in creating multiple cake tiers. Have some confidence! If you can make and frost a cake than you can create a tier wedding cake for your very own wedding.
A cake topper with royal blue tones could bring everything together.
Don’t forget that wedding cake song! Here’s some suggestions: “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar during the cake feeding; “Cut The Cake” by Average White Band; “Recipe for Making Love” by Harry Connick Jr.; “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin or Frank Sinatra. That’s right, play it Mr. DJ!
A small presentation such as a video, an old home movie, or a slide show is not out of the question. Create a video to share with your new spouse, family and friends at the reception how much you love your new significant other.
Going on that honeymoon? Who is going to take over if you take off? Your best man and bridesmaid. Together they can offer you and your new spouse the gift of straightening and locking up. That is if you decided to have the reception at your own home. Most clubhouses usually come with a cleaning crew so the marital couple can enjoy their special day without the hassle.
Just Married! So, everyone wants to see you drive away in a vehicle decorated with the words “just married” splashed for the world to adore. Cans may be a tradition to hang from the back of cars but a can could accidentally detach itself turning into a lethal weapon for drivers behind you on your wedding day.
There are many ways your best man and bridesmaid can safely decorate a vehicle for your wedding day use. From a huge ribbon stretching across the hood to delicate details aligning the royal blue “just married” letters on a large white [best if magnetic] heart, it can be fun dressing up the car for the big event.
Wrapping things up!
You can put your whole heart into your own wedding project. But do not feel bad if you do require assistance from a wedding coordinator. It is all about time, knowing your options, filtering considerations on a spectrum of multiple tasks involving one of the most important days of your marital life. Expect a couple of mistakes along the way. Even coordinators make mistakes. We are all human. Don’t be hard on yourself or others if coordinating your own wedding.
You’ve been dreaming of your wedding day ever since you were ten-years-old. And now it is becoming a reality.
Congratulations!
__________
Photo by Lori Lane
Related Links:
Blue Flower(s), Wikipedia.org
http://www.helenabridal.com
http://www.lilywedding.com
http://www.classy-wedding-ideas.com/wedding-aisle-decorations.html
